Havertz prevents bankruptcy
DFB-Elf struggles late to draw against Ukraine
06/12/2023, 8:00 p.m
The 1000th international match of the DFB team is both an anniversary and a charity match. The Ukraine is a guest in Bremen. Hansi Flick’s team scores early, but subsequently proves to be a good host. A year before the European Championships in their own country, the national team is struggling to achieve a late, undeserved draw.
A shining sign of peace – and further alarm signals for Hansi Flick. The German national soccer team just averted the 215th defeat in their 1000th international match at the big anniversary, but a year before the home European Championship they are far from the hoped-for title form.
In the 3: 3 (1: 2) in Bremen against the Ukraine, the team of national coach Flick again revealed huge deficiencies, the experiment with a triple chain and double leadership didn’t work and was canceled. Basic things were missing, especially physicality, sharpness of pass, concentration – but at least the morale was right.
Werder striker Niclas Füllkrug (6th) brought the DFB selection into the lead with his seventh goal in his seventh international match. But instead of the hoped-for family festival with a fan-friendly kick-off time (6 p.m.), the 35,795 spectators in the sold-out Weser Stadium experienced the next sobering evening. In desperation, they whistled or chanted Werder.
So many question marks
Almost exactly twelve months to the day before the EURO (June 14th to July 14th), the guests turned the game around through Wiktor Zygankow (19th/56th) and an own goal by Antonio Rüdiger (23rd), Kai Havertz (83rd ) and Joshua Kimmich with a penalty kick (90.+1) at least saved the draw. Nevertheless, on Friday in Warsaw against Poland with exceptional striker Robert Lewandowski, a significant increase in performance is urgently needed.
On day 474 of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, a very “special sign” emanated from Bremen, as Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier emphasized. The teams arrived with Ukrainian children and lined up to take a picture together, far away at the front the soldiers watched on their mobile phones.
Message or anniversary – from a sporting point of view, stressed DFB President Bernd Neuendorf, “every player must now understand” that the tickets for the “unique” EM are at stake. And for Flick it’s about forming a team ready for the title in good time, but at the same time testing options – like the dual leadership.
Füllkrug stormed alongside Leroy Sane and missed the first free-standing chance in his very personal home game (2′). Shortly thereafter, after a fine chip ball from Joshua Kimmich, he held his knee in a shot by Marius Wolf – and the goal foghorn, which is typical here, sounded.
Experiment triple chain aborted
Speaking of trying it out: It was only the second time during his tenure that Flick relied on a chain of three that had significant gaps. After a bad pass from Julian Brandt, Rüdiger and Matthias Ginter were no longer able to approach Zygankow, who equalized. Substitute Kevin Trapp in goal was just as powerless as in the 1:2 when the ball crashed into the net after mistakes by David Raum, the overwhelmed Nico Schlotterbeck and Wolf von Rüdiger’s left foot.
Flick soon grumbled angrily to himself, even a free kick from Sane on the crossbar (45 + 3) did not lighten his gloomy expression. He initially stuck to his system, even after the first personnel changes with the restart. But there were also problems in midfield, where Leon Goretzka was not the hoped-for anchor in the defensive role.
A half-high, much too sharply played back pass from Brandt to the surprised Ginter brought the third guest goal. Flick, who had to do without the Champions League finalists İlkay Gündoğan and Robin Gosens and the injured Timo Werner, switched to 4-3-3 after a good hour. Havertz scored the second German goal after a nice individual action, Kimmich equalized from the point.