Hosts of Euro 2024 Jakub Kiwor’s goal in the first half of Friday’s friendly match between Germany and Poland in Warsaw increased the strain on head coach Hansi Flick.
The 2024 hosts Jakub Kiwor’s first-half goal increased the pressure on coach Hansi Flick as Germany fell to Poland 1-0 in a friendly on Friday in Warsaw. Poland’s triumph over its rivals was just the second in 22 encounters dating back to 1933, leaving Germany with just one victory in four games following their catastrophic World Cup campaign in Qatar. A disorganised German defence was overcome by Kiwor’s header from a corner midway through the first half, giving his team the lead and increasing Flick’s difficulties in preparation for the Euros on home territory the following year.
Flick said that his team still had time to make things right despite the “totally disappointing result”.
Flick said, “We’re in the midst of trying things out. “We still have a ways to go before we arrive there.”
“We’ll have a team that works together by June of next year.”
Wingback Robin Gosens, who played for Inter Milan just six days earlier when they lost the Champions League final to Man City 1-0, stated that his team intended to “get the country behind us” and bring Germany “into a spirit of optimism.”
We are aware that the only way to do this is via successes.
The 2020 Champions League champion for Bayern Munich under Flick, Robert Lewandowski, the captain of Poland, remarked, “It wasn’t perfect… we tried to make Germany’s day difficult.”
Flick made nine changes to the lineup from the one that drew 3-3 with Ukraine on Monday in Bremen after coming under fire for his persistent experimenting with the team stumbling.
Only center-back Antonio Ruediger and captain Joshua Kimmich were still on the field, and Flick gave 21-year-old Malick Thiaw his professional debut in a back three.
After 13 minutes, Thiaw on the counter stopped a shot from Jakub Blaszczykowski, who was playing for Poland for the 109th and last time.
After more than ten years of playing in Germany for Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund, Blaszczykowski was replaced shortly after, to the 37-year-old’s standing ovation from both sets of supporters.
Midway through the first half, Kiwor outmuscled West Ham defender Thilo Kehrer to head in a Piotr Zielinksi corner, continuing the hosts’ joyous celebration.
In the second half, Germany increased the intensity and appeared to have a great opportunity to tie the score 10 minutes in when Jan Bednarek was adjudged to have handled in the box.
The penalty kick was overruled after review because the Southampton center-back’s arm made insufficient contact with the ball, giving Poland a reprieve.
Kimmich attempted from a distance, but his effort ricocheted off the crossbar. Kimmich previously saved Germany’s face from a penalty against Ukraine in stoppage time.
In the last minutes, Flick made five forward substitutions, but Germany was unable to score.
Germany has qualified for the Euros as the hosts, but there are still concerns about a team that hasn’t been able to successfully use its skill and resources since Brazil’s World Cup victory in 2014.
