North Macedonia 0-4 Germany: Initial reactions and observations

Initial reactions and observations

• Germany have qualified as group winners and did so in some style. The second half wasn’t a dour affair like the first and some youngsters got a shot. Good game overall.
• Thomas Muller with two assists and yet another commanding performance on the pitch for Germany. You could see him orchestrating the team for the entire time he was on. At this point, Muller’s on-pitch coach is probably just as important as his direct goal contributions.
• Timo Werner finally gets a brace after what felt like a million missed chances. Hopefully this revives his finishing sense, because he won’t always get this many chances against better teams.
• Jamal Musiala is such a special footballer. Wish he’d play more often, for both club and country.
• Leon Goretzka got some rest today, which is good for Bayern Munich. Hopefully, with qualification secure, Germany will rotate more in coming international breaks.

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Full time: Germany win 4-0.

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83’ — GOAL! Musiala shows Werner that you don’t need a million chances to score. He slots away his first chance of the game.

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73’ — GOAL! Werner makes it 3-0! That’ll be his final contribution, as he’s subbed off.

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69’ — GOAL! Timo Werner makes it 2-0! A second clever assist by Muller.

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60’ — Hansi makes his subs. Adeyemi and Wirtz on for Havertz and Goretzka.

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49’ — GOAL! Havertz makes it 1-0 from an assist by Thomas Muller.

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45’ — The second half is underway! Let’s hope it’ll be more eventful than the first.

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Halftime observations and analysis

• Wow, that sucked. What a terrible game to be subjected to. Still 0-0 for Germany.
• Timo Werner’s misses are almost supernatural at times. How can a man be this unlucky?
• Can someone please give Thomas Muller some SERVICE?
• Serge Gnabry having one of those days where he can’t get anything right.
• Germany sure do rely on Niklas Sule for buildup quite a lot.

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45’ + 2’ — Timo please, just get one of these on target.

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Kickoff: We’re underway!

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One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! Thomas Muller starts, while Kai Havertz comes in for Leroy Sane. David Raum is also in the lineup. Antonio Rudiger left out.

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It’s extremely rare for Germany to lose in FIFA World Cup qualifiers, but that’s exactly what happened when they were visited by North Macedonia back in the tail end of the Jogi Low tenure. That sole loss is what’s keeping Germany from being qualified already, so Hansi Flick will want to get the win and leave his predecessor’s failings behind as soon as possible.

North Macedonia, unfortunately, are a pretty good team — which means the coach will rely heavily on his Bayern Munich contingent to carry him through this game. Players like Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, and Niklas Sule are mainstays of the lineup, while Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer are set to return to the starting XI after an absence against Romania.

All we hope for is a decent game of football and no injuries.

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Match Info

Location: Toshe Proeski Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia

Time: 8:45 pm local time, 2:45 pm EST

TV/streaming: ESPN+, Find Your Country

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