Lots of ball possession, little effectiveness: The DFB team started with a draw against Italy and are still unbeaten under national coach Hansi Flick. There is booing in Hungary against England.
Joshua Kimmich (3rd from left) celebrates the 1-1 equalizer against Italy
Goal scorer Joshua Kimmich leaned on his knees and was breathing heavily, the German fans honored their performance Eleven in the furnace of Bologna with warm applause. The 1: 1 (0: 0) in the World Cup endurance test with the renewed European champions Italy can be built on – but the team of national coach Hansi Flick still has room for improvement at the start of the Nations League and almost six months before the World Cup finals in Qatar .
“We cannot be satisfied,” analyzed the national coach on RTL. “The first quarter of an hour was okay, after that we couldn't find the space and lost our rhythm. We let ourselves be fooled. It was a balanced game overall. We didn't have enough pace and far too many mistakes in our game overall .”
In Italy, who aren't there after failing to qualify in the desert, the performance was mostly good at the beginning and end. Munich's Kimmich (73rd) made up for the deficit by Lorenzo Pellegrini (70th) – and then complained: “It's not enough for us, we wanted to win,” said the 27-year-old on RTL. “We know Italy are in a state of upheaval and didn't have one or two players with them. We didn't manage to put our game on the pitch the way we wanted.”
Scamacca almost with the lead
Lots of duels, few chances to score in the game between Italy and Germany
It was a warm, muggy evening in Bologna. Around 28,000 football fans, including 700 from Germany, gathered in the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, which was not sold out. And those who came to the stadium saw a strong early phase of the German team. For the first goal chance, however, it required a single action. Serge Gnabry fired through on the right and tested Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma from a tight angle.
But then Italy got stronger and Germany couldn't think of much. After around 20 minutes, Flick, who was almost continuously on the sidelines, shook his head. Because he saw a Timo Werner, who was largely in the air in his 50th international match, deals were mainly made from a distance – and often missed the target. The newly formed Squadra Azzurra, on the other hand, became more and more effective. Gianluca Scamacca, who roused the Italian fans from their lethargy, thundered the ball against the left post from 19 meters. Suddenly the mood in the stadium, which had become quiet, was back. The Italian supporters chanted and cheered their team on loudly, proudly waving Italian flags in the evening sky.
But then the Italian fans widened their eyes, because the team of national coach Flick dared a dangerous advance. Thomas Müller flicked the ball over several defenders in the penalty area to Goretzka, but his shot was blocked. Even Leroy Sané, who has a lot of space, can't put the ball in the goal – a good chance for the DFB team. After almost an hour, the weak Leroy Sane made way for his Munich club colleague Jamal Musiala.
Italy celebrates Lorenzo Pellegrini (l.), who scored the lead against Germany
Hofmann came on for Henrichs, who couldn't recommend himself any more than Kehrer, whose side made it 0-1 (70). Kimmich equalized with his fourth goal in the 65th international match, Joker Hofmann had initiated. The equalizer was the initial spark, Kimmich again forced Donnarumma to make a strong save (79th). “We actually started quite well in the first quarter of an hour, but then the game was delayed due to simple mistakes in possession,” said Müller. “The Italians did well. But the claim is that we play more dominantly and more clearly up front – with a lower error rate.”
Hungary wins – boos when kneeling
Vice-European champions England suffered a defeat in Hungary at the start of the Nations League. Coach Gareth Southgate's team lost 0-1 (0-0) in Budapest. Hungary gave the first sign of respect in Germany's Group 3 ahead of the DFB team's game in Italy on Saturday evening. Bundesliga professional Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig converted a not uncontroversial penalty kick in the 66th minute to win the strong hosts.
Some spectators boo as the England internationals drop to their knees before kick-off
Despite the ban on spectators Because of the discriminatory behavior of the Hungarian fans, the Puskas Arena was packed. According to the regulations of the European Football Union (UEFA), children up to the age of 14 are allowed into the stadium for closed-door games if they are invited and accompanied by an adult.
According to media reports, there were before more than 30,000 visitors were registered for the game. When the English team got on their knees just before kick-off as usual as a sign against racism, boos could be heard. Because of the discriminatory behavior of its fans in the European Championship games against Portugal, France and Germany, Hungary's national team was sentenced to two UEFA home games without spectators. A probation period of two years applies to a third game.