Germany suffered a 1-0 loss against Poland in their penultimate friendly ahead of the summer break. Head coach Hansi Flick’s side were unable to record a positive result after drawing 3-3 with Ukraine on Monday night. Jakub Kiwior scored the winning goal for the hosts in front of a sold-out crowd of 60,000 spectators in Warsaw. Germany will be back in action against Colombia next Tuesday (20:45 CEST) in Gelsenkirchen.
Flick made nine changes to the starting line-up from the 3-3 draw with Ukraine earlier this week. Marc-André ter Stegen started in goal, with Malick Thiaw making his senior debut in defence alongside Thilo Kehrer and Antonio Rüdiger. Emre Can and Joshua Kimmich started in midfield, with Jonas Hofmann on the right and Benjamin Henrichs on the left. Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz lined up in attack.
Germany dominated the opening minutes of the match, but were unable to break down their opponents. Thiaw caught the eye in the 12th minute as he cleverly won the ball inside the box off former Bundesliga player, Jakub Blaszczykowski, who was playing in his final game for Poland.
Kiwior opens the scoring
Chances remained few and far between in the minutes that followed. Germany had more possession, but were unable to create chances against a Poland side that were defending deep in their own half. Musiala was able to find Henrichs, but his pass into the box failed to find a teammate (22’). A long-range effort from Havertz was parried by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny (29’).
Kiwior was then able to open the scoring from a corner, heading in Piotr Zielinski’s delivery to put Poland ahead (31’). Germany countered immediately, with Havertz having a shot saved by Szczesny (34') and Can missing the target with a long-range shot (45’).
Chances not rewarded
Flick made one change at half-time, bringing on Robin Gosens for Hofmann. The 2023 Champions League finalist from Inter Milan quickly sought to make an impact, testing Szczesny with a powerful shot (48’). More chances would follow for the visitors, with Kimmich hitting the crossbar in the 49th minute. Gosens (52’) and Wirtz (56’) were able to win corners, as Havertz once again had a shot saved by Szczesny (65’).
Flick made more attacking changes in the 68th minute, bringing on Leroy Sané for Musiala and Niclas Füllkrug for Henrichs. Germany’s best chance in the second half came from a half-volley from Thiaw that forced Szczesny into a diving save (78’). More changes would follow, as Julian Brandt replaced Wirtz, Leon Goretzka came on for Kimmich and Marius Wolf for Thiaw.
Szczesny was called upon in the final minutes once again, with a goal-line save after a header from Wolf (88’). The 33-year-old also managed to keep out a header from Goretzka, ensuring his side were able to end the game victorious.
Germany will be back in action on Tuesday, as they host Colombia in Gelsenkirchen (20:45 CEST).
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Germany suffered a 1-0 loss against Poland in their penultimate friendly ahead of the summer break. Head coach Hansi Flick’s side were unable to record a positive result after drawing 3-3 with Ukraine on Monday night. Jakub Kiwior scored the winning goal for the hosts in front of a sold-out crowd of 60,000 spectators in Warsaw. Germany will be back in action against Colombia next Tuesday (20:45 CEST) in Gelsenkirchen.
Flick made nine changes to the starting line-up from the 3-3 draw with Ukraine earlier this week. Marc-André ter Stegen started in goal, with Malick Thiaw making his senior debut in defence alongside Thilo Kehrer and Antonio Rüdiger. Emre Can and Joshua Kimmich started in midfield, with Jonas Hofmann on the right and Benjamin Henrichs on the left. Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz lined up in attack.
Germany dominated the opening minutes of the match, but were unable to break down their opponents. Thiaw caught the eye in the 12th minute as he cleverly won the ball inside the box off former Bundesliga player, Jakub Blaszczykowski, who was playing in his final game for Poland.
Kiwior opens the scoring
Chances remained few and far between in the minutes that followed. Germany had more possession, but were unable to create chances against a Poland side that were defending deep in their own half. Musiala was able to find Henrichs, but his pass into the box failed to find a teammate (22’). A long-range effort from Havertz was parried by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny (29’).
Kiwior was then able to open the scoring from a corner, heading in Piotr Zielinski’s delivery to put Poland ahead (31’). Germany countered immediately, with Havertz having a shot saved by Szczesny (34') and Can missing the target with a long-range shot (45’).
Chances not rewarded
Flick made one change at half-time, bringing on Robin Gosens for Hofmann. The 2023 Champions League finalist from Inter Milan quickly sought to make an impact, testing Szczesny with a powerful shot (48’). More chances would follow for the visitors, with Kimmich hitting the crossbar in the 49th minute. Gosens (52’) and Wirtz (56’) were able to win corners, as Havertz once again had a shot saved by Szczesny (65’).
Flick made more attacking changes in the 68th minute, bringing on Leroy Sané for Musiala and Niclas Füllkrug for Henrichs. Germany’s best chance in the second half came from a half-volley from Thiaw that forced Szczesny into a diving save (78’). More changes would follow, as Julian Brandt replaced Wirtz, Leon Goretzka came on for Kimmich and Marius Wolf for Thiaw.
Szczesny was called upon in the final minutes once again, with a goal-line save after a header from Wolf (88’). The 33-year-old also managed to keep out a header from Goretzka, ensuring his side were able to end the game victorious.
Germany will be back in action on Tuesday, as they host Colombia in Gelsenkirchen (20:45 CEST).
