Four Observations from Germany's patchy 0-2 victory against Luxembourg

"Germany nearly went down as took their own sweet time to wind down an energetic Luxembourg. Backed by a fantastic home crowd, the Luxembourgers showed up big time and challenged the visitors with everything they had. However, poor finishing, several bookings and running out of energy forced Jeff Straser's men to settle for 0-2 defeat. Without further ado, here the observations from the game:"

"The Luxembourgers had a fairly simple plan. Absorb the German attack in their half and play very directly. In the first, they had 20 successful long balls coming with an accuracy of 77 percent! This level of precision amplified the threat to the German goalpost. Luxembourg's gaffer Jeff Straser deserves a lot of praise for marshalling his troops very well against a very strong opponent."

"Germany were severely lacking any sense of control for most of the game. It was a real shame to see a stacked German lineup looking clueless on several occasions. The opposition's pressing had no answer from the Germans. The pressure often forced several mistakes. The absence of Joshua Kimmich made things worse. The midfield was totally invisible and it was honestly a poor showing from the duo of Leon Goretzka and Aleksander Pavlović."

Luxembourg pressed Germany intensely, building a compact defensive wall and launching accurate long balls to create sustained threats. The homeside completed 20 successful long balls in the first half at 77% accuracy and combined disciplined pressing with direct play. Goalkeeper Anthony Moris made four saves while Dirk Carlson, Olivier Thill and Aiman Dardari stood out. Germany struggled to control midfield without Joshua Kimmich, and Leon Goretzka with Aleksander Pavlović underperformed. Several yellow cards shifted momentum after the hour, allowing Germany to gain control. Luxembourg’s poor finishing, bookings and fatigue left them unable to avoid a 0-2 defeat.

Read at Bavarian Football Works