DFB team wins final World Cup warm-up match 2:1 against USA in Chicago

Havertz's lightning start and Robinson's equalizer

The US Boys, led by Christian Pulisic, however, responded with growing confidence. In the 37th minute, Antonee Robinson struck: his first-time effort from 22 meters, following a corner kick by Christian Pulisic that the German side had failed to clear and a header by Jonathan Tah, crashed into the top right corner of Oliver Baumann's goal and was unstoppable. Robinson celebrated the equalizer with an acrobatic handstand flip with backward somersault, further stoking the atmosphere in the stadium.

Nagelsmann had impressed upon his team before the match to treat the game as if it were a World Cup opener. His side should approach the match as if it were a World Cup opener, Nagelsmann had demanded. The DFB team only partly lived up to this instruction in the first half, but upped its game significantly after the break. The head coach made two changes compared to the recent warm-up match against Finland: following the injury-related World Cup absence of Lennart Karl (torn muscle fibers), Nagelsmann fielded Sané as expected on the right attacking flank. And Havertz was given the nod over Deniz Undav as the central striker.

Sané's decisive moment

The second half then clearly belonged to the visitors from Germany. In the 50th minute, Felix Nmecha tested US goalkeeper Matt Freese with a low shot, and five minutes later Sané failed to hit the target with a free kick from a similar position to the one that produced Havertz's goal – this time sending it over the bar. Sané made no mistake in the 57th minute: the 30-year-old fired in a low shot from 13 meters to make it 2:1 after Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala had set him up in the US penalty area.

The fact that the German team only won narrowly was also down to a series of outstanding saves by DFB goalkeeper Baumann. Early in the second half, the 35-year-old, standing in for the injured Manuel Neuer, denied shots from Weston McKennie. Neuer continues to be rested due to a troublesome calf. Later, Baumann produced a brilliant save shortly before the end to keep out Brenden Aaronson's long-range effort and preserve the 2:1. With a little more accuracy, substitute Nadiem Amiri could have added to the narrow win with his long-range strike.

Baumann and Tah hold on for the win

Center-back Jonathan Tah had to rescue the situation in the nick of time on several occasions against the attackers Folarin Balogun, Sergino Dest and Christian Pulisic, blocking their shots. In stoppage time, substitute Tim Weah fouled German full-back David Raum heavily, further heating up an already tense closing phase. The result was a narrow 2:1 (1:1) win for the German national team in its final warm-up match before the start of the World Cup in Chicago against the USA.

Emotional dedication to Lennart Karl

Even before kick-off, the evening had taken on an emotional note. Lennart Karl, a young hopeful in the DFB squad, had had to leave the team camp in tears after suffering a torn muscle fiber in training and had already returned home. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf, who had traveled to Chicago especially for the occasion, and Nagelsmann dedicated the match to the injured player with the slogan "Alle für Lenny". Das tut weh, hat uns wehgetan, tut uns als Mannschaft weh, weil er ein wichtiger Spieler gewesen wäre, said Nagelsmann before the match in an RTL interview.

The win was the ninth successive victory for the German team and underlines the DFB team's upward trajectory ahead of the tournament. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann's side faces Curaçao in eight days in Houston in the World Cup opener, while Mauricio Pochettino's USA side will also enter the tournament shortly. The German team will be based in Winston-Salem during the tournament.

Looking ahead to Houston and Curaçao

Despite the narrow result, the German side showed for long stretches the maturity and composure that Nagelsmann had demanded of his team. Havertz in particular, who had headed in the opening goal in the second minute, justified the head coach's trust in him. The reasons why the head coach trusts the 26-year-old had been statistically underlined at the latest after the goal scored within the first two minutes of playtime. With Havertz as the central striker and Sané on the right flank, the DFB team possesses an offensive axis that offers promising options for the tournament in the USA.

The atmosphere at Soldier Field, which with its location on Lake Michigan provided an impressive backdrop, further contributed to the special mood of this international match. 63,636 spectators watched a game that was evenly contested in the first half but increasingly controlled by the European visitors in the second. The DFB team travels to Houston with the confidence of a ninth consecutive win, where its first competitive match at a World Cup awaits in eight days.

For Nagelsmann, who had declared the dress rehearsal a World Cup simulation, the performance – despite the narrow win – was an important benchmark. The team had understood what it means to play an opening match, the head coach stressed after the game. With Curaçao in mind, the task now is to use the few remaining days to get the team into peak form. The foundation for that appears to have been laid.

Not only on a sporting level, but also on a human one, the match provided a remarkable story. The "Alle für Lenny" gesture showed how closely the team pulled together in Chicago – over the absence of a youngster who left in tears. For the coming weeks, this togetherness could be a decisive factor.

Thus ended a football evening that combined sport, emotion and symbolism in equal measure. The result is right, the form curve is pointing upward, and the anticipation for the tournament in the USA has grown noticeably among players, officials and fans.