On October 17, 2023, in Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, an international friendly between Germany and Mexico ended in an exciting 2-2 tie. It was Mexico’s first “home” game in South Philadelphia, and a wide-open game delighted the large audience.
Antonio Rudiger gave Germany the lead in the 25th minute by heading in a corner kick that Leroy Sane had given. In the fifty-first minute, Niclas Fullkrug of Mexico tied the score with a well-executed pass.
In the sixtyth minute, Hirving Lozano scored a fantastic solo goal to give Mexico the lead. After Timo Werner’s effort was saved, Serge Gnabry scored on a rebound to give Germany the lead again in the 75th minute.
Both sides had opportunities to win in front of an audience that numbered over 62,000. Mexico was clinical in front of goal, but Germany had more possession and generated more opportunities.
In the latter moments of the game, both sides had opportunities to win, but the score stayed 2-2.
Julian Nagelsmann, the new head coach of Germany, was hoping for a strong showing from his squad following their 3-1 victory against the US on Saturday. He must have been dissatisfied with certain elements of their performance vs Mexico, though.
Germany was fortunate to enter halftime with a score of equal after struggling to generate opportunities in the first half. Even though they improved significantly in the second half, they continued to make several defensive errors.
All in all, the contest between the two evenly-matched teams was rather enjoyable. Mexico came out strong in the second half and deserved to lead, but Germany looked more threatening in the first. Germany will be happy with their performance since they have shown strong spirit by coming back to equalize twice.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the match:
- The defense of Germany continues to be a worry. Rudiger made a few errors at the back despite scoring a well-executed goal. Niklas Sule’s game was mixed as well. If Germany want to contend for big prizes, they will need to improve their defensive play.
- The Mexican onslaught seemed well-coordinated. In addition to his outstanding goal, Lozano posed a continual menace to the German defense. Raul Jimenez looked impressive as well, and he had a few close misses in goal territory. With confidence, Mexico will be able to score goals in the 2026 World Cup.
- Germany’s new manager Julian Nagelsmann is still finding his feet. Nagelsmann has only been in charge of Germany for a few months, and he is still experimenting with different formations and tactics. He will need to find a winning formula if he wants to be successful at the 2024 European Championship.
Both teams gave strong performances overall. Two of the greatest teams in the world, Mexico and Germany, will both be strong candidates for major trophies in the upcoming years.
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