Two late goals against Ukraine: light and shadow in Germany draw

class=”sc-29f61514-0 jbwksb”>

A shining sign for peace – and further alarm signals for Hansi Flick. The German national football team has just averted their 215th defeat in their 1000th international match, but a year before the European Championship in their own country, they are still a long way from the hoped-for title form.

In the 3: 3 (1: 2) in Bremen against Ukraine, the team of national coach Flick again showed huge shortcomings, the experiment with a triple chain and double leadership did not work and was called off. Basics were missing, especially physicality, sharpness of the pass, concentration – but at least the morale was good.

The spectators whistled

Werders striker Niclas Füllkrug (6th) gave the DFB selection the lead with his seventh goal in his seventh international match. But instead of the hoped-for family celebration with a fan-friendly kick-off time (6 p.m.), the 35,795 spectators in the sold-out Weserstadion experienced the following sobering evening. In desperation she whistled or chanted Werder.

Almost exactly twelve months before the day before the European Championship (June 14 to July 14, 2024), the guests turned the game around via Wiktor Zygankow (19th/56th) and an own goal by Antonio Rüdiger (23rd), Kai Havertz (83rd .) and Joshua Kimmich saved at least the draw with a penalty kick (90.+1). Nevertheless, a significant improvement in performance is urgently needed in Warsaw against Poland on Friday with exceptional striker Robert Lewandowski.

Enema with Ukrainian children

On day 474 of the Russian offensive war in Ukraine, a very “special sign” came from Bremen, as Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier emphasized. The teams arrived with Ukrainian children and lined up to have their picture taken together, far away at the front the soldiers looked at their mobile phones.

Message regardless of anniversary – from a sporting point of view, emphasized DFB chairman Bernd Neuendorf, “every player must now understand” that it is about the tickets for the “unique” EM. And for Flick, it’s about building a team ready for the title in time, but at the same time testing options – like the dual leadership.

Füllkrug stormed next to Leroy Sané and missed the first free-standing chance in his very personal home game (2′). Soon after, after a fine chip ball from Joshua Kimmich, he held his knee to a shot from Marius Wolf – and the target foghorn, which is typical here, sounded.

Chain of three with openings

Speaking of trying it out, it was only the second time during his tenure that Flick has relied on a chain of three with significant gaps. After a bad pass from Julian Brandt, Rüdiger and Matthias Ginter couldn’t get to Zygankow, who equalized. Substitute Kevin Trapp was just as powerless in goal as in the 1:2 when the ball ended up in the net after mistakes by David Raum, the overpowered Nico Schlotterbeck and Wolf von Rüdiger’s left foot.

Flick soon grunted angrily, not even a Sane free kick hitting the crossbar (45 + 3) relieved his gloomy expression. He initially stuck with his system, even after the initial personnel changes at the reboot. But there were also problems in midfield, where Leon Goretzka was not the hoped-for anchor in the defensive role.

A half-height, much too sharply played back pass from Brandt to the surprised Ginter resulted in the third guest goal. Flick, who had to compete next to the Champions League finalists Ilkay Gündogan and Robin Gosens and the injured Timo Werner, switched to 4-3-3 after more than an hour. Havertz scored the second German goal after a great individual action, Kimmich equalized from the point. (AFP)

Source : Blick