Individual criticism after the last World Cup test
Grade 5: DFB star becomes a factor of uncertainty
June 7, 2026 – 12:09 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Leroy Sané ensures the ninth DFB win in a row. The success in the World Cup dress rehearsal against the USA is a signal after the loss of Lennart Karl. The individual criticism.
With his white cap on his head against the heat of Chicago, national coach Julian Nagelsmann stood in the middle of his team and high-fived each of his World Cup players. The 2:1 (1:1) against the World Cup co-host USA should give us courage for the longest possible World Cup trip.
“I thought it was a perfect test for us in terms of the weather conditions and the opponents playing emotionally,” Nagelsmann said on RTL. “Overall, I’m happy. We’ve won nine times in a row now. You have to do that first.”
- Blitztor and good luck: DFB-Elf with a shaking win against USA
After the shock of Lennart Karl, his replacement Leroy Sané, of all people, shot the German national soccer team to a hard-earned victory in the dress rehearsal before the XXL tournament – and received special praise from Nagelsmann.
“He’s a really nice guy. He just always has to push the boundaries. And he played a good game today and scored an important goal.” Which t-online grade Sané gets and who became a factor of insecurity – you can read that here or in the photo show above.
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With his goal in the 57th minute, the often controversial offensive player secured the morally important victory against the unconditionally fighting US team and secured the hoped-for ninth win in a row for the DFB team in the hot Soldier Field in Chicago.
Without the unlucky World Cup player Lennart Karl, who had already returned home after his muscle injury and the tearful farewell, and still without record goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, it became clear that national coach Julian Nagelsmann still has a busy week ahead of him after the trip to the World Cup headquarters in Winston-Salem before the World Cup begins in Houston with a goal festival against the blatant outsider from the Caribbean.