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Thomas Müller after the 1-0 lead

Photo: Martin Meissner / AP

That must be the Rudi Völler effect: In the first game after parting ways with Hansi Flick, the German national team won again after three defeats. Runners-up France were beaten 2-1 (1-0) in Dortmund. Thomas Müller and Leroy Sané scored for the team, which was coached by the trio of Völler, Sandro Wagner and Hannes Wolf. Antoine Griezmann scored for France just before the end.

The German team got off to a perfect start. A combination of Serge Gnabry and Benjamin Henrichs in the fourth minute landed in the middle of the penalty area with Thomas Müller, the Munich convert in his 123rd international match from ten meters to make it 1-0. The coaching team around Völler had called Henrichs and Müller into the starting eleven. Joshua Kimmich, among others, was only on the bench, which was justified by muscular problems of the Bayern professional.

Mbappé only on the bench

After that, however, the French slowly took command. The World Cup runners-up, who did without the services of his superstar Kylian Mbappé, had significantly more possession and pushed the DFB eleven into their own half - but without really becoming dangerous.

After just 21 minutes, Völler had to react in terms of personnel. Captain İlkay Gündoğan had to leave the pitch with an injury, he was replaced by Brighton professional Pascal Groß, who thus came to his second international match.

In the middle of the first half, Völler's team was lucky when a kick by Antonio Rüdiger in the penalty area against former Frankfurt player Randal Kolo Muani was not considered a foul. Apart from a header from a free-kick cross, the French did not have much to offer before the break. So it remained at the change of sides with the German leadership, which was celebrated accordingly by the very well-intentioned Dortmund audience.

In any case, unlike in previous games, the atmosphere in the stadium was consistently benevolent towards the DFB team. In any case, a Völler effect was noticeable here.

Ter Stegen on guard

In the second half, it took ten minutes for something to happen in front of the German goal. Aurelién Tchouameni tested DFB keeper Marc-André ter Stegen from distance, Kolo Muani slipped away on the follow-up shot, so that the ball could no longer reach the goal.

The DFB team had hardly played offensively until then, so Völler and his assistants reacted and brought two new attackers into the game with Julian Brandt and Kai Havertz. Goalscorer Thomas Müller and Serge Gnabry left the pitch.

It almost paid off immediately. In the 66th minute, Brandt saw the onrushing Florian Wirtz, but the Bayer Leverkusen youngster's shot got caught on a French defensive leg.

The visitors then pushed harder for the equalizer, in their final offensive they partially constricted the German team around their own penalty area. In the 81st minute, ter Stegen reacted strongly to a shot by Antoine Griezmann.

On the other side, the decision was made: Jonathan Tah and Havertz set up in the 86th minute, Sané skilfully finished to make it 2-0. The French foul penalty in the 89th minute after a clumsy foul by Leroy Sané, which Griezmann almost confidently converted, only provided the follow-up goal.

Völler, who took a seat on the bench as national coach for the first time since 2004, has made the turnaround. Nevertheless, it should remain a one-time use. At least he made that clear before the game.

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