With a serious shortage of Bayern Munich players, Germany defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-1 on the third matchday of the UEFA Nations League. Germany used a fast passing attack to dominate possession and keep the Bosnians on their heels. Thanks to a favorable result in the other Group A3 match, Germany is alone at the top of the group.

The match was relatively quiet until Florian Wirtz sneaked behind the opponent’s defense in the 30th minute and gifted a goal for Deniz Undav. Six minutes later, Maximilian Mittelstädt provided Undav with a nice cross Die Mannschaft an insurmountable lead. Edin Džeko scored a header in the 70th minute, but Bosnia and Herzegovina did not threaten Alexander Nübel for the rest of the match.

Bayern loanee Nübel earned his first international start, while Jamal Musiala, Aleksandar Pavlović and Leroy Sané all missed the match due to minor injuries.

Jersey change: Edin Džeko

Admittedly, Džeko was largely ineffective tonight. But if you’ve ever played as a 38-year-old against guys fifteen years younger, you’ll understand how great it feels to score against an elite opponent in any league or competition. Džeko leads his country in caps and goals and he still knows how to get the job done.

The Kaiser: Maximilian Mittelstädt

A few days ago, David Raum left the German team with an injury. Mittelstädt stepped in straight away and played extremely well as a left back. Germany’s tactical setup allowed Mittelstädt to move freely and he consistently sent dangerous balls into the penalty area, including his assist to Undav. He almost got another assist in the 58th minute, but Tim Kleindienst was barely offside (and missed the tap, similar to Serge Gnabry against Aston Villa).

Fußballgott: Robert Andrich

With Aleksandar Pavlović’s late scratch, Andrich was tasked with patrolling the midfield and controlling the tempo of the game. In the 30th minute Andrich delivered a beautiful ball to Wirtz that led to the opening goal. In the 35th minute, Andrich produced the play of the match as he chased down Ermedin Demirović and barely nudged him into the penalty area to prevent an easy breakaway goal that would have tied the match.

The Bomber: Florian Wirtz

In the first, slow minutes of the match, Wirtz was visibly irritated at not receiving the ball in the build-up. But then he slipped through the backline and set up an easy goal for Undav, giving Germany the lead. Wirtz is definitely a player who needs to move through the offense to be most effective.

Master of the match: Deniz Undav

As attacking strategies become more focused on finesse players, Undav offers a healthy combination of brutal physicality with spatial intuition. In today’s match he consistently put a body on a defender to direct the play and create attacking opportunities around the penalty area. Ironically, both of Undav’s goals in the first half were easy placement shots into the back of the net.

Looking for a quick review of the game? Check out our postgame podcast! Listen to it below or on Spotify.

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