The German dream of the title in the Nations League has been cleared after a weak performance. The 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo shot the Portuguese into the final with his 2-1 winning goal.
Florian Wirtz brought the DFB team 1-0 in Munich on Wednesday evening (48th) after the game had started to warm up with a ten-minute delay due to a hail shower. Francicso Conceivao equalized in the 63rd minute, Ronaldo added in the 68th minute.
Julian Nagelsmann had launched a line -up, which was previously forecast by no expert: the central defender in a chain of three was Robin Koch, the only six before Aleksandar Pavlovic acted, and Nick Woltemade made his debut right from the start.
“Must also question us in the coaching team”
After the game on ZDF, the national coach admitted that his list was probably not a lucky grip: “We did not bring 100 percent in some positions, everyone has to question themselves, we also have to be in the coaching team. We simply lacked the balom, we sometimes defended badly.”
Captain Joshua Kimmich also practiced self -criticism: “This is a bitter evening for us. We have to understand that everyone has to be at the limit, otherwise we cannot win such games.”
Permanent pressure through too many ball losses
Germany had the first chance of scoring through Leon Goretzka after three minutes, but he completed too centrally. After that, the DFB team made a surprising number of ball losses and playback errors, which Portugal used again and again with an excellent switching game, especially over the left outer lane. Pedro Neto presented Tah and Kimmich with huge problems, but a first conclusion between Cristiano Ronaldo defused Marc-André Ter Stegen, then Neto’s full clamping attempt stroked the crossbar.
Only around the 20th minute Germany freed itself from the permanent pressure that is indebted and became dangerous immediately. After a double pass with Woltemade, Pavlovic initially wanted to make a penalty, but then Woltemade came to a conclusion, but found his master in Diogo Costa. The keeper of FC Porto was in the focus shortly afterwards, but steered the hard low shot from Goretzka around the post.
Masses from referee Vincic
However, footballing disillusionment returned until the break, the German start -up behavior remained worse by classes than, for example, in the quarter -finals against Italy. The performance of world-class referee Slavko Vincic also did not stand out from the action. The Slovenian first refused to have a clear corner kick, overlooked a bad foul by Florian Wirtz to Bruno Fernandes and then whistled a period for Germany, although Maximilian Mittelstädt had only received one ball in the face – so that after reference to referee ball, apparently after reference to referee ball.
Even after the change, Vincic quickly focused on again. At first Ronaldo narrowly missed a sharp cross from Nuno Mendes, then after a brilliant moment it became a debate from Kimmich.
Woltemade blocks, Wirtz heads one
Wirtz had conquered the ball on the left, Kimmich then chipped the ball in his 100th international match in the storm center. There Woltemade stood in the offside and blocked the walking path of Portugal Defender Rúben Dias in the direction of the Wirtz, who gallantly headed for the lead. Germany celebrated, Portugal protested, Vincic was called to the video screen – and he actually gave the goal.
That aroused anger in the Portuguese team. Bruno Fernandes almost achieved the equalization by Schlenzer (57./Koch falsified, but there was no corner again), and Ronaldo narrowly failed with his head. Then national coach Roberto Martínez initiated the turn with a change of three. Francisco Conceicao and Vitinha in particular immediately gave the Portuguese offensive another statics, the countermeasures from Nagelsmann with Robin Gosens on the left as well as Serge Gnabry and Füllkrug at the front seemed rather counterproductive.
Conceiao leaves Gosens, then comes Ronaldo
Before he compensates for an hour, Conceicao loose Gosens, Ter Stegen came too late despite more than 20 meters away against the Schlenzer. Too late – that also remained the program. Nuno Mendes ran away all of them five minutes later, Ronaldo then had no opponent in the center and easily pushed the ball into the empty goal.
Germany then tried everything again, but there was an error festival without a recognizable game idea. Joker Karim Adeyemi still had the great equalizer in the 83rd minute after a counterattack, but only hit the left post. After that, Portugal was much closer to the 3: 1 than the DFB team the 2: 2: Ter Steg saved with outstanding parades against Diogo Jota and Conceicao.
Germany now in the game for third place
For the Germans, the game for third place on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Stuttgart, it goes against the loser of the duel between Spain and France, which the ARD shows live on Thursday at 9 p.m. The final is back in Munich on Sunday and starts at 9 p.m.