- Germany 4-0 Finland (1-0)
- Goals: 1-0 Undaw (34′), 2-0 Wirtz (48′), 3-0 Undaw (57′), 4-0 Musiala (63′)
- Attendance: 25,122
A day before Germany left for the US, Julian Nagelsmann’s side comprehensively defeated Finland in Mainz thanks to an excellent performance from striker Deniz Undav. The Stuttgart forward scored twice and assisted one to help deliver the expected result.
“We can move forward like this,” Nagelsmann said later. “One of our strengths is that we always look like we can score.”
There isn’t much to build on in these games. Less than two weeks before the World Cup is no time to experiment tactically, and most of the starting players are rested. These games are almost always about players avoiding injury and motivating teammates to get started.
confidence boosting victory
Jamal Musiala scored the goal, which will be a big boost to his and the team’s confidence after the Bayern Munich player’s long injury layoff.
Lennart Karl was exceptional, and if not for this post he might have had a goal to his name. The Bayern teenager has been noticeably pushing for a start, and has moved Leroy Sane further down the pecking order in terms of squad places.
Nathaniel Brown’s offensive efforts – defensively he was rarely called into action – made Nagelsmann feel right about his choice, as they also gave ample food for thought when it came to starting at left back.
But otherwise, how much real value can be taken from such a win against the 73rd best team in the world? A brief look at recent history shows that a pinch of salt is required.
Ahead of Euro 2024 two years ago, Germany narrowly defeated Greece in a disjointed and shaky performance. However, at the domestic Euros Germany looked their best in years and were unlucky to lose to Spain in the quarter-finals.
Two years before that, in preparation for the Qatar World Cup, they played a friendly in Oman in which they led 1–0 but struggled in the heat and humidity of the Gulf. What happened next was a disaster as they failed to get out of their group with Japan, Costa Rica and Spain.
Taking all this into account, the win and performance in Mainz is great, but it also doesn’t predict how Germany will perform in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Undav keeps delivering
Whatever happens, Deniz Undav was once again the story.
For the striker, who was publicly dismissed by Nagelsmann in March despite scoring the winner, to deliver another match-winning performance and the head coach later apologized, which certainly made the case for his debut even stronger. Furthermore, his cheerful demeanor makes him an invaluable member of the team because, in some ways, he has replaced the jokes and smiles that Thomas Muller once brought to this group.
Nagelsmann later said, “If you score two goals and provide an assist, you don’t consider yourself out of the team.” Kai Havertz remains the starter, and his goal in Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat further underlined his big-game skills, but having Undau as a substitute from the bench is starting to look like a real boost to Germany’s chances.
And so Germany will head to the airport, destination Chicago, as they prepare for one last friendly match against hosts the United States before settling into their base camp in North Carolina. There are only eight days left from the end of that friendly until the World Cup opener against Curaçao in Houston. Germany’s World Cup adventure is already on.
Edited by: Chuck Penfold