Germany lose to Austria in Neuer comeback

By Daily Sports on June 3, 2018

Alessandro Schopf's goal gave Austria a first win over Germany in 10 meetings

Germany captain Manuel Neuer's comeback ended in defeat by Austria in a friendly delayed by 105 minutes because of heavy rain in Klagenfurt.

Goalkeeper Neuer, out since September with a broken foot, returned just 15 days before his country's World Cup defence begins against Mexico.

Mesut Ozil pounced on a goalkeeping error to give Germany the lead.

But Martin Hinteregger equalised with a superb angled volley before Alessandro Schopf steered in the winner.

It ensured Austria their first win over Germany in 32 years and maintained Franco Foda's 100% record since becoming their coach last November.

Below-par Germany suffer a washout

Germany head coach Joachim Low rested Bayern Munich pair Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels, along with Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos, in order to give them time to recover at the end of a demanding club season.

It looked for a while as if the rest of Low's squad would be given the night off too as a downpour put the game in doubt.

Czech referee Pavel Kralovec carried out a number of pitch inspections - with the kick-off put back three times – before finally deciding that play could start.

Low took the chance to check on the depth of his squad, with Freiburg striker Nils Petersen making his international debut at the age of 29, but doing little to strengthen his claims to displace Timo Werner from the starting line-up in Russia.

Germany rather lost their way after a strong start, with Bayern full-back Joshua Kimmich looking very uncertain as he played several loose passes out of defence.

Ozil showed his capacity to amaze and frustrate – his well-taken early goal was steered in after he was presented with the ball by goalkeeper Jorg Siebenhandl's awful clearance.

But the Arsenal forward's influence faded after the opening 20 minutes, with one weak second-half free-kick, straight into the Austria wall, a particularly sloppy contribution, and he was taken off in the closing stages.

Austria - who failed to qualify for the World Cup after finishing behind Serbia, the Republic of Ireland and Wales in their group - recovered well from a sluggish start, and were rewarded for taking the game to their opponents.

Bayern Munich's David Alaba, playing in a left-sided attacking role, was instrumental in their comeback, playing incisive passes and taking the corner from which Hinteregger somehow volleyed past Neuer from the tightest of angles.

Germany coach Low said: "I am not upset about the loss, not upset about losing the game, I am upset about the way we lost it.

"It was our own fault, because after taking the lead we controlled the game, but right before the break and the first 15 to 20 minutes after the break we weren't in the game at all. We lost the ball unbelievably often, there were so many turnovers.

"We are not used to that from our team. We let the Austrians get back in the game."

Neuer gets back in the groove

Neuer was arguably the player of the tournament at the last World Cup, even though he lost out to Argentina playmaker Lionel Messi in the official vote, and his return from injury has come at a good time for Germany.

He looked a little rusty at first, with one scuffed clearance presenting Schopf with a chance that the goalkeeper recovered to gather.

As the game went on, Neuer rediscovered his rhythm, re-adjusting his feet well to save Florian Grillitsch's shot towards the near post in the first half, and diving bravely to block Marko Arnautovic after Alaba's sublime pass had played the West Ham forward clear.

Neuer could not be blamed for either Austria goal – Hinteregger's volley was brilliantly taken, while Schopf's winner was steered coolly into the corner of the net after Stefan Lainer cushioned Julian Baumgartlinger's far-post cross into the midfielder's path.

The goalkeeper will have one more chance to get some pre-World Cup minutes under his belt when Germany face Saudi Arabia in a friendly in Leverkusen on Friday when Low will want a much better performance from his side. (BBC)

•Photo: Alessandro Schopf's goal gave Austria a first win over Germany in 10 meetingsd

Source Daily Sports

Posted June 3, 2018


 

You may also like...
Wozniacki To Retire After Australian Open

UEFA Champions League: Heineken opens premium viewing experience...

Neymar Penalty Comments Investigated by Uefa

Raikkonen back on top after more than five...

PSG Ahead Of Bayern In Battle For Mane...

Man Utd trigger De Gea contract extension

 

Latest News CAF awards: Ajibade, Nnadozie, Edo Queens bag nominations Lagos SWAN, PAACC Hold SWAN Day At Golfview Hotels, Ikeja Crisis looms as Eagles’ form raises AFCON, W’Cup concerns Ex-Nigerian Super Falcons player handcuffed, children assaulted as police storm Anambra Football Academy Sports NFF, teammates console Nwabali on father’s death Abia Govt hails Nigeria Olympic Committee over staging an admin course in Umuahia Libya deliver Eagles 2025 AFCON ticket Eagles battle Cheetahs for 2025 AFCON ticket Yellow Greens gear up for T20 W’Cup qualifiers Tyson tips Fury to beat Joshua Sadiq absent as 22 Eagles train in Abidjan Eagles’ striking trio hot for Cheetahs, Amavubi clashes

 

Most Read Rangers International going, going . . . (55,164 views) Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (46,308 views) Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (44,370 views) Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (44,015 views) Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (43,949 views) Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (43,905 views) Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (43,744 views) NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (43,312 views) Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (42,366 views) Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (41,054 views) Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (39,507 views) John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (38,932 views)

 

Phone numbers

Tel: +234(0)8066020976
+234(0)8055068145
+234(0)7013416146
+234(0)8094272884

Email addresses

info@dailysportsng.com
support@dailysportsng.com
publisher@dailysportsng.com

Office address

No 3, Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja Lagos.
Website: www.dailysportsng.com

Social Media