So to a brief report on the opening match of the international season against Denmark in Copenhagen, with Germany coach Jogi Löw leaving out the key stars of South Africa 2010 and playing essentially a ‘B’ team:
Here’s a brief summary of the action:
8 mins Jérôme Boateng gets an early yellow card for a foul on Nicklas Pedersen.
9 mins From the resulting free-kick, young star Christian Eriksen goes close for Denmark.
19 mins Skipper Thomas Hitzlsperger’s dummies a shot at goal, and then threads a lovely ball through the Danish defence to Mario Gómez who hits the target. 1-0 Germany.
22 mins Eriksen continues to run rings around the Germany defence.
27 mins Toni Kroos has a decent effort at goal from distance.
Half time.
47 mins Serdar Taşçı clears a Pedersen shot off the line.
56 mins Wiese saves from Eriksen, and Daniel Agger hits the post from the rebound.
56 mins VfL Wolfsburg’s Sascha Riether comes on for Andreas Beck for his first appearance in the Schwarz und Weiß.
60 mins Hunt hits the post.
61 mins Tim Wiese saves with his foot from the impressive Eriksen.
66 mins Hitzlsperger is replaced by Patrick Helmes; Taşçı takes the captain’s armband.
73 mins Seven minutes after coming on, Helmes latches onto a pass from Christian Gentner and drills in a 15-yard shot. 2-0 Germany.
74 mins The two-goal cushion is short-lived: Taşçı gifts the Danes an opportunity to get back into the game with an horrific pass which is seized upon by Dennis Rommedahl. 2-1.
78 mins Mario Gómez goes close.
80 mins Agger comes close to scoring an equaliser for Denmark.
84 mins Gómez finds space again, but fails to find the target with what is a marvellous opportunity.
86 mins Germany still cannot find a third as Helmes spurns the chance.
87 mins Another blunder, and another Danish goal. A long pass from midfield is miscalculated by ‘keeper Wiese, who sees the ball bounce off his chest. Junker puts it into an empty net. 2-2.
90 mins Schlusspfiff.
Before kick-off, a 2-2 draw would not have been seen as a particularly bad result – especially fielding a reserve unit shorn of the likes of Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Khedira, Özil, Podolski, Klose and Müller. One could also say that the result was rather flattering as for long periods the Danes were by far the better side. But having gone 2-0 up and blown the lead on account of a couple of dire defensive lapses, there will be plenty to talk about before the opening Euro 2012 qualifier against Belgium in early September.
At least Mario Gómez got on the scoresheet.
v Denmark, Parken, København, 11.08.2010
2-2 (1-0)
Gómez 19., Helmes 73. / Rommedahl 74., Junker 87.
Team: Wiese – An. Beck (56. Riether*), Boateng (78. C. Schulz), Taşçı, Ma. Schäfer – Hitzlsperger (66. Helmes), Gentner – Träsch, Kroos, Marin (56. Hunt) – Gómez
* Full international debut
Referee: Alan Kelly (Republic of Ireland)
Assistants: Martin Maloney, Kenneth Hennessy (Republic of Ireland)
Fourth Official: Lars Christoffersen (Denmark)
Yellow Cards: Boateng / –
Red Cards: – / –
Attempts on Target: 10 / 11
Attempts off Target: 8 / 13
Corners: 1 / 9
Fouls Committed: 7 / 7
Attendance: 19,071