Germany Win Friendly to Boost Morale Going in to World Cup

Germany beat Saudi Arabia in an international friendly yesterday, 2-1. This comes after a string of five defeats that have made the reigning Cup holders seem to be due for a questionable result in the competition in its current edition. Still, Coach Joachim Low did not mince words when he expressed his views on his team’s current run of performances, concluding his statement with the surety that the German team would be ready for their opening game against Mexico on Sunday, which would kick off their World Cup campaign in Russia.

The game started with a confident Germany looking to undo the run of defeats they had suffered in the recent past, and with two goals under their belt thanks to Timo Werner and an own goal by Omar Hawsawi before half-time, they seemed to be in control of proceedings. However, a seemingly revitalized Saudi Arabian team came out of the dressing room looking to make amends for their performance from the first half, threatening to even things up, and possibly to take the lead. Thankfully for Low’s side, Saudi Arabia were held to a goalless result until a few minutes from the end, when a save off of a Mohammad Al-Sahlawi penalty found the foot of his compatriot Taisir al-Jassim, before finding the back of the net.

In a concluding statement, Low said, “Today we missed a lot of chances, were really open in defence and allowed too many counter attacks from Saudi Arabia. In the end we were lucky to win.” German fans will hope that their team will find their rhythm when the World Cup begins, and all eyes are on their upcoming Mexico game.