Germany lost miserably to Japan
* Goals: Sane 19' - Ito 11', Ueda 22', Asano 90', Tanaka 90'+2
This was the third consecutive defeat and extended Germany's winless streak to five matches. Before losing to Japan on September 9, the team under Hansi Flick lost 2-3 to Belgium, drew 3-3 with Ukraine, lost 0-1 to Poland, and 0-2 to Colombia. The last time Germany won was when they defeated Peru 2-0 in March 2023 at Mewa Arena, Mainz. All six of these matches are friendly matches when Germany is the host of Euro 2024, not a qualifying match, and take place right after the disastrous 2022 World Cup.
At the Volkswagen Arena on September 9, Germany played worse than themselves in the loss to Japan in the opening round of the 2022 World Cup group stage. The host controlled the ball 68%, but only had 11 shots with three hits. destination - compared to 14 and 11 for Japan.
In the 11th minute, Yukinari Sugawara passed Nico Schlotterbeck and then crossed for Junya Ito to lightly touch Antonio Rudiger, leaving goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen rooted to the spot.
It only took the home team eight minutes to equalize. In the middle of the combination, the ball passed through the legs of Ilkay Gundogan, Florian Wirtz and then Leroy Sane curled his left foot into the far corner, equalizing the score. But this is all Germany could do in this match.
In the 22nd minute, still with the ball on the right wing, Sugawara crossed, Junya Ito missed the center of the ball, but accidentally created an assist for Ayase Ueda to connect to the near corner. In the injury time of the match, Japan also scored two more goals. In the 90th minute, Robin Gosens lost the ball, allowing Takefusa Kubo to escape into space and pass a cross for Takuma Asano to tap into the empty net. More than a minute later, Take crossed from the right wing for Ao Tanaka to head the ball diagonally, sealing the 4-1 victory.
Statistics after the match showed that Germany controlled the ball 68%, but only completed 11 shots, with three hitting the goal. On the contrary, Japan finished 14 shots, including 11 towards the goal and scored four goals. The Asian representative can win even more if they are diligent, as they miss many opportunities to face each other.
The pressure is on Flick not only because of Germany's poor form - winning just three out of 11 matches in 12 months - but also because the release of the four-part documentary "All or Nothing" this week has exposing the terrible crisis within the team when attending the 2022 World Cup.
The Amazon series captures Antonio Rudiger and Joshua Kimmich arguing fiercely on the training ground, Flick warns his players that they do not receive much support from their home fans, while Leon Goretzka complains about the difficulties of competing. match in Qatar. The series also showed a lack of discipline when Julian Brandt arrived late to a tactical meeting without being reprimanded, in addition to his controversial action - taking a photo posing with his hands covering his mouth, to protest the captain being banned from wearing them. The rainbow "One Love" armband shows support for diversity and non-discrimination, especially for the LGBTQ community.
According to Goal, coach Flick may be fired before Euro 2024 in the context that the German team wants to enter the tournament in high form. In fact, the 58-year-old coach faces the risk of being fired after the 2022 World Cup, when the German Football Federation (DFB) has to hold an emergency meeting to handle the crisis. Technical Director Olivier Bierhoff had to resign, but the former Bayern coach is still trusted and accepted the task of winning Euro 2024.
