Sweat dripped from his brow as Florian Wirtz sized up the opposition goal, a gaggle of German men’s national teammates surrounding him. The din of the crowd hummed in the background. Pressure was mounting.
Germany had plodded and suffered all game long but was suddenly in the ascendancy. Still, the question loomed in the air of a crowd that not long ago was airing their discontent at their own national team. Wirtz himself had gone three Premier League games for Liverpool without scoring or assisting.
What could the former Bayer Leverkusen ace conjure on a 72nd minute free kick?
A magisterial free kick over the wall and into the top corner, as it turns out! Wirtz’s moment of magic sealed the game for Germany and brought the crowd in Cologne to their feet.
Afterwards, replays showed teammate Joshua Kimmich barking determined instructions to his face just before the pivotal strike. Another typically German moment of set piece conference talk ingenuity?
What did the Bayern Munich captain say to steel Wirtz’s resolve? Precise instructions for the spin of the ball? A particularly heartfelt motivational speech? An awe-inspiring ode to determination and grit? Maybe a “just picture everyone else naked”?
Well — as it turns out — Wirtz had no idea what Kimmich was saying.
“To be honest, I don’t know,” the 22-year-old playmaker revealed after the match (captured via @iMiaSanMia). “Many were talking. It was a good free kick position and I just wanted to try. I’m happy it worked out.”
Well, how about that. Sometimes, you just have to tune out the noise — even if it’s coming from your pals.
Wow…Germany was on the ropes vs. Northern Ireland, but a strong second half effort helped Julian Nagelsmann’s team pull away for a 3-1 victory.
It was ugly at times and desperate at others, but this was somehow a must win match for a squad that was absolutely reeling after getting stomped out by Slovakia earlier in the week. The Germans absolutely needed this victory and it could have been disastrous had things not turned around in the latter stages of the game.
Let’s get into it. This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show:
- A look at the starting XI.
- A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
- Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.
Also, be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @2012nonexistent, @TommyAdams71 and more.
