It is sad to see the state of German football. Is it just a little bump or a steady decline, needs to be comprehended. But what unfolded at Tehelné Pole in Bratislava, Slovakia, has German fans seriously worried.
The occasion was the Group A European World Cup Qualifier fixture between Germany and Slovakia. The Bavarians were runaway favourites, but the hosts were not to be underestimated either.
Jurgen Nagelsmann, Manager of Germany in his excitement, had made a statement, that his Team were going to win the World Cup. There were no surprises that fans and critics alike were waiting to see how the Germans performed and whether the statement from Nagelsmann had any credence or not.
Florian Wirtz, Gnabry and Goretzka, along with Kimmich and the veteran Rudiger made the core of the team and though Michael Olise could have added more bite to the unit, it still was a good one with 35 yr old Oliver Baumann in goal.
As the match began, Slovakia proved to the world how good their team was. They played entertaining football, with speed and precision and had the defence of Germany peppered by their moves.
Leo Sauer, the 19-yr-old Feyenoord forward was extremely impressive. He had the German defence on a leash. His speed and skill with the ball was a treat to watch. He combined well with David Strelec who was good too.
Without a doubt the Slovakian forwards performed much much better than the celebrated names from Germany. The Germans were not only weak in defence, but also showed fragile intent. They hardly fought for the ball and appeared clueless at times. Though they did attack a bit, Slovakian goalkeeper Martin Dubravka denied them with his agility and technique.
Hancko scored the first goal in the 42nd minute while Strelec’s magic with his left foot got Slovakia their second goal in the 55th minute. The Germans failed to score and went down 0-2 to a formidable performance from Slovakia.
With Northern Ireland and Luxembourg the other teams in the group, Slovakia had done themselves a great service by winning the contest against Germany, putting the pressure on the Bavarians in their future matches.
The Germans need to fix the issues quickly and need some other players to take the field. They paid a heavy price by underestimating a quality side and also putting up a poor performance.
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