National soccer team mandatory victory thanks to Undav: DFB selection wins in Zenica
Put the German team on track with two goals: Deniz Undav Photo
© Christian Charisius/dpa
The German team is ready for the prestigious duel with their big rivals Holland. In the victory in Bosnia, a Stuttgart player shows his goalscoring qualities.
Julian Nagelsmann rushed onto the pitch and congratulated his heavily changed team with three debutants Mandatory victory. Thanks to Deniz Undav and a mature performance over long stretches, the German national team remains on course for the quarterfinals as league leaders despite a number of failures in the Nations League. The DFB selection of national coach Julian Nagelsmann was hardly deterred by the loud home fans in the 2-1 (2-0) win in Zenica against Bosnia-Herzegovina and travels strengthened to the classic on Monday (8.45 p.m. / ZDF) in Munich against arch-rivals Holland.
The strong Undav (30th and 36th minutes) put Germany in the lead with his second and third goals in the fifth international match. In the rustic Bilino Polje stadium, the newly formed DFB team was only put into trouble in the second half, with veteran star Edin Dzeko (70th) scoring the goal. In the first half, Undav’s Stuttgart teammate Ermedin Demirovic only hit the crossbar (35th).
“The game was somewhat calmer after the 2-0 lead. After we conceded the 2-1, things got heated again, but we got it over with confidence,” said goalscorer Undav on RTL and added: ” Scoring goals is always very nice. To have scored twice for the national team and won is even nicer.”
Nagelsmann was also satisfied: “We didn’t start that well, it took us the first ten minutes. When we adjusted it, it was good. Then we were already dominant. We allowed few counterattacks. There were a little too few goals for superiority.”
In addition to the long-missing goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, Nagelsmann had to do without six other professionals, including the offensive stars Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Niclas Füllkrug. Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nübel and Gladbach striker Tim Kleindienst made their international debut in the starting line-up, and Mainz’s Jonathan Burkardt was also allowed to play for the first time in the second half.
Dominant performance despite five changes
“I’m not worried that we’ll play badly,” Nagelsmann said, confident despite the many failures. In addition to the five changes to the starting eleven, a change for the DFB team was also the small, time-honored stadium, which had amateur football charm.
After a somewhat difficult start, the German team quickly got the game under control. Dominant, calm and consistent in front of goal, Joshua Kimmich and Co. initially made things clear. The team’s DNA had not changed despite the absence of the offensive players Musiala, Havertz and Füllkrug. It was only in the final phase that the DFB selection came into a bit of trouble after conceding a goal.
“We made it a little difficult for ourselves. We could have scored a few more goals. But we didn’t allow much, so it was okay,” said Florian Wirtz. Goalkeeper Nübel didn’t have much to do in his DFB debut. The 28-year-old, who made a confident impression, would have been powerless when his Stuttgart teammate Demirovic hit the crossbar. Even with Dzeko’s header goal from close range, he could hardly be blamed.
The action largely took place on the opposite side. After Pascal Groß fired a first warning shot at Pauli keeper Nikola Vasilj’s goal in the middle of the first half (25th), it happened shortly afterwards. After a dream pass from Robert Andrich to his Leverkusen colleague Florian Wirtz, the high-class technician set up in an exemplary manner for Undav, who demonstrated his goalscoring qualities.
Kleindienst misses goal on international debut
Kleindienst was only a few centimeters away from scoring his first goal on his international debut. The Gladbacher was just offside when he supposedly scored a goal. Kleindienst fit in well with the German team and was particularly sought after when it came to high balls.
But Undav was responsible for the goals. After an assist from Maximilian Mittelstädt, the Stuttgart player, who recently scored for the first time in the 2-2 draw in the Netherlands, was there again. Nagelsmann relaxed and sat down on the bench.
It was also Undav who took center stage after the break. After two more chances to score (51st and 54th), the attacker made the supposed preliminary decision, but Kleindienst was again offside in front of his goal (58th). Returnee Serge Gnabry also had a goal disallowed for offside (68th). Wirtz put the ball on the post (60th). The missed opportunities should take revenge.
Because suddenly the team of former HSV top scorer Sergej Barbarez, who made his home debut in the Bosnian dugout, was back. After a corner, veteran Dzeko showed his class and made it really loud again in Zenica.
Nagelsmann may have used the game a little too early for further experiments when he took Undav and Andrich off the pitch, among others. Burkardt from Mainz got his first international minutes, and Robin Gosens was allowed to play again after a break from the DFB for many months. But the hosts no longer posed any real danger.
dpa
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