Defeat by Germany a wake-up call for France, says Tchouameni

LYON – France were completely outclassed by Germany in their 2-0 defeat on March 23 and should treat the loss as a wake-up call ahead of the European Championship, midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni said.

Florian Wirtz scored Germany’s fastest international goal after seven seconds in the Lyon friendly before the Euro 2024 hosts doubled their lead early in the second half through Kai Havertz.

“I think we were outclassed in every department,” Tchouameni told French TV network TF1. “We couldn’t put our game plan in place. We came up against a great team. We need to do better, individually and collectively. It’s a wake-up call, but there’s no need to overreact either.”

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann was desperate for a good start to 2024 ahead of the June 14-July 14 tournament on home soil and that is exactly what he got.

Wirtz surprised the French with his long-range effort for his first international goal after a well-practised move and pass from Toni Kroos, back from a three-year international retirement.

The goal was a few hundredths of a second faster than the previous German best, Lukas Podolski’s goal against Ecuador in 2013.

The hosts gradually took control and Kylian Mbappe forced a fine save from Marc Andre ter Stegen to protect their lead in the 26th minute.

“We had a very good start and the kick-off was planned exactly that way,” Nagelsmann said. “It was important to protect the lead and, after the break, we improved further and carved out more chances. I am very satisfied with the way we fought.”

France pushed for an equaliser, but it was the Germans, under pressure to improve after only two wins in their previous 10 matches, who scored again.

They doubled their lead with Wirtz picking out Jamal Musiala with a cross and he cut back for Havertz to finish the move in the 49th minute.

Substitute Olivier Giroud missed two chances late in the game before Germany defender Antonio Rudiger hit his own post as he tried to clear a ball.

“We weren’t there, that’s obvious. The Germans played a high-level match today. When we see our start to the match, with this goal, we are standing still,” said France coach Didier Deschamps after his 150th game in charge. “The Germans did things better than us. In terms of commitment and aggression, we were below. The first person to blame is me.”

Striker Giroud said France could make no excuses for the defeat, telling L’Equipe: “We started the game badly, they caught us cold. We were slow to react and we didn’t score at our best. In midfield, they tended to find their players between the lines. It’s a reminder that you need to be in the thick of things from the start and for 90 minutes.”

Another Euro title contender suffered defeat, after Spain lost 1-0 to Colombia in a friendly at the London Stadium on March 23.

Crystal Palace defender Daniel Munoz struck in the second half after a superb run by Luis Diaz to capitalise on a disappointing display from La Roja, who endured their first defeat in almost a year and their second loss under coach Luis de la Fuente.

The 62-year-old Spaniard picked an experimental line-up against Colombia, handing Athletic Bilbao defender Dani Vivian his debut in the heart of defence, while resting captain Rodri among others.

On March 21, the coach said he hoped the country’s football would draw admiration despite the Spanish federation’s recent turmoil, making headlines this week as part of a corruption investigation that saw its headquarters searched by police.

However, Spain did not shine against Colombia, who have gone 20 matches unbeaten in a streak spanning over two years.

“From defeats you learn more than from wins. It was a very hard game. We did some things very well, but others we have to improve, especially from the second half,” said de la Fuente. AFP, REUTERS