Die Folgen: Germany’s disappointing 2-1 loss to Ecuador (Bavarian Football Works)
Germany took on Ecuador in the final group stage game for each team.
The Germans took the match very seriously and went all-in to win, eschewing a rotation in favor of attempting to build better chemistry. Did that approach work? No.
The Germans were outplayed by a hungrier, more assertive, and energetic Ecuador side in a 2-1 loss for Die Mannschaft. Let’s dive into the details, here are some quick hitters on the match:
- As always, let’s begin with the starting XI:
- The big debate entering the match was whether or not head coach Julian Nagelsmann should rotate heavily. Aside of the injured players — Nico Schlotterbeck and Nathaniel Brown — the head coach kept it status quo.
- In the second minute, Leroy Sané put the Germans on the board with a very nice goal. However, it did not come without controversy as Aleksandar Pavlović appear to hit an Ecuador player with a high kick as he touched the ball to Florian Wirtz, who passed to Sané for the goal.
- Ecuador fans might have a legit gripe about the non-call, but that does not matter to the Germans. Maybe more than any other player, Sané needed that goal, so hopefully this can unlock him and get his mindset into a positive place. At his best, Sané can be a gamebreaker, but at his worst, he can be so far into his own head that he cannot pull himself out of his funks. A confident Sané would be very welcomed in the knockout rounds.
- This is what the high kick looked like:
- In real time, it seemed pretty cut-and-dry that the kick was high and made contact with Pedro Vite, but the referees made the call, so 1-0 to Germany.
- If you like a good Tinfoil Hat Theory, we have this: In the aftermath of the play, an Ecuador player did make contact with the referee, which could have played a role in the decision being dealt with swiftly and in favor of the Germans.
- Just a few minutes later, Ecuador got its revenge. Felix Nmecha could not control a ball, Pavlović could not cover the mistake, and Joshua Kimmich and Jonathan Tah were slow (or reluctant) to step to Nilson Angulo, who buried his shot. All of a sudden, it was 1-1 in the 9th minute.
- Ecuador, which scuffled through its first two games, had some jump for this game and was likely motivated to put in a good performance because of those two underwhelming efforts.
- Germany was not all that composed or under control in the early going as the game had a frenetic feel to it. A big part of that was some really sloppy play in the central midfield.
- Despite that early goal, Germany still was not in sync as the game had a very similar feel to the Ivory Coast match through 30 minutes.
- Havertz had a nice look in the 25th minute with a header, but could not get enough oomph on the ball.
- For the most part, though, Germany was on its heels after the goal from Sané.
- Candidly, Germany was not great. Maybe not even good. Okay, probably below average.
- One player that was good — and damn, Germany needed him to be — was Tah.
- Almost immediately in the second half, Havertz drew penalty, but after a review it was (rightly) called off because Sané had a foul in Germany’s transition.
- Neither Nmecha, nor Pavlović had a great game. Both were subpar on the day and, again, Jamal Musiala just struggled to find his place in the attack as he was getting mauled in the middle.
- For Pavlović, the Bayern Munich star’s rough World Cup continued as he was subbed out at halftime. The exit was probably due to his yellow card before the half ended, but he was not good in this match anyway.
- In the 60th minute, Nagelsmann took off Havertz and Kimmich in favor of Deniz Undav and Malick Thiaw. Given the subpar performance for almost all the starters, we can confirm that no chemistry was gained during this shift.
- In the 72nd minute Neuer came out hard and failed to clear away the bal leaving the net wide open. Thanks to some fortuitous bounces of the ball and just enough defending, Ecuador did not score. That could have been disastrous. Would rotating everyone out to get some rest have been that bad? The aforementioned play was sparked by a rare misplay from Tah.
- Ecuador just never quit in this game and Germany looked like it wanted to be anywhere, but North Jersey — and it paid off for the South Americans as Gonzalo Plata scored on a corner from Kevin Rodriguez to make it 2-1.
- Simply put, Ecuador just wanted this game more.
- Undav had a good rip at the 90’+3’ mark, but it went into the side-netting.
