Defeat against a French team without motivation: DFB team stumbles upon the best assist in the world

The German national football team loses its next match against France – and must continue to ask itself important questions. While the World Cup runners-up are thinking about their vacation, national coach Nagelsmann is taking a more fundamental approach.

World star Kylian Mbappé was quickly bid farewell to his one-day vacation, and then the stage belonged entirely to Didier Deschamps. The coach of the French national football team had a lot to say in the press room of the Stuttgart Arena. About the "Mini European Championship," about his team, and about his plans for this summer's vacation. Perhaps he would visit Mbappé at the Club World Cup in the USA, perhaps not. Oh yes, World Cup qualification continues in September. That was important for him to emphasize.

Deschamps has a luxury that national coach Julian Nagelsmann doesn't have. Deschamps has truly earned the freedom to discuss vacation plans. After all, his team has long been where the German national team wants to be again: among the world's elite. The French team showed Nagelsmann's team in Stuttgart what that means. There's no other explanation for their 2-0 (1-0) victory in the Nations League third-place match.

The neighbor initially made an astonishing offer of friendship – something they've always been able to rely on. A brief look back: Whenever the German national team was in trouble over the past two years, the French offered themselves as a warm-up opponent. After Hansi Flick's dismissal in the fall of 2023, interim coach Rudi Völler beat France 2-1. A few months later, the German team, under new national coach Nagelsmann, laid the foundation for the European Championship on home soil with a 2-0 win in Lyon.

Woltemade, Füllkrug, Adeyemi

Stuttgart also had this offer. The German national team desperately needed it: During the week, they had lost their Nations League semi-final against Portugal 2-1. The result read somewhat justifiable, but the problem was the "sleepy" performance, as national coach Nagelsmann put it. It felt like a clear step backward: no control of the game, no energy, constantly late. What kind of signal would it send if the German national team redeemed itself and beat France?

All the better that Deschamps had already announced before the match against Germany that the third-place match would not be the most important match in recent international history. He backed his words with action: Deschamps made eight (!) changes compared to the 4-5 defeat against Spain. The barely recognizable team appeared confused and apathetic at the start. "To be honest, they had no desire to win," captain Joshua Kimmich stated soberly on RTL after the final whistle.

In the opening stages, the German team proved they had something to make up for. The DFB fans had put up posters reading "Heads up! Chest out! Forward!", and the players on the field implemented the instructions expertly. In the first five minutes alone, there were five chances to score. But Nick Woltemade, Niclas Füllkrug, and Karim Adeyemi failed to put the ball in the net, instead beating French goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

And as is often the case in football, if a team doesn't score the goals themselves, the opposition will. The French initially played their counterattacks so poorly, as if their minds had long since gone into vacation mode. Shortly before halftime, however, they showed what world-class football looks like – and the score was already 0-1. Aurélien Tchouaméni crossed the ball from midfield to Mbappé. Kimmich dove under the cross, and the Real Madrid star converted with a fine stepover.

Nagelsmann must become fundamental

Then came the halftime break, and after that, the German team barely managed to create any dangerous scoring opportunities. Ten minutes after halftime, a supposed goal by Deniz Undav caused the final break. The goal was ruled out after a lengthy VAR interruption due to a foul by Füllkrug. After that, the German attack became chaotic, with Nagelsmann even referring to "harakiri."

And the French? They continued to show the German national team what world class means – despite a truly disappointing performance. Not only did they convert their chances with ice-cold precision, but they also had some top-class players on the bench. While Nagelsmann brought on debutant Tom Bischof (who did a really good job) and Maxi Mittelstädt after just under an hour, Deschamps brought on Bayern star Michael Olise, PSG gem Desire Doue, and Manu Koné from AS Roma. The French counterattacks became more determined again, and Marc-André ter Stegen in the German goal could only prevent the game from being decided until the 84th minute. Then Mbappé and Olise stormed through on their own – and secured the 2-0 final score.

This is bitter on several levels. Firstly, because instead of winning the "Mini-European Championship," they ended up finishing last in the Nations League final. Secondly, because Nagelsmann's team missed a crucial moment. A win would have given the German national team a boost heading into the summer break and then World Cup qualification. Now, fundamental questions continue to simmer until September. It's questionable whether the matches against Luxembourg, Slovakia, and Northern Ireland will provide any answers.

So national coach Nagelsmann had to be more fundamental at the final press conference. Unlike Deschamps, he couldn't dwell on his vacation. "Of course, we're still a few percentage points behind the top teams in the world," he said. It's perfectly clear: "We can't take over the world in two years and make up for everything that hasn't been 100 percent right for several years."

Even a year after the European Championships at home, the German national team is still carrying its baggage. The national coach had painstakingly built up a new self-confidence over the past few months. But that suffered badly after the performances against France and Portugal. Finally, there's the lack of depth in the squad, something no national coach can do anything about. Five regular players were missing for the "mini European Championship": Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, Antonio Rüdiger, Angelo Stiller, and Nico Schlotterbeck. Nagelsmann was forced to make changes. So much so that he even did something he had repeatedly declared unlikely on RTL's microphone shortly before kickoff: Kimmich moved from the back four to the midfield position in the closing stages.

Nagelsmann, however, is unwilling to back down from the ambitious goal he announced at the same venue, the arena in Stuttgart, eleven months ago. "Nevertheless, I sense something in the entire group – and that applies not only to the players, but also to the entire staff around them – there's something special there." Despite the two defeats, he has a good feeling, "also because, of course, the will to win the World Cup is still huge – if we qualify. We still know it's a long way off, but it's also a long way off for the others who are playing against us." France and Didier Deschamps are already a few steps ahead on this path.