Toni Kroos made an impressive return after 3 years away from the German national team, making the French stars look like chickens
After 1998 days of absence from the German national team, it only took 7 seconds for Toni Kroos to create a brilliant assist, opening up Mannschaft’s second consecutive win against France. Kroos took charge and led the play for Germany at Groupama Stadium, causing the stars of the French national team to fight like chickens with hair stuck in their mouths.
It can be said that Les Bleus received a comprehensive defeat against the class of 34-year-old veteran midfielder Kroos. Of course, this is just a friendly match and not much can be said about the performance of both teams. However, there is a very clear message: Don’t rush to remove Germany’s name from the list of candidates to win EURO 2024.
Julian Nagelsmann’s tank had a completely superior match against host France. They were proactive on the ball, attacked well and were extremely effective. Germany entered the game better, approaching both halves the same way: scoring an early goal and leisurely taking over the game, playing according to the script they had set up.
You don’t need to control the ball much but you still get the goals you want. When the French defense had not yet had time to form a position to defend both in the first half and the first half, two long passes from Toni Kroos (1′) and Florian Wirtz (49′) made the difference.
Germany’s midfield played extremely proactively and effectively with Kroos’ direction and rhythm. Germany’s playing style in this match surprised everyone. The key lies in the return of Kroos. The veteran midfielder on Real Madrid’s payroll always has passes that rip through Les Bleus’s defense, regulating the play for the away team.
Every German attack goes through Kroos’s legs. Thanks to that, Duc played really confidently, leisurely and won easily. It is clear that Kroos’s steel and fire have been transferred to the midfield, helping the Germans play more coherently and effectively and return to the familiar style of Mannschaft.
A Mannschaft is rebuilding under Nagelsmann but it’s enough to make the Gaulois Roosters stop crowing at home. The match at Groupama Stadium showed a completely classy and effective German team against the stars of the home team France, which brought confidence and hope to those who love the Tank at EURO 2024.
Meanwhile, losing in just 7 seconds, France conceded the earliest goal in history. And, the 0-2 loss to Germany caused Les Bleus to break their streak of 14 consecutive matches scoring against the opponent’s net. The last time the Gaulois Roosters failed was a 0-1 loss to Tunisia at the 2022 World Cup.
When Germany won in both score and position, France’s lack of a leader in the middle caused them to be divided and not have the necessary cohesion. Through this, we can see how big the role and importance of Antoine Griezmann is to the blue shirt team. For the first time in 7 years, France played without Grizi in the squad.
That made coach Didier Deschamps’ 150th match leading the blue team forgettable when his Les Bleus team almost did not exist at Lyon’s Groupama Stadium. Lacking fierceness in defense, disjointed play and only having about 20 minutes in the first half of the match with lines, wasting in transitions as well as finishing, the Gaulois Rooster lost to the Germans in every way. field.
Even Les Bleus’s biggest star, Kylian Mbappe, only had rare but very cautious finishing opportunities in the 22nd and 25th minutes of the first half. Deschamps still has a lot of work to do. France played in the second half like a “blue team” in Germany’s training session. Watching Les Bleus play against Germany this morning gave people the feeling that even if the match lasted another half, they still wouldn’t be able to score an honorable goal.
Even as the match entered the 88th minute, the ball touched the hands of away team defender Maximilian Mittelstadt in the penalty area after a cross from Mbappe. However, referee Gil Manzano did not blow a penalty for the blue shirt team. And, they lost to Germany.
Instead of the peak, it was the bottom. For the first time in 38 years, France received its heaviest defeat against Germany (losing 0-2 in the 1982 World Cup semi-finals). Not only that, this is a bad omen for Les Bleus. Because this is the third time France has lost its first match of the calendar year before the EURO. Both times they were eliminated from the group stage at EURO 1992 and EURO 2008.