Football mood dampener
Weak performance – Germany loses a turbulent game against Turkey
Status: 18.11.2023 | Reading time: 5 minutes
Kai Havertz played in the unfamiliar position of left-back and caused a hand penalty
Source: dpa/Robert Michael
The German national team lost for the first time under national coach Julian Nagelsmann and suffered a significant dampening of their mood on the way to the European Championships. In the 2:3 win against Turkey, the DFB selection made too many mistakes in defense.
Julian Nagelsmann dared too much: After a lot of offensive power and hair-raising defensive mistakes, the German national team suffered its first defeat under the new national coach at the emotional home premiere. The 2:3 (1:2) against Turkey in the Berlin Olympic Stadium, which was sold out with 72,592 spectators, was a bitter dampener in the mood seven months before the home European Championship kicked off. In order to get back to the capital for the final on July 14, 2024, Nagelsmann still has to do a lot of work.
Kai Havertz (5th minute), who was surprisingly called up as left defender, and Niclas Füllkrug (48th) scored the goals in an extremely attacking DFB team. The Turks not only exposed the deficits in the backward movement with the goals from Ferdi Kadioglu (38th) and Kenan Yildiz (45th + 2). Yusuf Sari’s penalty goal (71′) after Havertz’s handball finally sealed the defeat.
“We became too lethargic. We had a few chances after taking the lead, but then we couldn’t find any solutions. We let the Turks circulate the ball in our half,” İlkay Gündoğan analyzed after the final whistle. Then they score the goals after we make mistakes, you have to admit that. We probably expected it to work itself out.”
There will be a chance to make amends on Tuesday (8:45 p.m./ZDF). Then it’s in Vienna against Austria against another European Championship participant. Small historical glimmer of hope: When Germany lost against Turkey for the last time in 2005 (1:2), a few months later there was the World Cup summer fairy tale.
Boos for the DFB selection
Captain Gündoğan’s team was greeted with whistles and boos by the tens of thousands of Turkish fans in the arena as they warmed up. Gündogan played against his parents’ home country for the first time and experienced something like an away game. Things will be completely different at the European Championships next summer.
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Until then, Nagelsmann and his selection only have a few opportunities left to get into the right shape and get 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 in the back four in front of goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, who replaced Marc-André ter Stegen, who left with back problems.
Mistake with consequences: The German defense didn’t keep a clean sheet in the third international match under Nagelsmann
Quelle: Getty Images/Maja Hitij
“In general, I have a great imagination for him because he is an exceptionally good footballer,” Nagelsmann said before the game on RTL. Havertz demonstrated just how offensively the Arsenal professional should interpret his unusual role after just four minutes when he finished off a great attack in the Turks’ six-yard box with the opening goal. Benjamin Henrichs served Leroy Sané with a fine through ball into the back of the visitors’ defense, which the Munich player then set up for Havertz.
“Away win,” the German fans shouted ironically after the goal. The shrill whistles of the Turkish supporters now fell silent, but the mood in the stands remained peaceful. According to the police, there were no special incidents during the Turkish fans’ march to the Olympic Stadium, apart from the burning of a few pyrotechnic flares. Both teams played a lively game on the pitch, which the German team initially controlled. Sané could have increased the score in the 16th minute, but shot from 18 meters past both goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, who had rushed out wide, and the goal.
After a strong initial phase, however, Nagelsmann’s protégés began to see more and more of the defensive wobbles that had been known from previous months. The national coach actually wanted to work on these weaknesses during the current course in order to reduce the number of goals conceded.
Türkiye mercilessly exploits DFB mistakes
Almost logically, the equalizer fell for the Turks, who were now becoming increasingly stronger. Henrichs and Sané let Kadioglu escape behind them, and the Turkish whirlwind shot ice-coldly into the near corner. So again the German team did not manage to keep a clean sheet as they had hoped for.
And it got even worse: Shortly before the break, a diagonal ball from Kaan Ayhan flew over the inserted Henrichs, leaving Yildiz all alone. The 18-year-old, who was born in Regensburg and trained at FC Bayern, smashed the ball wonderfully into the right corner of the goal, and Trapp had no chance again.
Füllkrug can be relied upon: the striker scored once again for Germany
Quelle: Getty Images/Alex Grimm
Angry, Nagelsmann was the first to stalk into the locker room. In the stands, former national coach Joachim Löw was amazed at the hosts’ increasingly questionable performance. Nagelsmann’s speech during the break quickly had an effect. With the first attack, his team made it 2-2. After a nice solo, Wirtz found Füllkrug, who had previously been completely unregistered, and scored his tenth goal in his twelfth international match with a dry low shot.
But the next shocking moment followed shortly afterwards when Dortmund’s Salih Özcan hit the outside post of the German goal from 18 meters (52nd). The DFB selection simply couldn’t get the game under control because the Turks fought against it with great passion and the video evidence also helped them.
The Polish referee Bartosz Frankowski punished a debatable handball by Havertz with a penalty. Sari overcame Trapp, who still had his fingers on the ball.
Nagelsmann now sent Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry onto the field for Wirtz and the unconvincing Joshua Kimmich. Bremen’s 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 (86th).
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