It was a close call but Germany held on to advance to the semis.
Behind a rowdy crowd in Dortmund, the German national team claimed a spot in the UEFA Nations League semifinal with a dramatic 3-3 draw against Italy. Germany rushed out to a 3-0 halftime lead, but the Italians roared back behind a brace from Moise Kean and a stoppage time penalty kick from Giacomo Raspadori.
The semifinal will be played against Portugal on Wednesday, June 4th, quickly followed by the final on June 8th. Alongside the other semifinal and the third-place game, all four matches will be played in Germany. It is important to note that the Champions League final will also be hosted by Germany at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, May 31st.
Julian Nagelsmann’s creativity needs a defensive anchor
After the first leg, Nagelsmann made the proper personnel adjustments. Tim Kleindienst is in fantastic form and channeled the number nine of the German greats that came before him. Nico Schlotterbeck’s hybrid ability offers flexibility to the left flank.
Germany pressed high and hard to earn a commanding 3-0 lead. Musiala’s goal can 100% be chalked up to the mental exhaustion that rattled Gianluigi Donnarumma and the entire Italian defense.
However, a lack of cohesion, peppered with individual mistakes by Leroy Sané, Jonathan Tah, and Maximilian Mittelstädt, gave Italy way too much hope. Unlike EURO 2024 or the 2026 World Cup, Nagelsmann will not have the benefit of a month long pre-camp to get the squad on the same page.
Joshua Kimmich is making a strong case for the Ballon d’Or
Since assuming the captaincy, Kimmich has been on a mission for both club and country. In the first half alone, Kimmich drilled a penalty kick into the side net, caught Italy sleeping to give Jamal Musiala a free goal, and beautifully found Tim Kleindienst for a soaring header on the back post. All of this came from Kimmich playing right back.
At the moment, Kimmich is being inexplicably disrespected with 500-to-1 odds. If Kimmich leads Bayern Munich to a Bundesliga title (likely), Champions League title (+500), and a Nations League title (+220), the only real competition should be Bayern teammates Harry Kane and Musiala.
Jekyll and Hyde personality is becoming a recurring theme
Just like the first leg, the home team dominated the first half and was rewarded with a deserved lead. Also like the first leg, the visiting team shrugged off its poor performance and exploded out of the locker room with multiple second half goals.
In a tournament knockout format, titles are won by maximizing the good streaks and minimizing the bad ones. Germany’s lack of control in the central midfield makes every game a wildcard, especially if defenders like Jonathan Tah keep getting beat 1v1 in dangerous positions.
At the end of the day, Germany held a two-goal advantage in the aggregate for the final 30 minutes (until the aforementioned penalty kick) and were playing to protect that lead rather than pressing for more goals.
