Initial reactions and observations
- While the first half was almost a disaster, the second half was a rather respectable performance by Germany. Hansi Flick will need to build on that and focus on the defense, because the opening 10 minutes decided this game for Belgium.
- Serge Gnabry was absolutely sizzling out there. Good showing by him ahead of Der Klassiker.
- Leon Goretzka’s injury will worry Bayern Munich fans. Hopefully he’s not too badly hurt.
- Emre Can was a stable and calming presence in midfield. Imagine typing that in 2022.
- No more starts for Thilo Kehrer, please….CONTINUE READING
Full time: Germany 2-3 Belgium....CONTINUE READING
87’ — GOAL! Serge Gnabry finally gets a deserved goal! 3-2 now!
78’ — Goal. Kevin De Bruyne makes it 3-1 to Belgium. No comeback for Germany.
58’ — Timo Werner puts it in the back of the net, but it was offside.
45’ — Second half kicks off!
Halftime: Germany trail 2-1 to Belgium.
42’ — Handball by Lukaku! Penalty to Germany! Fullkrug steps up and scores! 2-1 now!
31’ — Sub: Emre Can and Felix Nmecha on for Florian Wirtz and Leon Goretzka.
30’ — Leon Goretzka down with injury. This is disastrous for both Bayern Munich and Germany.
20’ — Either Lukaku has turned into prime R9 for one night only, or Germany are worse than we thought. He just hit the post, then had another shot that went wide. Belgium could’ve been 5-0 up by now.
9’ — Goal. Romelu Lukaku makes it 2-0! Disastrous for Germany.
6’ — Goal. The Germans sliced open, Carrasco makes it 1-0.
Kickoff: We’re underway in Cologne!
One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! Hansi Flick continues with his 4-2-2-2 formation.
Germany XI against Belgium:
ter Stegen –
Wolf, Ginter, Kehrer, Raum –
Kimmich ©, Goretzka –
Gnabry, Wirtz –
Füllkrug, Werner #GERBEL 🇩🇪🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/WbCXdN0NvA— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) March 28, 2023
So Germany won the first game of the international break 2-0. Only one Bayern Munich player started in that one, so Hansi Flick kept his promise to experiment with new players in these friendlies.
Against Belgium we expect more of the same, with Serge Gnabry set to replace Kai Havertz and Thilo Kehrer replacing Nico Schlotterbeck. A few more changes are also expected, possibly in midfield and on the wings.
As Germany look forward to Euro 2024, these games will be crucial to help Hansi identify the system and tactics that best suits this group of players. Hopefully, the progress remains constant.
While you’re waiting for the game, why not check out the latest episode of our podcast? We talk about Germany’s win over Peru last week as well as the implications of the Nagelsmann sacking. Listen to it below or on Spotify.
Match Info
Location: RheinEnergieSTADION, Cologne, Germany
Time: 8:45 pm local time, 2:45 pm EST
TV/streaming: Find Your Country
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