World Cup friendlies

LIVE: German dream goal, Algeria leads 5-0

Florian Wirtz scored a brace(Bild: AFP/FABRICE COFFRINI)

Florian Wirtz put on a stellar performance for the German national soccer team on Friday. The Liverpool forward scored the final two goals (61st, 85th) in the DFB squad’s 4-3 friendly win against Switzerland in Basel, having previously provided assists for Jonathan Tah (26th) and Serge Gnabry (45+2). Spain (3-0 against Serbia) and the Netherlands (2-1 against Norway) also kicked off the World Cup year with wins, while England drew 1-1 with Uruguay.

Switzerland and Germany once again faced off as absolute equals. Due to lapses in both defensive lines, scoring goals was not too difficult for either side. Dan Ndoye (17th) and Breel Embolo (41st) put the Swiss ahead twice, but Tah and Gnabry quickly equalized each time. Shortly before that, the Swiss had been unlucky when Fabian Rieder hit the crossbar with a well-placed shot (43').

The Dutch also turned the game around

After Wirtz’s dream strike made it 3-2, Joel Monteiro (79th) also scored a spectacular goal. The 22-year-old Wirtz had the final say again; in the 86th minute, he once more demonstrated his shooting prowess, thereby saving his team from a poor start to the year. The Dutch were also able to overcome a deficit. In Amsterdam, Norway’s Andreas Schjelderup scored first (24th minute), before captain Virgil van Dijk (35th minute) and Tijjani Reijnders (51st minute) sealed the victory for the “Oranjes.” The Norwegians played without their offensive stars Erling Haaland and Martin Ödegaard.

(Bild: AFP/FABRICE COFFRINI)

  Wearing the Spanish jersey, striker Mikel Oyarzabal (16th, 44th) provided highlights in Villarreal with two spectacular goals before halftime. Substitute Victor Munoz (72') sealed the deal on his international debut. A goal by defender Ben White (81') seemed enough for England to secure the win in London, but Real Madrid star Federico Valverde (94') equalized from the penalty spot. Croatia defeated Colombia 2-1 in Florida.

Political Symbolism from Iranian Players
In their first international match since the start of the war in the Middle East, Iran suffered a 1-2 defeat against Nigeria in Antalya. The match took place without spectators, as the Iranian Football Federation had feared political protests by Iranians living in Turkey inside the stadium. However, the players themselves used the match for political symbolism. The Iranian players entered the field carrying schoolbags. This was a reference to a bombing of a girls’ school in southern Iran in late February, in which at least 168 female students between the ages of seven and twelve, 26 female teachers, and four parents were killed. According to media reports, U.S. forces are believed to be responsible for the attack.

“Right now, the result—whether victory or defeat—is not important. The only thing that matters is that the players show on the field that they are true Iranians and love their homeland,” said Mirshad Madjedi of the Iranian Football Federation on state broadcaster IRIB after the match. Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Ghaedi had been dropped from the squad due to criticism. Whether Iran will participate in the World Cup this summer remains unclear due to the war.