There was progress with the Germany under-19s for Liverpool youngster Melkamu Frauendorf, as he helped his country to tournament success.
Two-and-a-half years on from his switch from Hoffenheim to Liverpool, there are high hopes for Frauendorf, who has already made two first-team appearances.
While he has been called upon at senior level, the 18-year-old is still on the fringes, and has instead stayed a regular with the under-21s, with three goals and four assists in 17 academy games this season.
His development has not gone unnoticed at international level, and Frauendorf was called up to the Germany U19s squad for a second consecutive break.
This time, it coincided with the World Cup, as Germany took on Poland, Malta and Portugal in a four-nation tournament held in Malta.
Frauendorf sat out the first game, a 3-0 victory over Poland, before starting the follow-up against the hosts.
Wearing the No. 7 shirt, the teenager lined up in midfield as Germany produced a 7-0 triumph, with goals from Stefano Marino, Nicolo Tresoldi, Mika Baur (two), Niklas Niehoff, Keke Topp and Brajan Gruda.
The Liverpool youngster was on for 68 minutes and had a key role to play in two goals, with his cross nodded over for Niehoff to make it 4-0 shortly before his substitution.
Three days later came the decider against Portugal, with Frauendorf clocking the full 90 minutes in a 2-2 draw that saw Germany emerge tournament winners.
Frauendorf had the ball in the back of the net in the 49th minute, but with referee Willy Delajod already having blown for a penalty, the chance instead fell to Muhammad Damar to net from the spot.
Portugal looked to be heading for a 2-1 victory when, with the final move of the game, Lukas Ullrich touched down a long ball and hammered home.
As preparation for the second round of U19 Euro qualifiers in March, it was another productive break for Germany – and certainly for Frauendorf, who appears to be cementing himself as a key prospect for his country.
Fan Comments