🤯 Germany's defence all at sea: Ivory Coast shock the favourites!

After a lively opening 20 minutes and a few minor concerns about Nico Schlotterbeck, the DFB team’s second group match has now delivered its first major flashpoints — and the shock of a surprising deficit for Germany!

First, the ball ended up in the Ivorian net at the other end (22’), but referee Benitez immediately blew the whistle. The reason: following a corner, Fofana rose high in his own box and was impeded by Pavlovic, who also jumped and headed the ball. Although the Bayern star ultimately nodded the ball into the net, the goal did not count because he had his arm out and caught Fofana in the process.

It was by no means a clear refereeing error, so VAR did not intervene and the goal remained disallowed. Certainly a defensible decision.

Instead, things turned bitter for the German side right after the following drinks break: after Brown initially made a successful block against an effort from Amad, the rebound fell to Franck Kessié in the penalty area, and he ruthlessly buried it with his right foot (30’). 

So the underdogs lead the German national team 1–0 — the same team that played so brilliantly just last Sunday. If it stays this way, or gets even worse, going into halftime, things certainly won’t get any more pleasant for head coach Julian Nagelsmann’s side.

What do you make of Wirtz, Musiala and Co.’s performance so far? Can they turn it around quickly? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.