Mueller on the tag as Germany thrash Latvia
08 June, 2021
Thomas Mueller scored his earliest international goal for 3 years on Mon as Germany crushed minnows Latvia 7-1 within their last warm-up friendly prior to the Euro 2020 finals.
Latvia, ranked 138th on the globe, rarely got out of their one half as being Germany tuned up for his or her opening video game of the European Championship against community champions France in eight days time in Munich.
After a two-year exile from international football, 2014 World Cup winner Mueller got on the scoresheet while Premier Little league stars Ilkay Gundogan and Timo Werner also found the web in the rout.
“The result wasn’t the most important thing, it was more about just how we wished to play football and implement things,” said Mueller, who claimed his first Germany goal since March 2018.
“It felt good, it had been a convincing win, but we realize that France is a different proposition, that’s sharp.”
Germany captain Manuel Neuer was applauded onto the pitch by his team-mates before kick-away as he became the primary goalkeeper to create 100 appearances for the national team.
The 35-year-old veteran had one of the quietest nights of his career in Duesseldorf.
He was largely untested until Latvia midfielder Aleksejs Saveljevs caught the German defence napping with a good consolation goal a quarter-hour from time.
Germany head coach Joachim Loew made several changes from the medial side held to a frustrating 1-1 draw with Denmark.
Chelsea’s Champions League champion Antonio Ruediger arrived to the defence with his golf club team-mate Kai Havertz, who performed the first 1 / 2, impressing up front.
Manchester City’s Gundogan partnered Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos found in a good midfield pairing.
The Germans wasted short amount of time.
Havertz ghosted through the Latvia defence to create the opener seeing as left-again Robin Gosens claimed his 1st international goal, then 86 seconds after Gundogan crashed in the second.
Germany were 3-0 up inside 27 minutes when Mueller hit the net for his 39th goal in 102 caps for Germany.
It had been 5-0 at the break due to Latvia goalkeeper Robert Ozols fumbled the ball into his own net, then Serge Gnabry volleyed in to the top corner right before half-time.
Werner replaced Havertz for the next half and fired house between Ozols hip and legs with 50 mins gone.
The Germans were caught napping when Saveljevs’s excellent shot flew at night diving Neuer, before Sane made amends for his earlier miss by tapping home’s Mueller’s pass.
The win was a timely confidence booster on the eve of the Euro 2020 finals, but Germany can get substantially harder games against France and reigning European champions Portugal in Group F.
“We’ve kept things no cost before middle of July - anything can happen,” joked Mueller, with the Euro 2020 final scheduled for London’s Wembley Stadium in July 11.
Source: www.daily-sun.com