After Germany gala: HSV hail Stange as the difference-maker | OneFootball

Otto Stange is currently causing quite a stir. And besides making Germany’s U19 national team celebrate, he is also giving HSV plenty to cheer about.

In the DFB juniors’ 2–1 semi-final win over Ukraine, the HSV talent once again emerged as the decisive factor. With one goal and the assist for the winner in stoppage time, he more than deserved the label of “match-winner” in impressive fashion.

In his eleventh appearance for Germany’s U19 side, Stange scored his twelfth goal already. Only Davie Selke (14 goals) and his current teammate Francis Onyeka (13) have scored more often. “I’m happy about my goal and my assist. I think I could have scored one more, but I’ll do that in the final,” Stange said after the match with a big grin. “Now there’s one more game we have to win.”

Spain await in the final on Saturday evening (8 p.m.). The Iberians won their semi-final against Croatia convincingly 3–0. That gives Stange and company the chance for redemption. In the group stage, the DFB team, without several regular starters — including Stange — suffered a clear 3–0 defeat. “First we recover and then we’ll approach it nice and calmly. We’ve got quality up front, we’ve got quality at the back. We’ll give everything,” the HSV striker said confidently.

Photo: IMAGO

HSV seeks regular contact with Stange

At HSV, the development of the homegrown player is naturally being followed closely as well. During the tournament, coach Merlin Polzin has been in regular contact with Stange and was delighted with his performances. “With Otto, it’s always a funny exchange because he’s a special character,” the HSV coach is quoted as saying by the Hamburger Abendblatt. “Loic talks to him a lot on the phone. Especially after his great games, we made sure to get in touch with him.”

It is only logical, then, that Polzin believes the youngster is capable of breaking the record of his former player Selke: “Maybe he’ll still catch Davie. He’s a great player who shows what a difference he can make and how much joy he brings.” Those are exactly the qualities Stange is expected to demonstrate at the Volkspark next season as well. On social media, calls for a bigger role for the fan favorite are already growing louder.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.