- Overall, Germany was not good enough, looked tired, and arguably did more to damage its on-field chemistry than help. This was a poor performance that did not mean anything in the standings, but could mean something with confidence, motivation, and the good vibes that were surrounding the team internally. Now, there could be an air of doubt about the plan, about the coach, and maybe even each other inside that locker room. If the goal was to just keep the positive feeling, this mission was an abject failure because no one got extra rest, no one really got any better, and the team did not work well together. Hopefully, Nagelsmann’s plan worked and we just are not able to see that yet.
If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:
Bayern not in on Bergvall (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk)
Despite reports to the contrary, Sport Bild’s Christian Falk says that Bayern Munich is not actually interested in Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall:
❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich are monitoring Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall this summer. FC Bayern are not interested. I don’t know where the rumours are coming from! I’ve had a clear signal from the club that they are not following the Sweden international. An interesting player, but not one for Bayern Munich at this point in time.
There are so many different stories floating that it is impossible to discern what might be legit at this point. A pursuit of Bergvall could potentially be too expensive for Bayern Munich, especially given the presence of Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlović, and Tom Bischof.
Milan shoots down NYCFC on Pulisic attempt (ESPN)
NYCFC reportedly tried to make a strategic strike to get USMNT star Christian Pulisic, but AC Milan is having none of it:
AC Milan have rejected an approach by New York City FC for United States attacker Christian Pulisic, with Milan stating that the player isn’t available, sources confirmed to ESPN.
NYCFC are set to open a new stadium next summer, and as such can expect a significant rise in revenues to, among other things, finance transfers. According to Transfermarkt, NYCFC’s current record for an incoming transfer is Nicolás Fernández, whom the club paid a fee of approximately $9.3 million for in July 2025.
With Pulisic’s deal set to expire in two years, Milan will be keen to sign him to a new deal. But Pulisic will likely want to see more signs of stability within the club before agreeing to a contract extension. That might not happen until next summer, when the time remaining on Pulisic’s contract means that his transfer value will be lower than it is currently.
For now, sources told ESPN that Pulisic is focusing solely on the World Cup with the USMNT. He has been plagued by a calf injury that limited him to 45 minutes through the Americans’ first two matches but has recovered and is available to play in Thursday’s last group stage match against Türkiye.
Bayern among potential suitors for Nusa (ChronicleLive’s Lee Ryder)
According to this report, Bayern Munich is among the clubs looking at RB Leipzig’s Norwegian winger Antonio Nusa:
Norway star Antonio Nusa has not quite lit up the World Cup’s big stage just yet – but the early signs still look good for the 21-year-old RB Leipzig star.
It is expected that the Bundesliga side will now accept a reduced offer of £43.1m for the winger, but the pacy forward – who Newcastle United have scouted – looks more than capable of filling the gaping hole left behind by Anthony Gordon.
Nusa’s list of admirers is long and includes Juventus, Bayern Munich, Tottenham and Crystal Palace, but nobody has made the push for the Langhus-born player just yet.
Lacroix to Chelsea? (ESPN)
Former VfL Wolfsburg defender Maxence Lacroix is reportedly drawing interest from Chelsea:
Chelsea have opened talks with Crystal Palace over a move for defender Maxence Lacroix as they look to strengthen their backline this summer, as per Fabrizio Romano. The France-born center back has emerged as a key target for the Blues, who are expected to sign one or two central defenders depending on departures, with Trevoh Chalobah attracting interest from Italian side Como.
Real scoping out Bouaddi (ESPN)
Real Madrid could be taking a very close look at 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who has starred for Morocco in the World Cup:
Real Madrid are keeping an eye on 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi as he represents Morocco at the World Cup, reports AS. Los Blancos have a history of signing players who impress on the biggest stage, having landed Germany’s Mesut Ozil after the 2010 edition and then Colombia midfielder James Rodríguez and Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas four years later. Bouaddi has impressed during Morocco’s two World Cup matches so far, which has seen the teenager scouted by various big-name clubs including Arsenal and Liverpool.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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