Six goalscorers and one flaw: DFB team goes to the European Championship with a peat festival

Monday, June 7th, 2021

Six goalscorers and one flaw
DFB team goes to the EM with a peat festival

In the last test match before the European championship, the German national soccer team celebrated a runaway victory. Six different players meet against overwhelmed Latvians. The goal festival is a special encounter for Manuel Neuer: The goalkeeper is making his 100th international match.

The long-missing spectators applauded enthusiastically, and captain Manuel Neuer presented goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke with his anniversary jersey. “It felt good on the pitch today,” said Thomas Müller after the 7-1 (5-0) win against Latvia and the joint walk to around 1000 fans in the stadium. The goal festival at the 100th international game by Keeper Neuer and a first small fan comeback definitely aroused the desire for the European Football Championship. “We did a lot of good things,” said national coach Joachim Löw.

The only annoyed newcomer was able to look forward to a lively victory against build-up opponents Latvia in his goal, which, however, has nothing to say for the hammer opener in the first group game against France in a week. “Of course we know that France is a different house number than Latvia,” said Müller on RTL. Then Joachim Löw and the national team face the world champion with world-class players like Kylian Mbappé or Antoine Griezmann in Munich and no longer against nameless sparring partners like Latvia’s goal scorer Aleksejs Saveljevs (75th) or the helpless goalkeeper Roberts Ozols.

“Result was not the most important thing”

In any case, the admitted spectators in the Düsseldorf arena enjoyed the performance of the DFB selection, which was allowed to combine and score to their hearts’ content in the offensive staging of Löw’s EM system with a defensive triple chain. However, the speed and intensity had to be “increased even more”, demanded Löw and predicted: “Then it will be okay until next week.” Robin Gosens opened the scoring with his first international goal (19th minute). Ilkay Gündogan (20th), Müller with his goal comeback in the DFB team after three years (27th), Serge Gnabry (45th), Timo Werner (50th) and Leroy Sané (76th) followed suit. The goal of the strong Kai Havertz was counted as an own goal by goalkeeper Ozols (39th). “The result wasn’t the most important thing today. The way in which we wanted to play football and then implement it was important,” said Müller.

His Munich club colleague Neuer made his biggest appearance before kick-off when he stepped onto the pitch through a line of teammates and supervisors. In the 100th international match, he was happy about his 69th win – but the 43rd to nil was denied him as a gift. But for him, too, it only counts at the EM. “I bet on a clear 6-0 win”, the record international player and TV expert Lothar Matthäus said on RTL – and was almost right in the end.

The DFB-Elf started the game offensive and implemented the tactical guidelines of the national coach, who was leaving after the EM. This ordered Müller and Havertz together into the starting line-up. Gnabry completed the top. On the defensive, as in the 1-1 match in the first international match during the EM preparations against Denmark, Löw relied on a three-man chain, which he is also planning for the first group game on June 15 in Munich against world champions France. Mats Hummels, Antonio Rüdiger and Matthias Ginter spent – like Neuer – a largely peaceful evening in optimal external conditions. Shortly before the wonderfully played goal to 3-0, the goalkeeper drove his front men forward with a triple “speed, speed, speed”.

However, this was actually not necessary. All eleven players who were on the field strongly recommended themselves for a starting line-up against the French. Müller (1st) and Havertz (2nd) set the first accents in the first 120 seconds before the team needed a few minutes to find and consolidate. But then it got very fast and sometimes spectacular, with plays worth seeing, effective finishes and great goals.

Kroos back, Werner relieved

Above all, Chelsea professional Havertz embodied self-confidence and wit par excellence. Löw had said shortly before the game that he was “buoyed by a wave of euphoria” and with his quality and abilities he could give the team a lot With his technical skills in the tightest of spaces, he was convincing as a preparer and executor and was allowed to rest in the second half. His London club colleague Werner came in for him. The recently criticized Leroy Sané replaced his Munich teammate Gnabry.

The competition fueled by Löw did not have a negative impact on the German game. Sané had the 7-0 on foot after 65 minutes, but shot just wide after preliminary work by Joshua Kimmich and Toni Kroos. The veteran Kroos played again for the first time after his corona infection. The Real Madrid midfielder was late for the training camp in Seefeld. While Müller met again in the national team’s jersey for the first time in more than three years and the 1-1 draw against Spain on March 23, 2018, Werner only ended a brief lull in goals, but looked relieved and happy after the 6-0.

For a short time, a corona case caused a stir among the Latvians in the afternoon. But shortly before the game, the Latvian Association gave the all-clear, so that the game – luckily for the German fans – could kick off. After an hour, Löw decided to make a triple change and brought in Niklas Süle (for Rüdiger), the Freiburg surprise man Christian Günter (for Gosens) and Emre Can (for Gündogan). Neuer was annoyed about the goal, but Sané restored the old distance shortly afterwards.