German football team DFB continues to whistle due to the lack of scoring opportunities.
The German national soccer team faces a nagging issue: turning chances into goals. They managed only a scoreless tie against Ukraine in the second-to-last warm-up match before the European Championship, which takes place in their home country. While the negative aspects are hard to ignore, no one wants to dwell on them.
The German soccer players didn't want to dwell on a minor bummer, not even the 0:0 draw against Ukraine in the penultimate warm-up bout before the European Championship at home. Despite a largely dominant performance and plenty of offensive pressure, the DFB squad in Nuremberg couldn't manage a win. Coach Julian Nagelsmann was left puzzled, baffled as to why the ball wouldn't find the back of the net.
"Of course, we would've preferred a more convincing result, like 2-0 or 3-0. But we put on a decent show for a long stretch," Nagelsmann remarked, praising one aspect in particular, "I felt like we really wanted to win. We pushed hard after a long season. Against such a deep, compact opponent, you need to put in 27 shots on target first."
One player who showcased his desire to win was newcomer Maximilian Beier. Nagelsmann lauded Beier's performance: "Maxi Beier played a solid game." Indeed, Germany had several opportunities, especially Beier; he hit the crossbar (61.) and almost found the back of the net (63.). Whether Beier's impressive display is enough to earn a spot on the EM squad remains to be seen.
"It's not a big deal if someone says they could've been benched," Nagelsmann shared with ARD. "We'll be debating it among ourselves." Nagelsmann must submit his final squad to UEFA on June 8th, mere hours after the last warm-up match against Greece. He included 27 professionals in his provisional squad, but only 26 players can compete in the EM. In addition, U21 players Bajran Grada and Rocco Reitz are part of the A-team's training group, but unlikely to play in the EM.
"It's a shame we didn't score," said Thomas Mueller, who had been pulled in the second half. "We deserved a goal today. We didn't give away many chances, but sometimes these things happen." The 34-year-old alluded to the "positive atmosphere" within the team and the strength shown by the younger national players. "If someone new joins us for the opener, that's fine," Mueller grinned, "but we don't need that. We need the energy, the spirit of the youngsters." There's "no reason to be tense."
"Unfortunately, we couldn't convert our many scoring opportunities," said goalie and team captain Manuel Neuer. "I hope we'll have better luck in the group stage." Neuer added, "I think we displayed a solid defensive performance. We remained stable, withstand any changes made by the coach, and maintained our defensive structure and dominance. It's critical."
Joshua Kimmich also felt good about the game: "We played an outstanding match. If we had won 1-0 or 2-0, no one could complain. The goals were missing, but overall, we displayed what we intended." It was challenging: At the EURO, Germany may face several teams with a similar defensive approach.
Following the match, the team enjoyed a high-profile guest: Germany's Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz dropped by their locker room. After the final whistle, Scholz and DFB sports director Rudi Völler, DFB president Bernd Neuendorf, and DFB managing director Andreas Rettig made their way to the players. "He said that morale's high, he wishes us well, the nation stands by us, and we felt encouraged," reported Nagelsmann. "The cupboard was relatively quiet in the locker room." Neuendorf recalled, "He received a warm welcome and wished the team good luck."
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Despite their dominant performance and numerous offensive opportunities, the DFB soccer team struggled to secure a win against Ukraine, leaving coach Julian Nagelsmann perplexed. The DFB, being the German national soccer team overseen by the DFB (Deutscher Fußball-Bund), faced a frustrating 0:0 draw.
