Germany kicked off their preparations for the World Cup by cruising to a 4-0 win over Finland in Mainz.
The hosts began brightly and should have taken an early lead inside eight minutes. Florian Wirtz released Nathaniel Brown down the left and his cutback found Undav in space, but the striker’s tame effort was well saved by Lukas Hradecky.
Germany continued to monopolise possession, enjoying more than 80 per cent of the ball during the opening stages, while Finland struggled to escape their own half.
Wirtz and Musiala both tested Hradecky as Germany continued to probe, while Undav squandered another excellent opportunity after being played through by Musiala midway through the first half.
Finland briefly threatened through a series of blocked efforts around the German penalty area, but Nagelsmann’s men quickly regained control.
Their breakthrough finally arrived in the 34th minute. A short corner routine saw Joshua Kimmich deliver an inviting cross towards the far post, where Undav rose unmarked to guide a header into the bottom corner.
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Germany step up in second half
Germany carried that momentum into the second half and doubled their advantage almost immediately. Finland gifted possession away deep inside their own penalty area when Markhiev’s loose pass was intercepted by Undav, who unselfishly squared for Wirtz to tap into an empty net from close range just two minutes after the restart.
Any hopes Finland had of mounting a comeback disappeared before the hour mark. Lennart Karl, one of Germany’s brightest performers on the night, produced a superb run from inside his own half before threading a perfectly weighted pass through to Undav. The striker showed excellent composure to guide a left-footed finish beyond Hradecky and make it 3-0.
Karl almost added a goal of his own moments later when he struck the outside of the post after bursting down the right flank, while Felix Nmecha was denied by another smart save from the Finnish goalkeeper as Germany continued to create chances at will.
Fourth goal caps perfect night
The fourth goal came in the 63rd minute. After Germany recycled possession around the edge of the area, Aleksandar Pavlovic found Musiala in space. The Bayern Munich playmaker took one touch before unleashing a superb left-footed strike into the top corner, leaving Hradecky with no chance and putting the result beyond all doubt.
Despite falling further behind, Finland actually enjoyed more possession after the break and showed greater confidence on the ball.
However, their attacking play lacked any real cutting edge and they remained unable to test Germany. Leo Walta fired a free-kick into the wall, while several efforts from distance sailed harmlessly wide.
Germany, meanwhile, remained dangerous whenever they attacked. Musiala went close to a second goal when he fired into the side netting, while substitute Leroy Sane injected fresh energy during the closing stages.
The winger nearly helped create a fifth goal in stoppage time after a dazzling run into the six-yard box, only for Finland to somehow clear consecutive efforts from Meier off the line.
By the final whistle, Germany had completed 656 passes compared to Finland’s 342 and finished with four goals from another impressive attacking display.
Undav was the standout performer with two goals and an assist, while Wirtz, Musiala and Karl all played key roles in a fluid and exciting forward line.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: 101greatgoals.com
