Flick called his starting XI conversion to seventh position “not a consequence of the Italy game”, but rather justified it as a sensible distribution of the load. “We have four games after a long season,” said the 57-year-old ex-Bayern coach.
space often asked for
Nevertheless, the line-up was a sign that there is only one small untouchable axis with him, consisting of Neuer in goal, defense chief Antonio Rüdiger, boss six Kimmich and Thomas Müller as leader of the offensive. The newcomers to the team also brought in the “intensity” that Flick missed for long stretches in the 1-1 draw against European champions Italy at the start of the Nations League.
Both teams watched and fought each other attentively. The Spanish referee Carlos del Cerro Grande let a lot go, hardly whistled off a duel. There was hardly any room in the center of midfield in particular. The DFB-Elf often tried it via the agile flank runner space.
Hofmann was unlucky at first
Ilkay Gündogan was a skilled ball distributor against his Premier League colleagues. Youngster Jamal Musiala also delighted the audience with his smooth movements and courageous dribbles. But England – with ten men left from the 2-0 win in the round of 16 at Wembley a year ago – were massed and often played long balls forward. But the German defense around Rüdiger was good.
The penalty areas often remained restricted areas. When Hofmann ran alone towards England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford after a long shot by Nico Schlotterbeck and scored the goal, the video assistant conceded the 1-0 for offside (23rd). Musiala shot too central into Pickford’s arms from 14 meters (45′). Neuer also had to prove his class for the first time, with the 36-year-old parrying a shot from Arsenal striker Bukayo Saka (45+1) with his right fist.
Flick’s team picked up the reward for the more active style of play after the change of sides. Havertz playfully opened up the space in which Kimmich then found Hofmann as a passer, who crowned the fine move with his third goal in the national jersey. Pickford cut a bad figure, punching the ball past. Goalkeeper class, on the other hand, showed Germany’s number 1 a short time later when Neuer parried a powerful shot from Mason Mount with a flying insert. The game went back and forth before Schlotterbeck got in the penalty area and the English equalized.