Soccer <\/p>\n
Germany made it nine wins out of nine\u00a0with a 2-1 win over the USA in their last match before the World Cup.<\/p>\n
The win, secured by goals from Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane, means they have won four successive friendlies, having also won their last six World Cup qualifiers. But Julian Nagelsmann knows tougher tests than this are not far away.<\/p>\n
Just as he had for his club, Arsenal, in the Champions League final<\/a>, Havertz gave Germany an early lead, this time after just two minutes. The striker, who joined the squad later than anyone else after that final, headed home from close range after just two minutes. Havertz was unmarked to nod home a Joshua Kimmich freekick from the right, with the US defense missing in action.\u00a0<\/p>\n Germany could not build on the early lead though and were pegged back by Antonee Robinson’s brilliant long range volley on 37\u00a0minutes. The left back flashed his effort past Oliver Baumann and into the top corner from just outside the box after Jonathan Tah’s clearing header dropped to his left boot.<\/p>\n After a stronger start to the second half for Germany<\/a>, Havertz was involved again when they\u00a0retook the lead on 57 minutes. The forward shifted\u00a0the ball to the onrushing Leroy Sane in the box before the winger drilled home a low, first time, left-footed effort into the bottom corner. Both teams made a number of substitutions soon after, with Havertz and Kimmich among those given a little more rest before Germany open their World Cup campaign against debutants Curacao<\/a> on June 14.\u00a0<\/p>\n “All in all, we played a good game. We’re in good form,”\u00a0Havertz told German\u00a0broadcaster RTL after the game, adding, “We’re heading into the first game with our heads held high.”<\/p>\n Further substitutions from both sides slowed the game still further but Brendan\u00a0Aaronson came close to equalizing for the USA in the final minutes, only to be denied by Baumann, allowing Germany to hang on.<\/p>\n Though the clash in Chicago may have allowed\u00a0Germany<\/a> to give most of their likely starters a runout out ahead of the start of\u00a0the tournament in North America<\/a>, any morale boost from the win had been offset\u00a0by injury news that emerged in the buildup.<\/p>\n Bayern Munich’s<\/a> attacking midfielder Lennart Karl, 18, was something of a wildcard for Julian Nagelsmann and may have provided a spark often lacking on Saturday. Karl made his breakthrough for the German champions this year and forced his way into national team contention with a string of fearlessly creative displays. He started and made a goal in Germany’s last friendly, a win against Finland<\/a>, and seemed set to play a significant part in the tournament.<\/p>\n But a thigh injury sustained in the final training session before Saturday’s match meant Karl had to bid a tearful goodbye to the rest of the squad. As nations\u00a0can make injury replacements to their squad up to 24 hours before their opening game, RB Leipzig’s Assan Ouedraogo will replace him.<\/p>\n “I feel incredibly sorry for Lenny,” said Julian Nagelsmann ahead of the game. “It’s a huge shock for him and all of us that he’s missing the World Cup. It’s only a small consolation that he’s young and has many tournaments ahead of him. We would have loved to have him on the team.”<\/p>\n Nagelsmann also had some\u00a0concerns at the other end of the pitch, and the age\u00a0spectrum. The coach tempted Karl’s Bayern Munich teammate Manuel Neuer, 40, out of international retirement for one last crack at\u00a0 a second World Cup win,<\/a> but Neuer has missed both pre-tournament friendly matches with a calf injury. Though Neuer is vastly experienced, he has not played a match since being subbed off in Bayern’s last Bundesliga game on May 16 and missed the German Cup final.<\/p>\n But the Germany coach said after Saturday’s win that he is confident Neuer will start the World Cup opener despite offering a “huge compliment” to Baumann, who will make way for the veteran.<\/p>\n Even if they do go into that Curacao match on the back of nine consecutive wins and with Neuer fit, the loss of Karl means Nagelsmann has work to do to lift the group before the serious business has even begun.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Soccer Havertz and Germany hitting form<\/h2>\n
Soccer Karl injury sours Germany mood despite win<\/h2>\n
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Soccer Neuer short of fitness ahead of Germany World Cup opener<\/h2>\n