Germany celebrates 4-0 rout against Finland – Undav scores twice and gives the all-clear

The opening goal came in the 34th minute: after a quickly taken corner by Lennart Karl and Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic missed the ball in the center, confusing the Finnish defense, and Undav headed it into the left corner unopposed.

Shortly after halftime, Germany extended their lead. In the 48th minute, Undav intercepted a misplaced pass from Finnish defenders Ville Koski and Adam Markhiev and set up Florian Wirtz, who delicately chipped the ball over Hrádecký for the 2-0 lead.

Just nine minutes later, Undav made it 3-0. Felix Nmecha won the ball in midfield and passed it to Lennart Karl, whose through ball found Undav in the penalty area. The 29-year-old coolly finished the counter-attack, scoring his second goal of the evening.

Jamal Musiala sealed the victory in the 63rd minute. After a failed dribble by Karl, Pavlovic quickly laid the ball off to Musiala, who scored from twelve meters with a direct shot to make it 4-0. This was Musiala's first international goal after a 14-month break from the national team.

Lennart Karl: The 18-year-old street footballer impresses on debut

Shortly after his second goal, Undav had to leave the field. He was substituted after a challenge with Finnish defender Tony Miettinen, appearing to be in some discomfort. However, after the match, the striker gave the all-clear: "I'm fine. I don't think it's anything serious. A day or two of rest – then we'll continue."

Besides Undav, the 18-year-old Lennart Karl particularly came into focus. The youngster from FC Bayern Munich made his starting debut on the right wing and assisted the 3-0 goal with a precise pass. He also hit the post in the 55th minute.

National coach Nagelsmann praised the youngest player in the German World Cup squad: "A lot has happened with Lenny in the last seven months. He's a street footballer." He added: "He did well today. He still has to process the things that are coming at him, that's the biggest challenge in the coming weeks."

Undav was also impressed by Karl's performance: "I expect a lot from him because he's a good kid, a very good player. To be brutally confident at such a young age, that's exactly how it should be. And he's not afraid of anything or anyone, which I think is great."

Karl himself described his playing style in his usual unconventional way: "Just look for the one-on-one at some point, don't be afraid, and yeah, just go full throttle in every action." He added: "A bit, I'd say, to mess with people."

Baumann's emotional evening and the goalkeeper question

Oliver Baumann was in goal, deputizing for the injured Manuel Neuer. The 40-year-old Neuer was absent due to a calf tightness. Baumann, who played his 12th international match shortly before his 36th birthday, was celebrated with loud applause on his first touch of the ball and later honored with chants.

Nagelsmann made it clear that Neuer remains the number one for the World Cup: "We don't need to take any risks." He described Baumann's appearance as "a reward." If Neuer is fit in time, Baumann will have to return to the bench.

On the left defensive flank, Nathaniel Brown of Eintracht Frankfurt impressed. Nagelsmann praised the 22-year-old: "Nene is a player with a lot of potential, a very good one-on-one defender against speedy players. He feels very comfortable offensively, he's simply a good footballer."

Defensive stability and the double pivot

In defensive midfield, Pavlovic and Nmecha formed a double pivot and left a strong impression. Nagelsmann said: "The two did well, but they are still required to continue doing well." He pointed to the competition from Angelo Stiller, Pascal Groß, and Leon Goretzka.

Kai Havertz was absent from the squad because he had played the Champions League final with Arsenal against Paris Saint-Germain the previous evening. Arsenal lost the match. Havertz is considered a certainty in the central striker role for the World Cup.

Germany will play their final friendly before the World Cup in Chicago next Saturday against hosts USA. Kick-off is at 8:30 PM and the match will be broadcast on RTL. Before that, there will be an internal friendly against Finland on Monday, which Nagelsmann described as "twice 20, twice 25" minutes.

Outlook: Final test against the USA and the World Cup countdown

The national coach explained: "This is for those who didn't play or played less today, to give them a bit of match rhythm again." He was "very happy that the Finns agreed to this. It will take place with a few fans who won it. DFB employees."

The German team will fly from Frankfurt to the USA on Tuesday. Germany's first World Cup match will be on June 14th in Houston against Curaçao. Other group opponents in Group E are Ivory Coast and Ecuador.

Nagelsmann was satisfied after the match: "For the most part, I am very satisfied. We have the strength to always score goals." His conclusion: "We can continue like this."