Defeat for DFB team in Nagelsmann's home debut
Julian Nagelsmann dared too much: after a lot of offensive power and hair-raising defensive errors, the German national soccer team conceded its first defeat under the new national coach in its emotional home debut.
The 2:3 (1:2) defeat against Turkey in Berlin's sold-out Olympic Stadium with 72,592 spectators was a bitter mood dampener seven months before the kick-off of the home European Championships. Nagelsmann still has a lot of work to do to return to the capital for the final on July 14, 2024.
Havertz and Füllkrug score
Kai Havertz (5th minute) and Niclas Füllkrug (48th minute), who was surprisingly deployed at left-back, scored the goals in an extremely attack-minded DFB team. However, it was not only the goals from Ferdi Kadioglu (38') and Kenan Yildiz (45.+2) that exposed the deficits in the back line. Yusuf Sari's 71st-minute penalty after Havertz's handball sealed the defeat.
Tuesday (20:45/ZDF) offers the chance to make amends. They will then face another European Championship participant in Vienna against Austria. A small glimmer of hope: the last time Germany lost to Turkey (1:2) in 2005, the World Cup summer fairytale took place just a few months later.
Whistles for the DFB team
The team led by captain Ilkay Gündogan was greeted with whistles and boos from the tens of thousands of Turkish fans in the arena during the warm-up. Gündogan was playing against his parents' home country for the first time and experienced something of an away match. Things should be very different at next summer's European Championship.
Until then, Nagelsmann and his team only have a few more opportunities to find their form and play their way back into the hearts of the German fans. Against the Turks, the successor to the hapless Hansi Flick tried an unexpected experiment: Havertz started on the left of the back four in front of goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, who replaced Marc-André ter Stegen, who had to withdraw with back problems.
"In general, I have a great fantasy for him because he is an exceptionally good footballer," said Nagelsmann ahead of the match on RTL. Havertz proved just how offensively the Arsenal FC professional should interpret his unfamiliar role after just four minutes, when he finished off a great attack in the Turkish five-meter area with the opening goal. Benjamin Henrichs had fed Leroy Sané with a fine through pass into the back of the visitors' defense and the Munich man then laid it off for Havertz.
Home game for Turkey
"Away win", shouted the German fans ironically after the goal. The shrill whistles of the Turkish supporters now fell silent, and the atmosphere in the stands remained peaceful anyway. According to the police, there were no major incidents during the Turkish fans' march to the Olympic Stadium apart from a few pyro flares being set off.
Both teams played a lively game on the pitch, with the German team initially in control. Sané could have added to his tally in the 16th minute, but shot from 18 meters past both the keeper Altay Bayindir, who had rushed out wide, and the goal.
After a strong opening phase, however, Nagelsmann's charges increasingly began to show the defensive wobbles that had become familiar in recent months. It was precisely these weaknesses that the national coach wanted to work on during the current training course in order to reduce the number of goals conceded.
It was almost inevitable that the Turks, who were now getting stronger and stronger, equalized. Henrichs and Sané let Kadioglu get away from them at the back and the Turkish whirlwind finished coolly into the far corner. Once again, the German team failed to score the goal they had hoped for.
And it got even worse: shortly before the break, a diagonal ball from Kaan Ayhan flew over the indented Henrichs, leaving Yildiz all alone behind it. The 18-year-old, who was born in Regensburg and trained at FC Bayern, thumped the ball superbly into the right-hand corner of the goal and Trapp again had no chance.
Furious Nagelsmann
Furious, Nagelsmann was the first to stomp into the dressing room. In the stands, former national coach Joachim Löw was amazed at the increasingly alarming performance of the hosts. However, Nagelsmann's speech at the break quickly had an effect. His side made it 2-2 with their very first attack: Wirtz's fine solo run found Füllkrug, who had been completely unmarked until then, who scored his tenth goal in his twelfth international match with a dry low shot.
However, the next moment of shock followed shortly afterwards when Dortmund's Salih Özcan hit the far post of the German goal from 18 meters (52'). The DFB team simply could not get a grip on the game, as the Turks fought back with great passion and were also helped by the video evidence.
Polish referee Bartosz Frankowski awarded a penalty for a debatable handball by Havertz. Sari beat Trapp, who still had his fingers on the ball.
Nagelsmann now sent on Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry for Wirtz and the unconvincing Joshua Kimmich. Bremen substitute Marvin Ducksch, who came on for Julian Brandt, also made his national team debut in the final minutes. Gnabry still had the chance to equalize, but narrowly missed a cross from Henrichs (86').
The DFB national team, led by coach Julian Nagelsmann, suffered a 2:3 defeat against Turkey in a friendly match, with Kai Havertz and Niclas Füllkrug scoring for the Germans. The DFB team, known for their offensive style, struggled defensively, with errors resulting in two Turkish goals and a penalty kick.
Despite the defeat, Nagelsmann's team will have the opportunity to bounce back against Austria in their next match. This was a disappointing outcome for the German national soccer team, playing at home and in their first European Championship year under coach Nagelsmann.
Source: www.dpa.com
