At the beginning of the European Championship at EURO 2020, Germany conceded a bitter (0: 1) defeat against France. The decisive goal came from an own goal by Mats Hummels. Further goals from Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema were not given because of offside. The world champion was the dominant team against Joachim Löw’s team in Munich.
Just Past a Tragedy
The game had not yet started when there was already the first big excitement. A glider had rushed into the arena from outside the Munich stadium. The logo of the environmental activists Greenpeace was emblazoned on the screen, along with the slogan “Kick out Oil.”
According to the police, two people were injured in the risky flight; the pilot had touched the camera’s cables hung over the field with his umbrella. It landed roughly on the lawn. Rüdiger was gentler here and immediately asked how he was feeling. The activist was led from the field by security personnel. With all the love for protests revolving around environmental issues, it was an irresponsible, life-threatening action that could have ended in tragedy.
Concise but Clear
The result may look tight. In addition, Germany “only” conceded one own goal – and that against the world champions. 58 percent of the ball possession stood for the DFB-Elf in the end in the statistics with a goal attempt ratio of 10: 4. All in all, it looked as if the first EM opening bankruptcy had come about very unhappily for the German team.
The proper balance of power, however, was visible beyond the numbers. Because no matter how Germany struggled to overcome the French, the enemy had a suitable answer ready for everything. The direct duels on the outside went to Lucas Hernández (against Joshua Kimmich) and Benjamin Pavard (against Robin Gosens). In the middle, N’Golo Kanté and a brilliantly dressed Paul Pogba “shaved” everything away.
Löw Brought 3 Fresh Attackers
Until recently, Germany had the chance to avoid the opening defeat. Löw brought three fresh attackers with Leroy Sané, Timo Werner and Kevin Volland. But curiously enough, they played with the handbrake on. Volland even acted as a left defender for a few minutes after being substituted on in the 87th minute!
Where was the impulse from the dugout? Why were there no clear announcements on the lawn? “We missed taking the risk completely,” said Kimmich. Of course, something like that can still be gotten over, but for the further course of the tournament, “Jogi’s boys” have to remedy these deficits and tear themselves apart for success.
Germany is under considerable pressure against Portugal. It will be exciting to see whether the large individual class can be bundled in the German team. In particular, Löw is also in demand on the sidelines. Gündogan and Kroos are geniuses with the ball, but no loudspeakers in the headquarters. In contrast to his leading role at FC Bayern, Kimmich is too far away as a full-back to command every colleague.
Pogba Overpower Everyone
Paul Pogba completely blossoms in the national jersey. While he often does not even bring half of his skills to the pitch at Manchester United, he regularly shows in Didier Deschamps’ team that he continues to be one of the world’s best midfielders. With his presence, he completely overshadowed Kroos; his pass in front of Mats Hummels’ own goal to Antoine Griezmann was incomparably good.
“It looks like he’s playing against children!” Said former German national player Christoph Kramer in his role as a TV expert on “ZDF.” Pogba’s presence was symbolic of the strong collective in France, in which everyone seems to know how to help their colleagues. The team is compact and has achieved what Germany is still looking for. Individual class merges here into a real team – offensive as well as defensive.
“Germany caused us trouble, but we strongly opposed it and deserved the win,” stated Pogba, who was also officially named “Star Of The Match.” It was clear beforehand, but the success against Germany has once again impressively shown that the path to the title can only lead through the reigning world champion.
Goal Conceded Despite a Clear Majority Near the Ball
“We wanted to defend the quality of France compactly, and we managed that. We were incredibly handy in the duels, ” said Gosens about the priority in Löw’s strategy. However, in the video analysis for the follow-up, he will see that this was not the case before the decisive goal.
Although the German team is outnumbered near the ball, the outstanding Paul Pogba can play the pass with the outside instep to Lucas Hernández without any pressure after Karim Benzema has been relegated. His sharp cross-shot Hummels into his own goal. ” Can happen. Everything is fine, ” said Gosens. But it has to get better against Portugal.
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