With a squad severely lacking in Bayern Munich players, Germany defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2-1, in the third matchday of UEFA Nations League. Germany used a quick passing attack to dominate possession and keep the Bosnians on their heels. Thanks to a favorable result in the other Group A3 match, Germany sit alone atop the group.
The game was relatively uneventful until Florian Wirtz snuck behind the opponent’s defense in the 30th minute and gift wrapped a goal for Deniz Undav. Six minutes later, Maximilian Mittelstädt whipped in a beautiful cross to Undav to give Die Mannschaft an insurmountable lead. Edin Džeko scored a header in the 70th minute, but Bosnia and Herzegovina didn’t threaten Alexander Nübel for the rest of the match.
Bayern loanee Nübel earned his first international start, while Jamal Musiala, Aleksandar Pavlović, and Leroy Sané all missed the match due to minor injuries.
Jersey Swap: Edin Džeko
Admittedly, Džeko was largely ineffective tonight. But if you’ve ever played as a 38-year-old against guys who are fifteen years younger, then you understand how amazing it feels to score against an elite opponent in any league or competition. Džeko leads his country in caps and goals and he still knows how to get the job done.
Der Kaiser: Maximilian Mittelstädt
A few days ago, David Raum left the German team with an injury. Mittelstädt immediately stepped in and played extremely well as the left-back. Germany’s tactical setup allowed Mittelstädt to roam freely and he consistently sent dangerous balls into the box, including his assist to Undav. He almost had another assist in the 58th minute, but Tim Kleindienst was barely offside (and missed the tap in, similar to Serge Gnabry against Aston Villa).
Fußballgott: Robert Andrich
With the late scratch of Aleksandar Pavlović, Andrich was tasked with patrolling the midfield and controlling the pace of the game. In the 30th minute, Andrich delivered a beautiful ball to Wirtz that led to the opening goal. In the 35th minute, Andrich produced the play of the match when he chased down Ermedin Demirović and barely nudged him in the box to prevent an easy breakaway goal that would have tied the match.
Der Bomber: Florian Wirtz
In the early sluggish minutes of the game, Wirtz was visibly irritated that he wasn’t receiving the ball in the buildup. But then he slipped through the backline and laid off an easy goal for Undav to give Germany the lead. Wirtz is definitely a player that the offense needs to run through to be most effective.
Meister of the Match: Deniz Undav
As attacking strategies become more focused on finesse players, Undav provides a healthy combination of brute physicality with spatial intuition. In today’s match, he consistently put a body on a defender to redirect the play and create offensive opportunities around the box. Ironically, both of Undav’s first half goals were easy placement shots into the back of the net.
Looking for a quick discussion of the game? Check out our postgame podcast! Listen to it below or on Spotify.
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