Ahead of the upcoming Euro 2024 this summer, tournament hosts Germany has finally found some momentum after securing a convincing 2-0 win over 2022 World Champions France in their international friendly at Lyon on Friday.
Goals from Florian Wirtz and Kai Havertz helped Germany earn a confidence-boosting 2-0 friendly victory over France ahead of the upcoming Euro 2024 this June as hosts.
Florian Wirtz gave an electrifying start to the match wherein he scored Germany’s fastest international goal in history just seven seconds after kickoff. After Toni Kroos, who has returned to the field after a three-year international retirement, made a well-practiced move and pass, Wirtz stunned the French with his long-range shot.
The home team steadily gained the upper hand, and in the 26th minute, Kylian Mbappe forced Germany’s Marc Andre ter Stegen into a fantastic stop to preserve their advantage. Along with Adrien Rabiot and Ousmane Dembele, France persisted in their efforts to equalize, but it was the Germans who fought back despite being under pressure against the home side to get the second goal early in the second half.
The visitors managed to double their lead early in the second half when Jamal Musiala cut back for Kai Havertz to net the ball in. Wirtz also contributed to this goal as he was the one who created the opening with a sublime cross to Musiala.
After Olivier Giroud, a late substitute, missed two opportunities and Germany’s Antonio Rudiger struck his post while attempting to clear a ball, France ran out of ideas in the second half. This turned out to be the closest chance France had to close the gap, but could not.
Wirtz’s lightning-fast goal within 7 seconds broke the previous record held by veteran teammate Lucas Podolski by just a fraction of milliseconds when he had scored for Germany in 2013 against Ecuador at the FAU Football Stadium where the Germans scored a dominating 4-2 win.
Toni Kroos is also being praised by fans and critics for his scintillating performance post a prolonged international retirement for the upcoming European Championship. The mid-fielder wasted no time in creating an impact in the match with a precise pass for Wirtz who converted it into a memorable goal.
It is worth noting that perhaps the absence of Antoine Greizmann could have affected the overall performance of France in the match, which is a matter of concern for the 2022 World Champions as he is also most likely to miss their next encounter against Chile.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, who was desperately looking for a good start for his team ahead of the Euro 2024 on home soil in June, has finally had a sigh of relief and would be looking to build some momentum following a much-needed victory over a competitive side like France.
The Germans will next be facing off against the Netherlands on Tuesday, while France will be taking on Chile on Wednesday.
