Kiwior scores against Germany
Next EM test, next setback: Twelve months before the home tournament, Hansi Flick’s highly insecure German national soccer team failed to get out of the mood in the second of three test matches. The national coach, who almost set up a whole new team in the 0-1 (0-1) Friday night in Warsaw against a conservative Polish selection, is waiting for other days with clear criticism. In the final test before the summer break on Tuesday in Gelsenkirchen against Colombia, the national team urgently needs a sense of accomplishment after three games in a row without a win.
Four days after the sobering 3-3 draw against Ukraine, the DFB side proved more stable and, at the start of the second half, also more imaginative in attack. The defense around the chain of three, which Flick declared mandatory experience, remained vulnerable in front of 57,098 spectators. The goal of Jakub Kiwior (31) came from a corner, the Polish star Robert Lewandowski having only played in the first half. DFB captain Joshua Kimmich hits the crossbar shortly after the restart (48th).
Longtime Bundesliga goalscorer Lewandowski was hugged warmly by the German players in the dressing room, but the friendship ended when the whistle sounded. The two-time world (Site notre bureau spécialisé)er was in good hands with Germany’s three-man defence, in which Malick Thiaw made a convincing international debut in AC Milan’s center and had a great chance to equalize in the 78th minute, until until he is replaced.
After the three goals conceded in the 1000th international match against Ukraine, which was not ready for the European Championship, the almost completely reformed defense of the DFB again showed weaknesses in terms of deficit. After a corner defender Kiwior clearly beat Thilo Kehrer in an aerial duel, after the header hit the ball the ball flew over goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen in the goal. In the following standard situations, the German team revealed other coordination problems.
But there was also a lack of offensive momentum. With Kai Havertz proving himself from the start after his fine performance after being substituted against Ukraine, there was a lot of laziness up front. Significant: Two long shots from Kehrer (23′) and Havertz (29′) were the best chances of the first half.
Poland’s Jakub Blaszczykowski left the pitch after just 16 minutes – but it was a gesture of the utmost respect. The former Dortmund player was substituted after 16 minutes to loud applause and loud chanting, in keeping with his long-standing shirt number. In his 109th and final international game, the 37-year-old nearly made it a dream come true. But in the duel against Thiaw, Blaszczykowski was too slow and therefore could not shoot on goal (13th).
In addition to Thiaw and Havertz, Flick had named seven other new starting XIs and justified the large rotation by wanting to « try something » against Poland and also at the end of the season against Colombia. Champions League winner Ilkay Gündogan of Manchester City has been rested again. Gündogan’s ideas would certainly have done the German game good. Youngsters Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz showed good approaches in building play, but the Flick team struggled to get into the penalty area.
ARD expert Bastian Schweinsteiger criticized during the half-time break: « There is a lack of creativity in the game going forward, you can see a bit of a lack of ideas. » Flick may have found similar words in the dressing room, as the DFB squad was much more determined after the side change. The replacement for Champions League finalist Robin Gosens, who quickly made it 1-1 (48th), paid. And Kimmich wasn’t just much more active because of his crossbar shot.
The Poles, who have long defended intelligently and for whom qualification for the European Championship next Tuesday in Moldova is much more important, are now under more pressure. Referee Orel Grinfeld rightly took over a penalty whistled against the hosts (56th). In the final phase, the DFB selection failed several times due to the strong Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
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