Nagelsmann’s Germany crush France with impressive 2-0 win

Florian Wirtz made history by scoring the quickest goal in Germany’s international soccer history just seven seconds into the match, leading to a 2-0 victory over France in a friendly on Saturday (Mar 23). This win came as a morale booster for Germany, hosting Euro 2024 in June, especially after a series of less favorable outcomes in their recent games.

Wirtz’s initial goal, assisted by Toni Kroos—who returned from a three-year break from international soccer—caught the French team off guard. This goal narrowly beat Lukas Podolski’s previous record for Germany’s fastest goal set in 2013.

Germany, under the guidance of coach Julian Nagelsmann, aimed for a strong performance to kick off the year, and Wirtz’s early goal set the tone for the game. Despite efforts from French star Kylian Mbappe, Germany’s goalkeeper Marc Andre ter Stegen kept a clean sheet in the first half.

Nagelsmann expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, highlighting the planned nature of the kickoff and the team’s resilience throughout the game. This victory was seen as a crucial confidence builder for the team, which had been seeking improvement after only securing two wins in their ten games prior to this match.

In the second half, Germany reinforced their lead with a goal that saw Wirtz and Jamal Musiala set up Kai Havertz for the finish. France, under coach Didier Deschamps, struggled to find their rhythm, missing several opportunities to score, including two late-game attempts by Olivier Giroud. A defensive mishap from Germany’s Antonio Ruediger nearly resulted in an own goal but ultimately did not change the outcome.

Reflecting on the loss, Deschamps admitted that his team was outperformed in several key aspects of the game, including commitment and aggression, and took personal responsibility for the defeat.

Looking ahead, Germany is set to face the Netherlands, while France will take on Chile in their next friendly matches.