A center forward – it is said – has to go where it hurts. And because Niclas Füllkrug is a center forward of the purest kind, he did just that. Not only on the field, in the international match of the German national soccer team against Belgium, but also afterwards, in the so-called mixed zone of the Cologne stadium.
“We showed a good face,” said Füllkrug after the 3-2 defeat against the Belgians. And not just once, but three times (“One more time…”, “I’m sticking with it…”) in just three minutes.
Yes, that was courageous – because according to the unwritten code of German football, as a national player you have to go to sack and ashes after a national team defeat. But Füllkrug’s analysis, as paradoxical as it may sound, was not wrong either.
After the first 30 minutes, in which the national team moved across the field like the biggest idiot in a slapstick film, and after an open operation by the national coach Hansi Flick on his line-up, the Germans not only gradually gained control of what was happening, they played themselves also a dominance that in turn caused the Belgians to stagger. A draw – after a deficit of 0:2 and 1:3 – would have actually been possible.
But a soccer game lasts 90 minutes and not 60. And if anyone should know that, it’s the Germans. In the opening game of the World Cup against Japan, it was only a few minutes of carelessness that finally resulted in the elimination of the preliminary round. In view of this history, Füllkrug and his colleagues would have looked good on Tuesday evening with a little more contrition.
At first glance, the defeat against Belgium may not be an affair of state. After all, the national coach should have collected a few important insights. And anyway: It wasn’t a compulsory game, but a test game!
But Joshua Kimmich, the new captain and emotional leader of the national team, warned even before the restart how dangerous such an attitude was. Precisely because the Germans do not have any more competitive games to play before the European Championship in their own country, the games should not be friendly games for them.
“For me, these are really preparatory games that we should and must take very, very seriously,” said Kimmich. Because it’s about “that we find the rhythm. That we gain self-confidence in every game – also build a certain continuity”.
Among other things, a continuity of winning – like the Italians experienced before the EM 2021 and the Argentines before the World Cup 2022. Both had remained unbeaten for ages before their title wins and entered the tournament with a feeling of invincibility.
Germans have been missing this feeling for some time now. Their winning streak, which began with a 2-0 win over Peru on Friday, ended at the first possible opportunity. Nothing is a matter of course for this national team. On the contrary. After three failed tournaments, the way back is longer than hoped. In any case, a win against Peru does not make a European champion.
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Source: Tagesspiegel
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
