It was not long ago that his manager Julian Nagelsmann called him out openly - but Deniz Undav is proving himself a key player for Germany at the World Cup.
For the first time in more than a decade, Germany will play in the World Cup knockout stages. Their 2-1 victory at the death over Côte d’Ivoire in a lively tie here on Saturday saw to that. Franck Kessié’s 30th-minute goal for Les Éléphants was cancelled out by Deniz Undav’s 68th-minute equaliser and 94th-minute winner for Die Mannschaft.The victory put the four-time world champions on six points, although the youngest team at this tournament gave the Germans a far tougher test than in the 7-1 crunching of Curaçao six days ago. Continue reading...
⚽️ Kick-off time: 8pm local/3am BST/10pm EDT/12pm AEST⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail JonathanHow have these early matches affected your Bracketology? Germany up, Brazil down?The opening game of the matchday saw Germany demolish debutants Curacao 7-1 in Houston.Germany will surely reach the knockouts this time and could have made absolutely certain by adding several more. Nagelsmann will be pleased that threats emanated from all around the pitch, half a dozen scorers bearing testament to that, but it should go without saying that more accurate tests of strength will have to be navigated over the next month. Kai Havertz, rounding things off neatly with his second goal, will hope to be similarly efficient later on. Continue reading...
The net rippled and Curaçao’s bench exploded in every conceivable direction, their giddiness underpinned by a lucid awareness of the goal’s place in history. Livano Comenencia had just equalised against Germany and an island of 158,000 inhabitants, represented here by an accomplished group born almost entirely in the Netherlands, could revel disbelievingly in the moment it had dreamed of.Reality eventually bit, Julian Nagelsmann’s side declaring on seven and easily avoiding an embarrassment that would have outdone their group-stage exits in the previous two World Cups. They will surely reach the knockouts this time and could have made absolutely certain by adding several more. Nagelsmann will be pleased that threats emanated from across the pitch, half a dozen different scorers bearing testament to that, but it should go without saying that more accurate tests of strength await. Kai Havertz, rounding things off neatly late on with his second goal, will hope to be similarly efficient later on. Continue reading...
Arsenal rout Bayern to stake a claim as Europe’s best, Liverpool spiral again, Benfica revive under Mourinho, and Estevão dazzles on a crowded week of stars • Bayern Munich’s unbeaten run and claim to be the best team in European football were both punctured at the Emirates. Arsenal ran rampant against an opponent who have handed them so much pain in the past. The Gunners opened the scoring through their habitual set-piece goal, Jurriën Timber fulfilling the role of the absent Gabriel. Lennart Karl, the 17-year-old, showed off his chops with a fine goal; from within Bayern have found the player they desired when they were thwarted in moving for Florian Wirtz. After that, Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze took control in midfield, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli scoring the goals, the latter a humiliation of Manuel Neuer’s sweeper-keeper stylings. Amid the fug of the extended Champions League group-stage format, where matches between elite clubs are routine rather than novelty, this was still a statement victory. “I think they had an incredible match against, in my opinion, the best team in Europe,” Mikel Arteta said of his players. That status surely now lies with his team: Arsenal top the group-stage table with a 100% record. Continue reading...
Anybody seeking confirmation that Florian Wirtz was worthy of a £116m transfer fee would not have found it in Belfast. Instead, it was Nick Woltemade who, courtesy of his maiden goal for his country, endorsed his status as Germany’s man of the moment. It would not be a World Cup without Germany and it will not be a World Cup without Germany. They have edged closer to the 2026 staging. Julian Nagelsmann will enjoy more comfortable evenings on the touchline. For all their technical superiority, Germany failed to properly punish a Northern Ireland team who showed wonderful tenacity and grew in belief as the clock ticked down. Continue reading...
German said O’Neill’s approach ‘isn’t easy on the eyes’ Three teams in Group A level on six points The Germany manager, Julian Nagelsmann, has said he is “sorry” if Northern Ireland felt his comments about their style of play were disrespectful. Nagelsmann caused a stir after Germany’s 3-1 World Cup qualifying win over Northern Ireland in Cologne last month when he said Michael O’Neill’s side play “a lot of long balls” with an approach that “isn’t particularly easy on the eyes”. Continue reading...
Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann says Northern Ireland have a "special way" of playing and he did not mean any offence with his comments after his side's 3-1 win in Cologne last month.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill says it is not his job to set up the team for any "other manager to come and beat" his side.
BBC Sport NI pundit Stephen Craigan feels comments from Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann on Northern Ireland were "disrespectful".
A stunning strike from Isaac Price was not enough for Northern Ireland as second-half goals earned Germany a 3-1 World Cup qualifying win to ease the pressure on Julian Nagelsmann. Price’s 34th-minute volley cancelled out an early goal from Serge Gnabry and gave Northern Ireland genuine hope of getting something out of the game, but quick-fire goals from the substitute Nadiem Amiri and Liverpool’s £116m man Florian Wirtz settled it midway through the second half. Continue reading...
Stuttgart striker is tournament’s top scorer so far and could stand in way of England’s hopes of reaching the knockouts If there was any doubting Nick Woltemade’s star quality, a brilliant hat-trick in Germany’s opening match of the European Under-21 Championship against Slovenia showed the beanpole striker with numerous nicknames is the real deal. Known variously as Woltemessi, the Tower of Stuttgart, Goaltemade or just plain old Big Nick, he has been the standout player of the first two rounds of matches in Slovakia, having helped to book his side’s place in the quarter-finals with another goal in their win over the Czech Republic on Sunday. With England up next as Germany attempt to seal top spot in Group B and avoid a meeting with the favourites, Spain, in the last eight, the coach, Antonio Di Salvo, has a decision to make. Such has been Woltemade’s success this season that he was also called up by Julian Nagelsmann for the senior squad’s Nations League games and made his debut against Portugal in the semi-final less than a fortnight ago. Continue reading...
Bayern Munich’s domestic dominance returned and Arminia Bielefeld’s remarkable cup run provided the shocks It’s Bayern Munich, despite Mainz and Freiburg, unexpected troublers of the European places, deserving praise for their stratospheric improvement from 2023-24. The Rekordmeister is rarely more provoked than when presented with serious opposition, and Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen had done just that with last term’s domestically unbeaten double-winning exploits. Leverkusen were still excellent but could simply not match Bayern’s pace in the end. They played with dazzle but Vincent Kompany also did the one thing that was beyond Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel in beginning to sort out Bayern’s leaky defence, conceding their lowest total in the Bundesliga (32) since Hansi Flick’s treble-winning season of 2019-20. He also made them competitive in the Champions League, in which they were unlucky to lose to Inter. Continue reading...
Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer is ruled out "for the foreseeable future" after tearing a muscle in his right calf.
