Title: Germany Slumps to Shocking 4-1 Home Loss to Japan in Friendly Match
Germany’s national football team suffered a devastating blow as they succumbed to a shocking 4-1 defeat against Japan in a friendly match held in Wolfsburg. The loss deepens the crisis surrounding the Euro 2024 hosts, as it marks their third consecutive defeat and fourth loss in five matches.
The match started with an early setback for Germany when Junya Ito scored the opening goal for Japan in the 11th minute, turning in a low cross at the far post. However, Germany quickly leveled the score in the 19th minute with a left-footed finish from Leroy Sané.
Despite Germany’s effort, Ayase Ueda swiftly put Japan back in the lead with a goal in the 22nd minute after a neat move down the right wing. Germany’s goalkeeper, Marc-André ter Stegen, made a series of crucial saves to deny Japan from further extending their lead.
However, in the 90th minute, Takuma Asano sealed a repeat of Japan’s infamous World Cup win against Germany, and in stoppage time, Ao Tanaka added insult to injury with a fourth goal. Germany captain, Ilkay Gündogan, humbly admitted that Japan was the better team and attributed the loss to individual mistakes by the German players.
Germany’s head coach, Hansi Flick, now faces uncertainty regarding his future following the team’s poor performance. The pressure is mounting on Flick as Germany seeks a positive result in their next friendly against World Cup finalists France to regain confidence.
In another notable match, North Macedonia earned a well-deserved draw against Italy in their Euro 2024 qualifier, spoiling Luciano Spalletti’s debut as Italy coach. Enis Bardhi stole the show with a stunning free-kick in the 81st minute, canceling out Ciro Immobile’s earlier header. Italy remains third in Group C, level on points with North Macedonia.
Meanwhile, Belgium secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Azerbaijan to take the top spot in Group F, while Sweden dominated Estonia with a convincing 5-0 victory, cutting the gap to Group F leaders Austria to just four points.
Lastly, Switzerland was held to a 2-2 draw by Kosovo in Group I, thanks to Vedat Muriqi who scored both goals for Kosovo, denying Switzerland a victory.
Overall, the recent international friendly matches witnessed surprising results and intense competition among the participating teams, highlighting the unpredictability and excitement that football never fails to deliver.
