[ad_1]
Saturday, November 14, 2020
The German soccer team beat Ukraine to take the lead in their Nations League group. National coach Joachim Löw had declared the match at the end of the experimental phase before Euro 2021. After several crown cases in the Ukrainian team, the game was questionable for a long time.
Upon his return to Leipzig, Timo Werner fired at the national soccer team after a tough test of Corona’s patience towards group victory in the Nations League. After hours of waiting for the health authorities to play, national coach Joachim Löw won 3: 1 (2: 1) in goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s record game on Saturday night thanks to Werner’s double goal (33 minutes / 64) against Ukraine. ) by.
“It’s always fun to come here. It’s a shame there were no spectators,” Werner told ZDF. In the XI’s first joint appearance in two years, the young turbo storm impressively demonstrated its precision. Before Werner’s goals, Leroy Sané (23rd minute) drew in a ghost game at Red Bull Arena. Only Serge Gnabry remained from the trio this time without a hit. The guests, weakened by four positive corona tests after the confusion, had taken the lead through Roman Yaremchuk (12th). The DFB-Elf was lucky with three hits to the post in the second half (52/75/81).
“It was pretty good today. I’m proud of the team and how we did it,” said Sané. At the end of the difficult year for the Crown, the DFB team against Spain in the Seville showdown on Tuesday already has all the triumphs in hand. With the 1: 1 of the Spaniards (8 points) in Switzerland, the DFB-Elf (9) took the first place. After the relegation disaster in 2018, this time he can make the group win and participation in the Final Four in October 2021 is perfect. After much public criticism, that would also give Löw the boost he hoped for the EM in the summer. “It was a very difficult match. In the current situation, only one thing helps: winning, and we did it today,” said Leon Goretzka.
At the end of the difficult year for the Crown, the DFB team against Spain in the Seville showdown on Tuesday already has all the triumphs in hand. After the relegation disaster in 2018, this time he can make the group win and participation in the Final Four in October 2021 is perfect. After much public criticism, that would also give Löw the boost he hoped for the EM in the summer. Central defender Antonio Rüdiger is suspended in Spain after his second yellow card.
“It felt uncertain”
“Yesterday you could feel a bit of uncertainty, but thank God it turned out that the game could take place,” said Loew, who watched the game wearing black gloves and white sneakers, shortly before kick-off at ZDF. DFB director Oliver Bierhoff said he was “naturally happy that we can play.” The DFB-Elf then showed their joy by playing, but were surprised by the early goal. Robin Koch and Philipp Max were caught by surprise, the Bayern Neuer goalkeeper had no chance against Yaremchuk’s shot in his 95th international game. Neuer met Sepp Maier, now 76, as the German record keeper.
Koch and Max, without international experience, were able to work from the beginning. At the Freiburg chef, Löw surprised with a tactical trick and put the 24-year-old, who had convinced him in the 1-0 win over the Czech Republic, sixth ahead of the four-man defensive chain. Max was involved in the first two dangerous actions. Leon Goretzka finished off a squad of the PSV Eindhoven professional over the top (3rd), Eduard Sobol cleared a cross for a corner (6th). Löw had changed the starting eleven by seven places compared to the Czech Republic match, which also took place in Leipzig. But against the low-lying Ukrainians, the Germans struggled with the preparation game and with the speed of their offensive actions.
Goretzka as axis
The guests were surprisingly confident after their 1-0 lead, Sané’s compensation shockingly dropped at this point. Goretzka won the ball off Alexander Zintschenko and tied his Munich teammate Sané, who scored 1-1 on his first successful action. For the 24-year-old it was the first goal in the DFB jersey since June 2019 and the first after his cruciate ligament tear. In Goretzka’s case, the squad seemed to have been the deadlock. In 10th position, the 25-year-old was now the lynchpin of the German game and was involved in almost all dangerous situations. With an artistic insert with his extended leg, he took a flank from Koch and served Werner, who could enter from a short distance.
After initial slight difficulties, the DFB-Elf now controlled the game; only the yellow card for Rüdiger dampened the mood a bit. Against Yaremchuk, the Chelsea defender committed a tactical foul (29). After the change, it was again the Ukrainians who put the first accent, but this time without any consequence. Niklas Süle deflected a shot from Zintschenko, and the post saved the defeated newcomer (52nd). And again Löw’s team showed a reaction. Sané was pushed (57th), with a shot blocked by Werner, the hosts unsuccessfully demanded a hand penalty (58th). Gnabry was unlucky twice in the final (60th / 61st), before Werner scored 3-1 after excellent preparatory work by Gündogan and Matthias Ginter. Neuer & Co. were lucky that Marlos (75th) and Junior Moraes (82nd) only hit the post.
