Deniz Undav turned up the pressure on Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann to select him for the World Cup after he scored the 2-1 winner against Ghana on Monday to back up strong club form. Undav hadn't played for Germany since June but seven goals in his last six Bundesliga games helped him earn a recall.
Key takeaways
Quick scan — what you need to know:
- Deniz Undav turned up the pressure on Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann to select him for the World Cup after he scored the 2-1 winner against Ghana on Monday to back up strong club form.
- Undav hadn't played for Germany since June but seven goals in his last six Bundesliga games helped him earn a recall.
- Germany was playing the friendly at the home stadium of his club Stuttgart and fans chanted for Undav long before he came off the bench.
- The game seemed to be fizzling out to a draw when he flicked the ball over Ghana's goalkeeper in the 88th minute to give Germany a seventh successive win.
Background
What led here, in plain terms:
- Ghana's Abdul Fatuwu earlier scored on the counter to cancel out Kai Havertz's penalty for Germany.
- After Florian Wirtz's spectacular attacking display in Germany's 4-3 win against Switzerland, Germany was expected to score high against an opponent coming off a 5-1 loss to Austria.
- It ended up being a subdued win in constant driving rain.
- Nick Woltemade started in one of four German changes but his main impact was heading against the bar in the second half.
Why it matters
Why readers and decision-makers should care:
- Ghana has lost four friendlies in a row.
- It's in Group L with Panama, England and Croatia.
- Reporting by The Associated Press.