LOW SINKS LOWER
Griezmann puts heat on Germany manager as relegation looms
For so long, this appeared to be the night when Germany’s haunting ordeal would end. Away from home against world champions France, Joachim Low’s side played with intensity and ambition, taking the lead through a Toni Kroos penalty, and a turning point appeared close.
The obituaries for a fallen nation were being ripped up and at halftime, all the talk was of a team rediscovering their former selves. But then France rekindled the irresistible form of the summer. Antoine Griezmann looped a magnificent header beyond Manuel Neuer and Mats Hummels, so impressive until the 80th minute, brought down the marauding Blaise Matuidi inside the penalty area and Griezmann converted.
So for Germany, the dark times continue. First came their worst World Cup for 80 years. Then came the race row that has alienated star player Mesut ozil and underlined the divisions in German society. on Saturday evening came the humiliation of a 3-0 defeat by Holland, when Low compared his side to ‘headless chickens’.
And now, after this defeat, Germany stand on the brink of relegation in the Nations League. For the rest of the world, the
schadenfreude rolls on. For Germany, it is just three wins from 13 games. runs like that used to happen to other nations, while the Germans peered on with mild amusement and detached curiosity. Not any more.
Yet for all their toil, Low will find comfort in this match. The German manager and players came together with an improved performance and they merited a greater result.
Neuer, Hummels and Kroos were each outstanding for long periods, while young talents such as Leroy Sane and Timo Werner bamboozled the France backline.
For those who doubt the relevance of Nations League, it could be seen in the manner the Germans celebrated their opening goals and in their counterattacks spearheaded by the electric Sane.
It could also be seen in the French relief when Griezmann conjured a second-half equaliser and felt in the way Didier Deschamps embraced his backroom staff upon the final whistle.
As Deschamps was serenaded from the terraces, Low looked down to the ground. His side were terrific in the first half and could have entered the break with a three-goal advantage.
Both Werner and Serge Gnabry spurned chances but when Presnel Kimpembe handled the ball in the penalty area, Kroos gave Germany the lead.
Low said: ‘It feels different to Saturday because the performance was excellent. We played with discipline and courage. The penalty is completely unfair. Hummels doesn’t touch Matuidi.’
The French, by contrast, were sloppy, allowing midfield runners to glide beyond them and their attacking play lacked cohesion and intent.
‘We played with greater freedom in the second half, but we also demonstrated our character once more,’ Deschamps said.
Paul Pogba, who brought his erratic Manchester United form to the international scene in the first half, transformed into a dynamic force in the second as France took control.
Mbappe also came to life, breaking in behind for the first time, where he was denied by sprawling frame of Neuer.