Germany see off Iceland as Löw's long goodbye begins
March 25, 2021
Germany 3-0 Iceland, Duisburg
(Goretzka 3', Havertz 7', Gündogan 56')
Germany were back to something like their best on Thursday night, seeing off Iceland with ease as Joachim Löw's long goodbye began in Duisburg.
Germany's previous game was the shock 6-0 defeat by Spain in Seville in November, their worst result since 1931 and a result that greased the wheels of Löw's departure after 15 years in charge of the national team.
As Germany's World Cup campaign got underway, they looked a lot more like their old selves again — despite Borussia Mönchengladbach's Jonas Hofmann having to withdraw from the squad after a positive covid test and Marcel Halstenburg returning to Leipzig early as a precaution.
They raced into a 2-0 lead inside seven minutes, with Leon Goretzka and Kai Havertz each profiting from Joshua Kimmich's vision.
Ilkay Gündogan notched his fourth goal in as many games soon after the break as the Manchester City midfielder continues to thrive for club and country. Jamal Musiala entered the fray in the second half for his Germany debut and while Germany could have ended the night with four or five, it was a profesional job well done.
"What has been missing in the last few games, and what we have firmly resolved to do, is to bring to the pitch our passion to be able to play for our country," said Goretzka at full time. "We wanted to show that there are eleven guys on the pitch who are really up for it."
Gündogan also spoke of a renewed sense of duty: "We have a standard for ourselves, so we went into the game accordingly."
Löw might not be around to lead Germany to another World Cup, but his team looked a lot more like the Germany of old than the team that won just three of their eight matches in 2020.
As it happened
90' FT Germany 3-0 Iceland — Game, set and match Germany. An impressive performance by Germany, who get their World Cup qualifying campaign underway in the best manner possible. A much-needed return to form after their 6-0 thrashing in Seville in November.
86' Younes is on for Gnabry.
78' Timo Werner and Jamal Musiala are on for Germany. At 18, Musiala becomes Germany's fourth youngest ever player.
71' Goretzka makes way for Florian Neuhaus.
70' Off the post! Serge Gnabry almost gets in on the act, but his shot comes back off the base of the post.
60' Havertz puts the ball inot the net with a silky finish, but he'd strayed offside. Germany look like they could get another goal or two before the evening is out.
56' GOAL! Germany 3-0 Iceland — Gündogan joins the party! The Manchester City man skips into a shooting position on the edge of the box and drills a low shot into the bottom corner. Another fine strike — his fourth in as many games — by a player who is enjoying a fine season.
46' Second half — We go again.
45' HT Germany 2-0 Iceland — Germany comfortably ahead at the break but they'll be a little disappointed that they haven't added to their advantage. They were sensational for the first 20 minutes, but have lost some of their early intensity.
43' Rüdiger almost makes it three at the other end, but under pressure, he puts his header wide. Has only ever scored once for Germany, the Chelsea man.
27' Iceland chance! So close to a shock Iceland goal with their first meaningful attack. Klostermann gets easily nudged off the ball and it drops for Sigurjonsson, whose shot flicks off Rüdiger and goes centimeters wide of Neuer's left-hand post.
15' It's a stroll for Germany out there. Iceland are struggling to get close to Germany, who are running the game. Joshua Kimmich, winning his 50th international cap tonight, has been superb alongside Ilkay Gündogan and Leon Goretzka.
7' GOAL! Germany 2-0 Iceland — Havertz makes it two! Germany steamrolling their opponents here. Kimmich the architect again, sliding a sublime pass through the gap for Sane, whose first-time cut-back finds Havertz, and the Chelsea man finds the bottom corner with a fine first-time effort. Germany playing some scintilating stuff at the moment.
3' GOAL! Germany 1-0 Iceland — Goretzka scores! Well, that didn't take long. It's a goal made in Munich as Kimmich's delightful chip over the Iceland back line finds Gnabry, who cushions it back to Goretzka, and he hammers it into the bottom corner.
1' Kick off — We're up and running in Duisburg.
20:30 CET — Can starts on the left
Emre Can starts at left-back, Joachim Löw has confirmed.
20:15 CET — 97 not out
Manuel Neuer wins his 97th cap for Germany tonight. He is already Germany's most capped goalkeeper and is closing in on the 100 club.
19:45 CET — Back to black
Germany will be rocking their new black away kit tonight.
19:30 CET — Germany team news!
Kai Havertz returns to the starting line-up as Germany get their World Cup qualifying campaign underway in Duisburg. Lukas Klostermann appears to be starting at right-back, with Matthias Ginter the most likely candidate to start at left-back, although that's a little less clear! Leroy Sane also starts, Timo Werner is on the bench.
Positive COVID-19 test
The big news this morning was that Jonas Hofmann tested positive for the coronavirus. The Gladbach winger has been placed in quarantine, along with Marcel Halstenberg who was deemed a "first degree contact person".
Despite this news, the game appears to be going ahead after the rest of Germany's team and staff tested negative.
Spotlight: Musiala and Wirtz
There are two fresh faces in Germany’s squad with Joachim Löw calling up Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala. As to whether they’ll make their debut tonight Löw said: "I can't promise that but we will see. Both are very, very young."
From the player's mouth: Jamal Musiala
It’s really cool that Florian is also here. I'm glad I'm not the only youngster here as we're able to share the pressure between us a bit. It's a good experience for both of us. We have a lot to talk about because we're both new here and we’re looking out for each other.
Spotlight: Iceland
Iceland are set to celebrate a milestone moment in their 500th international outing, but will be without talismanic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson. The Everton midfielder is set to miss all three World Cup qualifiers to attend the birth of his first child. As head coach Arnar Vidarsson put it: "It’s a big loss, but sometime there are things more important than football."
From the coach's mouth: Joachim Löw
We have to start the competition with good games and good results. We have to give a positive impression to the fans after we ended the last year with a huge disappointment in November. I expect a reaction. We have to leave it all on the pitch, that’s important. We have to show that we are a passionate team by fighting and running hard. We have to show that we have made progress.
From the player's mouth: Manuel Neuer
We had a quick team meeting and are focused on these three games which are really important for helping us gel ahead of the Euros. It will be important to take advantage of every training session and every game. We can't allow any more mistakes. We want to start with a positive mindset heading into the Euros. We are in a strong group with strong opponents so every game is a final. We will be tested right from the start.