The German national team drew their second Nations League game 1-1 on Sunday night in Basel. Ilkay Gündogan put the team ahead on 14 minutes, but as was the case in the first Nations League game, they failed to build on this advantage. Switzerland found a deserved equaliser just shy of an hour into the game.
Two changes to the starting XI
Joachim Löw opted for consistency in his team selection and made only two changes to the starting XI from Thursday night against Spain. As revealed during Saturday’s press conference, Bernd Leno was given the nod for goalkeeper, replacing Kevin Trapp. Elsewhere, Matthias Ginter joined the team in Emre Can’s place.
The man from Gladbach played as one of three central defenders, in between Niklas Süle and Antonio Rüdiger. Robin Gosens, who made his international debut last time out, started at left-wing back with Thilo Kehrer occupying the left flank. The front three of Timo Werner, Leroy Sané and Julian Draxler was supported by central midfield duo Ilkay Gündogan and captain Toni Kroos.
Leno saves Germany
Germany entered the game on the back of a 1-1 draw in their opening Nations League game against Spain. Switzerland, on the other hand, were beaten 2-1 by Ukraine in their first game. With both sides chasing their first win of the campaign, an unsurprisingly open encounter unfolded, as the Germans managed to find gaps in the Swiss defence. Leroy Sané tested goalkeeper Yann Sommer in the XXth minute with the first big chance of the game. Moments later, Ilkay Gündogan was on hand to stroke home a Matthias Ginter layoff into the near post (14’).
Thursday night’s late equaliser still fresh in their memory, Löw’s men knew the importance of building on their lead. However, for the remainder of the half, Bernd Leno was the main man for Germany, coming to the rescue on multiple occasions to keep Seferovic and Co. at bay. At the other end, the boys in white were not without their chances. So, after an end-to-end encounter, Die Mannschaft took a one-goal lead into the half-time break by the skin of their teeth.
Switzerland fight back
The only half-time substitution saw Leroy Sané make way for Julian Brandt, who almost made an immediate impact creating the first chance of the second half. Germany appeared to have taken control of the game after the restart, but in the 58th minute, a square ball from Breel Embolo found the run of Silvan Widmer arriving in the penalty area. His first-time shot left Bernd Leno with no chance. Switzerland were suddenly level.
Despite every effort to retain control over the game, the equaliser gave Switzerland a new lease of life and they became increasingly dangerous, particularly on the counter, with Germany leaving more space in search of a winner. This search soon stopped, as Switzerland dominated the closing stages, albeit not managing to find a winner themselves either. The game ended 1-1.
