Germany emphatically bounced back from their opening World Cup qualifying defeat to Slovakia with a commanding 4-0 victory over Luxembourg at the PreZero Arena, with captain Joshua Kimmich netting twice and David Raum breaking his international goal scoring drought with a stunning free-kick, Softfootball reports.
Germany’s breakthrough arrived in the 12th minute through a moment of individual brilliance. David Raum curled a magnificent left footed freekick that dipped perfectly inside Anthony Moris’ left-hand post. The stunning strike marked Raum’s first international goal in his 31st appearance for the team.
The complexion of the match shifted dramatically in the 20th minute when Luxembourg’s Dirk Carlson received a straight red card following a VAR review for a foul in the penalty area. Captain Kimmich stepped up confidently, stroking his spot-kick low into the bottom right corner as goalkeeper moved the wrong way.
Germany continued to press, with Gnabry particularly unlucky not to extend the lead. The Bayern striker came agonizingly close in the 24th minute, playing a neat one-two with Woltemade before curling a powerful effort just wide of the post.
Moris was forced into brave goalkeeping moments later, smothering Kimmich’s dangerous cross-shot at the far post. Germany entered halftime with a 2-0 advantage, having registered over 75% possession against the depleted visitors.
Nagelsmann made one change at the interval, introducing Waldemar Anton for Nico Schlotterbeck, while Luxembourg’s Jeff Strasser brought on Eric Veiga for Florian Bohnert.
Gnabry finally got his deserved reward in the 48th minute just after the second half kicked off. The Bayern forward latched onto a fortunate rebound after Eric Veiga’s attempted clearance of Karim Adeyemi’s through ball, then unleashed a fierce right-footed strike from a tight angle that flew high into the net just inside Moris’ left post.
Kimmich secured his brace just five minutes into the second period following another dangerous Raum set-piece delivery. The ins winging corner from the right caused chaos in the Luxembourg box, with Anton’s header and Aleksandar Pavlović’s follow-up attempt both blocked before the Germany captain swept the loose ball low into the far corner. The midfielder celebrated by spinning around with his arms outstretched in jubilation.
The German team shared the final score of the match on their official X page.
The comprehensive victory provided Germany with the perfect response to their opening qualifying defeat, with the 4-0 scoreline reflecting their dominance throughout. Playing against ten men for over 70 minutes certainly aided their cause, but the quality of Germany’s attacking play and Raum’s spectacular set-piece delivery demonstrated why they remain among Europe’s elite.
The comprehensive victory provided Germany with the perfect response to their opening qualifying defeat, with the 4-0 scoreline reflecting their dominance throughout.
Playing against ten men for over 70 minutes certainly aided their cause, but the quality of Germany’s attacking play and Raum’s spectacular set-piece delivery demonstrated why they remain among Europe’s elite
For Luxembourg, the early red card proved insurmountable, though they showed occasional glimpses of attacking intent through Aiman Dardari and Christopher Martins despite their numerical disadvantage.
Germany now turn their attention to improving their position in Group A, with tonight’s emphatic victory providing valuable momentum and a significant boost to their goal difference in the qualification campaign.
