Portugal VS Germany Score: Robin Gosens runs riot as Die Mannschaft win six-goal Euro 2020 Thriller. Germany resurrected their Euro 2020 chances with a stunning comeback versus the Portuguese, winning the competition’s most exciting encounter thus far by scoring four goals to 2.
Germany, requiring at least a draw to keep control of their very own fate throughout the competition, got out to a fast start, with just a minor offside from Serge Gnabry preventing Gosens from scoring his second playoff match soon on. But, he wouldn’t have to be patient for longer.
Portuguese were confined with their side, but this did not appear to bother them at first. However, it almost worked in their favour, as they took a lead against the flow of play due to a brilliant counter-attack that culminated with Diogo Jota squaring for Cristiano Ronaldo to score his third game of the season.
Portugal, on the other hand, was unable to create control spells but could only hang out for so long as Germany spread play from across pitch. Gosens volleyed back towards goal from a straight right, which deflected in off Ruben Dias’ extended leg. In the next 16 minutes, the squad in red would surrender two identical strikes. First, Joshua Kimmich blasted the ball into the path of Raphael Guerreiro to put his visitors lead at halftime. Afterwards, Kai Havertz deflected Gosens’ low shot early in the second half.
After contributing so much to Germany’s assault, it seemed only fitting that his colleagues set up a goal for Gosens, who went home a Kimmich cross to give Joachim Low’s side a three-goal advantage. Portugal did eat into it when Ronaldo tied a cross from the byline over Manuel Neuer for Jota to loop home. Still, they lack real creation in open play to start breaking down the Germans, who are joint top with Portugal and one behind France ahead of about their match toward Group F’s bottom side Hungary.
Gosens is well worth the German adjustment.
Earlier in Euro 2020, you had to question who was truly benefiting from Low’s switch to a back three. Toni Kroos and Ilkay Gundogan were too sluggish to cross the necessary space. At the same time, Thomas Muller, who has found enormous achievement as the 10th position in a 4-2-3-1, was uneasy as a right-winger. However, the team’s most advanced midfielder, Joshua Kimmich, was pushed wide mainly on the right, as well as the fact that he was such a dangerous man there makes you wish he had the key to the engine compartment.
The early positioning uncertainty was epitomised by Kai Havertz, who was among the guys assigned to protect spaces at offensive corners, a strategy that resulted in the Chelsea striker putting first Jota and then Cristiano onside for both the league’s early goal.
Even yet, when Low’s approach worked, it appeared deadly versus Portugal, due in part to Atalanta’s Gosens. From the first minute, the extreme left defender was pounding Nelson Semedo down Portugal right. After his early volley is ruled out, the opposing team was cautioned about his late dashes into the area. Still, nobody picked him up on the far side until he deflected a cross into the goal from an impossible angle.
Gosens on one side and Kimmich on another repeatedly stretched Portugal’s four-person defence, making it appear like a right-back and central defenders William Carvalho and Danilo Pereira sliding inside, to what could have been the breaking point. The Portugal defence had no idea where their colleagues or competitors were, which contributed to the nervous interventions which saw Dias and Guerreiro deflect balls out of their own goal.
Germany might just keep repeating the very same tactic: spread the ball out wide, thump across the net, and hope the ball bounces someone off. Santos tried to change his strategy at the half, but if Renato Sanches was meant to provide more assistance to Semedo, it didn’t appear throughout the third goal. Rafa didn’t do that either for the fourth time. Other groups are unlikely to be as welcoming, but Gosens will undoubtedly pose the question.
Is there a solid plan in place in Portuguese?
What is this Portuguese squad about, other than protecting effectively in number and counter-attacking rapidly? It’s indeed important to note that such two factors alone may earn you more matches than not on the world stage, especially once you have Dias at one side of the ground and Ronaldo at another.
Yet, there may be times when more compelling pathways to the goal are required, either setting pieces like Portugal’s winning penalty or counter-attacks like the first. Routines don’t always go as planned, and that there are occasions when counter-attacks fail to materialise.
They seemed to have no clue how to manoeuvre Germany’s defence into uncomfortable situations as they chased the tournament’s seventh score, which would have taken them back into the match. The ball was strewn across the field to the several right-wing passes. There’s nothing going on, back on the field. Return to the right. Renato Sanches’ exceptional brilliance helped bring him a score, but 30-yard howitzers are not a successful approach.
Sanches, this should be emphasised, appeared to be a midfielder capable of bridging the gap among Portugal’s front six of their front four. There are very few people in Santos’ team who can match that, so he deserves to start versus France the week after.
However, as a whole, this does not appear to be a squad that adapts to the play next to them. It was strange to witness Germany scoring the very same goal over and over without the Portuguese doing anything to stop it. Yes, Semedo was struggling offensively, but three other players — Bernardo Silva, Renato Sanches, and Rafa — provided little cover from much further up the right flank. Similarly, neither defensive mid pairing impeded the German supply route from the city centres to the Germany flanks, nor did they put cleared shoulders or boots on the cross that went this route.
Portuguese has the sense of a squad that has the potential to go far because of strong technical ability, but if an opponent can discover their areas of weakness, this club may not be able to keep them at bay.
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