German rookie ball boy steals the spotlight in upset over Italy

In a thrilling Nations League quarter-final showdown between two footballing giants, it wasn’t just the players on the pitch who made headlines. Amid the drama of Germany’s 5-4 aggregate victory over Italy on Sunday night, an unexpected star emerged — 15-year-old Noel Urbaniak, a rookie ball boy whose quick reflexes and presence of mind helped shape the outcome of the match.

The moment came in the 36th minute of the second leg in Dortmund. With Germany already ahead, captain Joshua Kimmich was poised to take a corner. Italy’s defence, mid-conversation, and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, steps away from his line arguing with the referee, were anything but ready. But Urbaniak was.

“I saw him looking at me. We had eye contact — just for a moment,” Urbaniak recalled after the match, still clutching a signed football gifted to him by the German players. “He wanted the ball, and I just threw it.”

That split-second reaction set off a chain of events. Kimmich wasted no time — he whipped in a quick corner, and with the Italian defence out of position, Jamal Musiala tapped the ball into an empty net. Germany doubled their lead, and the stadium erupted.

For Urbaniak, it was his first time working as a ball boy. For Germany, it was a moment of opportunism and precision — one that their head coach Julian Nagelsmann hailed as “world-class and unbelievably smart.”

“I didn’t even see it in real time,” Nagelsmann admitted post-match, still shaking his head in admiration. “That kind of awareness — from both Kimmich and the ball boy — is just phenomenal.”

Joshua Kimmich himself couldn’t help but smile when asked about the goal. “He [Urbaniak] was very sharp, which isn’t bad in a game like this,” he said. “He did well.” As a token of appreciation, Kimmich autographed a match ball for the teenager, and German football federation director Rudi Voller added that Urbaniak would be invited to Germany’s next home game as a guest of honour.

The goal proved decisive, especially after Italy’s second-half resurgence, led by Moise Kean’s brace. The match ended 3-3, but Germany’s first-leg advantage sent them through to the semi-finals, where they will face Portugal in June.

For Italy, it was a bitter lesson in attentiveness. “We got distracted,” admitted Kean. “It can happen to concede goals like that. We’ll work better on it next time.”

Italy’s coach Luciano Spalletti, however, was less forgiving. “We saw that they take corners quickly. We must not turn our backs. It’s a matter of maturity.”

But for Noel Urbaniak, the night was unforgettable — a first time on the sidelines that turned into a front-page moment.

“It is unbelievable,” he said, still beaming hours after the final whistle. “I have never been involved in something like that.”

Sometimes, it takes just one pass to change a game. And sometimes, that pass doesn’t come from the pitch — but from a teenage kid with quick hands and a sharp eye for the game.

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