Germany bounced back in a marquee warm-up match in the early hours of Wednesday morning (13th), with director Woolla stepping up to the role of interim manager. They ended a three-match losing streak with a 2-1 victory over World Cup runners-up France, Germany's first win in the last six matches. Although the Germans saved face, the cost was heavy - captain Gundogan suffered an unfortunate injury, which was a huge blow to his parent club Barcelona.
Germany, the hosts of Euro 2024, suffered a crushing defeat to Japan in their last warm-up match, with a scoreline as high as 1-4, which led to the sacking of manager Felix. When the world thought Germany would suffer humiliation in front of a much stronger French team, a dramatic reversal took place. Just four minutes into the match, Germany's veteran goalkeeper Thomas Mena opened the door to victory for his team.
However, it wasn't until the 87th minute that another goal was scored, as Xaviers' precise direct pass led to a clever break into the box for Lilezini to score the second goal and then, two minutes later, Lilezini was awarded a penalty after an infringement on France's Kamayunga in the box, which Kishavin converted to break the deadlock for the French side.
Germany's victory was a timely stopgap, with 63-year-old Hall of Famer Woolla widely recognized for his command of the game. In fact, the former German national team coach was at the helm of the German team from 2000 to 2004 and led the team to the 2002 World Cup finals, despite losing to Brazil. If the German team continues to perform well, Woolla may officially become the team's head coach.
