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| Germany - Finland | picture alliance/GettyImages |
Germany's final home game before the 2026 FIFA World Cup resulted in a dominant 4-0 win over Finland in Mainz on Sunday.
Deniz Undav struck a brace whereas Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala also scored apiece as Die Mannschaft were given a cheerful send-off from the home fans.
The four-time champions will now travel to Chicago for their last warmup friendly against the United States before kicking-off their campaign against Curacao on 14 June.
Which BVB stars featured?
Earlier in the day, it was confirmed that Felix Nmecha would start for Germany. Turns out, Nico Schlotterbeck was also in the mix, starting in their four-man backline.
Maximilian Beier and Waldemar Anton were on the bench. But while Beier was subbed in after the break, Anton didn't feature at all.
How did Dortmund player fare?
Now speaking of their performance, Schlotterbeck displayed excellent vision to make one interception and two clearances while also winning two of his three ground duels.
Combining his towering stature with strong physical attributes, the BVB star made sure that Finnish forwards didn't have any time or space to work into.
As for Nmecha, the midfielder was heavily involved in the passing game and registered a 91% completion rate. He also laid one key pass while making two shots in the game.
The 25-year-old was involved in Germany's second goal as his high-press promoted a Finnish defender to make a backward pass that was intercepted by Undav for Wirtz to score.
In the build-up to their third one, Nmecha released Aleksandar Pavlovic on the right to race ahead and set up Undav.
Having made only six appearances for Germany before this, Nmecha displayed tactical intelligence that belied his age and experience.
Naglesmann's intent behind starting him tonight was perhaps to get the player more accustomed to his set-up before the cup and the Dortmund star seemed to thrive in his role.
With that performance, his place in the XI for the tournament might just be confirmed now.
Beier came on for the final 17 minutes but made two attempts, both of which forced Finnish custodian Lukas Hradecky to intervene.
What about Anton?
Naglesmann clearly gave the younger players a chance here and Anton remaining on the bench is in no way a cause for concern for the BVB players.
Having played such a crucial role in Dortmund's defensive backline in 2025-26 season, he is sure to get his moment to shine with Germany too.
- Sachin Bhat
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