Thus, the winning streak is abruptly ended. Germany may feel fortunate to have survived this match uninjured because Mexico played an intense game and easily could have earned all three (metaphorical) points in the second half. With the exception of Niclas Füllkrug, none of the substitutions that Julian Nagelsmann made managed to have a beneficial effect.
Fans of Bayern Munich will be hoping Leon Goretzka made it through this game unscathed. Joshua Kimmich is now ill, so if Goretzka is forced to miss time as well, the team is left with just one healthy midfielder.
Going without a striker wasn’t the best move, but it wasn’t a terrible one either. Germany appeared much more composed and patient in the first half without a striker than they did in the second with one. It all comes back to the control vs. chaos argument. For the time being, Nagelsmann has been able to keep the mayhem contained to only a few areas of the games, but the amount of control is still insufficient.
In light of the state of the German fullback, Joshua Kimmich might have to switch back to right-back. Josh doesn’t really need to play in midfield right now because he and Gündogan have developed a strong partnership over the break.
Despite all the changes, Germany continues to be weak at the international level.
Mexico leads Germany 2-2 in the end.
Leon Goretzka is down hurt at 89 seconds. In essence, he makes up half of Bayern Munich’s surviving midfield.
51 seconds — GOAL! Making it 2-2 is Füllkrug!
47′ — Goal. Right after the intermission, Mexico makes it 2-1.
The second half has started at 45′! Goretzka and Füllkrug are substituted in place of Groß and Müller.
Observations and analysis at the break
Germany played well in the first minutes, but scoring the goal seemed to destroy the team’s spirit. While the goal itself was an example of bad defending, Mexico quickly had the upper hand. The final 20 minutes of the first half were incredibly subpar from Germany.
In principle, switching between FOUR aggressive midfielders on the field makes sense, but in fact, it confuses the teammates and hinders the team’s ability to get shots on goal.
The USMNT has so far faced significantly stronger competition than Mexico. The back is much better prepared and actually has some attack plans.
Gündogan’s performance for Germany may have been his greatest to date. If you simply count this portion, it would be an easy MOTM.
Ter Stegen never successfully refutes the “ter Standing” accusations.
Germany leads Mexico 1-0 at the half.
37′ — Goal. Mexico evens the score.
GOOOOOOOOOOOAL in 24′! From a corner, Rüdiger makes it 1-0!
Start: We’re off and running!
One hour before kickoff: Nagelsmann chooses an experimental starting lineup, going with a 4-2-2-2 formation up top with Thomas Müller, Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Leroy Sané, and all of them. The rest of the lineup remains the same.
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