DFB-Pokal U17 Semi-Final: Borussia Dortmund U17 vs VfB Stuttgart U17
VfB Stuttgart U17 Starting Lineup (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper #1 Ioannis Kechlimparis
Defenders #2 Nikolas Matic – Right-back #4 Luc Holzwarth – Center-back #5 Gabriel Zarrella – Center-back (Captain) #3 Collin Schramm – Left-back
Midfielders #6 Ertugrul Yigit – Defensive Mid #8 Enis Redzepi – Central Mid #10 Sohrab Samandari – Attacking Mid
Forwards #7 Kian Speidel – Right Wing #19 Che Louw – False 9 #11 Leon Sonnenblick – Left Wing
Bench: Vincent Huber (#12), Neo Jeggle (#14), Mykola Petrovskyi (#15), Jeremy Noah Djeukui Yomba (#16), Brayann Kenmoe (#17), Mohamed Drammeh (#18)
Coach: Daniel Jungwirth
Borussia Dortmund U17 Starting Lineup (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper #1 Etienne Steuer
Defenders #2 Niklas König – Right-back (Captain) #4 Lenni Strößner – Center-back #5 Paul Tanyi – Center-back #3 Lyon Tepic – Left-back
Midfielders #6 Mussa Kaba – Defensive Mid #8 Till Burkhardt – Central Mid #10 Hamzath Mohamadou – Attacking Mid
Forwards #7 Keron Hagemann – Right Wing #9 Timo Ransmayr – Striker #11 Desmond Ndlovu – Left Wing
Bench: Anastasios Kitos (#12), Georgios Zisopoulos (#13), Christos Kostoglou (#14), Levin Vogt (#15), Nazariy Rudzey (#18), Niclas Goldberg (#19)
Coach: Sebastian Geppert
Kickoff
The players lined up in the tunnel, crowd noise echoing through. Che stood behind Leon, waiting for his turn to step onto the pitch. Dortmund's squad joined them, following their captain through the line.
Che watched quietly as Germany's youth prospects passed by, taking it all in—until the final figure entered the tunnel: Timo Ransmayr.
Che glanced at him while he tucked in his shirt, but Timo didn't acknowledge him at all. Focused. Locked in.
Che smirked to himself and looked forward. Leon turned back.
"You nervous?"
"Not really. I'm just... excited. Playing against a team like this makes football feel fun, you know?"
Leon nodded and smiled. The two teams marched out together, and the roar of the crowd intensified. The Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion was packed—way more than Che expected. His heartbeat picked up as they lined up side by side.
Players shook hands before kickoff. When Timo reached Che, he leaned in slightly.
"Hope you enjoy the match," he whispered. "Because you'll enjoy watching me win."
Che didn't respond—just watched him walk off toward his huddle. Then both teams moved into their formations.
Still thinking about Timo's words, Che snapped back to reality. Stuttgart kicked off.
BVB (0 - 0) VFB – 1st Minute
Dortmund immediately applied pressure with a tight zonal press, cutting off every passing option. Stuttgart were forced to pass back, and eventually Kechlimparis had to boot it long.
The ball didn't even cross halfway—Dortmund took possession quickly and kept it. Their passes were crisp, their movement tight. Stuttgart couldn't win the ball back.
The Stuttgart coach signaled for the front three to wait and hold their shape. Che nodded in response.
Dortmund pushed through midfield—Stuttgart responded with man-to-man pressing, but Dortmund stayed composed. Their chemistry was clear.
Then came the breakthrough.
Till Burkhardt slipped a through ball past the back line, right into Timo's path. He powered through using raw strength, muscling off the defender.
Inside the box now, left side. First touch—tight. He cut inside and the defender stepped to block, but Timo wasn't phased.
He smashed it toward the near top corner. The net rippled.
Timo jogged over to the corner flag. Calm. Controlled.
The crowd exploded. Dortmund fans screamed. Stuttgart's end stayed quiet. The Dortmund bench was all smiles.
BVB (1 - 0) VFB – 4th Minute
Goal: Timo Ransmayr | Assist: Till Burkhardt
On the way back to the center circle, Timo muttered under his breath.
"Fun? Who comes to a match like this to have fun..." He glanced toward Che. "Players like you make me sick."
Meanwhile, Dortmund's assistant turned to the head coach.
"Timo's locked in today."
"Yeah. Looks like he's just getting started."