Germany 2-1 Romania: Initial reactions and observations

Initial reactions and observations

• Hansi’s subs changed the game. By brining on Thomas Muller and Kai Havertz, Germany suddenly looked reinvigorated both mentally and tactically, looking like a much better side in the process. Even so, this was a tough game for the Germans — the worst of the Flick era so far.
• Leroy Sane showed the ugly side of his finishing today. He had a few good chances, which, if converted, could’ve secured a comfortable win for the Germans. Still, he had a better performance than Reus and Werner, who were awful.
• Serge Gnabry continues his scoring form this season. He was arguably Germany’s most consistent attacker — let’s hope he continues this trend all the way to the World Cup and beyond.

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Full time: Germany 2-1 Romania.

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81’ — GOAL! Thomas Muller makes it 2-1 on a corner!

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66’ — Hansi finally makes the subs, Havertz and Muller on for Reus and Werner.

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52’ — GOAL! The German pressure has finally resulted in Gnabry scoring a goal. Now can Germany continue to win this?

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45’ — The second half is underway!

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Halftime observations and analysis

• Not a good show by the Germans so far. Hansi Flick needs to bring out subs to fix this. Bring on Musiala, Muller, and Havertz and let the party begin.
• In hindsight, maybe Thilo Kehrer isn’t a great fullback.
• First game without Manuel Neuer = first goal conceded by Germany under Flick. Ter Stegen simply doesn’t inspire confidence.
• Jonas Hofmann is sooooooooo slow.
• The second half needs to be better. Can’t win a world cup playing like this.

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Halftime: Wow that sucked. Romania lead 1-0.

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8’ — Goal. Hagi scores at the other end! The Germans fell asleep.

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7’ — The referee whistled a penalty for a foul on Timo Werner, but VAR overturns it.

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Kickoff: Germany are underway!

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One hour until kickoff: We have our lineups! No Muller and Neuer is injured, these are sad times.

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With no Bayern Munich content to satiate us for at least another week, it’s time for us to focus on Germany and Hansi Flick’s preparations for next year’s FIFA World Cup.

Romania are third in the qualifying group, and beating them would put the Germans that much closer to guaranteed qualification. Flick has a fully fit squad at his disposal, which includes multiple Bayern stars like Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, and Joshua Kimmich. Pre-match reports indicate that Marco Reus might get the nod over Thomas Muller for this one, but otherwise we expect very few surprises.

Can Hansi Flick bring Germany back to its best? The journey continues.

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Match Info

Location: Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany

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

TV/streaming: ESPN+, Find Your Country

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