Timo Werner got a first impression early on that this evening would not go as hoped. After a few minutes, the striker of the German national soccer team wanted to carry a paper plane made from the remains of the stadium choreography off the pitch. But instead of taking advantage of its flight characteristics, Werner tried it the way you flick off a beer mat: loosely with the wrist. After one and a half meters, the plane fell to the ground like a stone.
The scene on the side was symbolic of the performance of the national team in the friendly against Belgium. Because the Germans too often chose the wrong means in front of 42,910 spectators in Cologne on Tuesday evening, they experienced a bad crash in the 999th international match in their history. Even if the team was able to catch up a bit in the meantime, it lost 2:3 (1:2). The high spirits after the win against Peru at the weekend have evaporated for now.
National coach Hansi Flick announced after the game that he would not make any major personnel changes against the Belgians. Thilo Kehrer and Serge Gnabry replaced Nico Schlotterbeck and Kai Havertz, both of whom were unwell. In addition, Leon Goretzka from Munich replaced Emre Can from Dortmund.
However, it only took half an hour before Flick felt the need to make drastic changes to his line-up: He brought in Can for the almost invisible Florian Wirtz, and debutant Felix Nmecha for the ailing Goretzka. It was a desperate attempt to stabilize the team, at least halfway, as they staggered from one embarrassment to the next against the brisk Belgians.
At this point, the guests were already leading 2-0 with their German coach Domenico Tedesco – but it could easily have been 5-0. Within three minutes (6th/9th) the German defensive had let itself be duped twice as a beginner. First, Yannick Carrasco scored after he danced out right-back Marius Wolf. Then Romelu Lukaku was unstoppable. Both goals were prepared by Kevin de Bruyne, who was surprisingly left in midfield by the Germans.
Lukaku alone then had two more good chances, hitting the crossbar once with his head. And Dodi Lukebakio from Hertha BSC was also unlucky when, after a long run from his own half, he rushed towards Marc-André ter Stegen: he put the ball just wide of the post.
With Can in defensive midfield, things actually got better for the Germans. The balance was right now, but not too much went forward at first. The Germans had Romelu Lukaku to thank for the fact that the half-time result for the national team was still bearable. Belgium’s center forward got the ball on his bent arm after a corner in his own penalty area. The referee awarded a penalty. Niclas Füllkrug converted the goal. For the Bremen player, who hadn’t achieved much until then, it was his sixth international goal in his sixth appearance for the national team.
From a German point of view, it was the best realization of the evening: that the team recovered after the wild start; that she brought structure to her game and not only evened out the duel with the Belgians, who were clearly superior at first, after the national coach’s interventions, but also made it dominant in the second half.
The German team had chances to equalize, for example through Gnabry after good preliminary work from Wolf, through Füllkrug following a free kick or through Werner, who was offside when it was supposed to be 2-2.
However, the Belgians were more determined and clear in their actions, who made everything clear with just ten minutes before the end with the 3:1 through the outstanding de Bruyne. Serge Gnabry’s second goal got the Cologne crowd going again, but it came too late in the end.
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