Germany 2-3 Belgium: Player Ratings

After the win over Peru the Nationalmannschaft were rudely brought back to earth with a bump as Belgium inflicted a 3-2 loss on them at the Rhein-Energie Stadion. A dismal first half display saw the visitors race into a 2-0 lead within nine minutes only for a Niclas Füllkrug  penalty to give some hope. Kevin de Bruyne’s second half goal ended the chances of taking something from the game although Serge Gnabry did score late on. Here’s how the players fared individually

Marc Andre ter Stegen: 4

It is always going to be difficult when the defence in front of you goes AWOL which was the case for the Barcelona keeper. Didn’t really have much of a chance with any of the three goals and was lucky not to have conceded more. He only made one save in the first half from Dodi Lukebakio.

Marius Wolf:4

Unlike against Peru the Dortmund fullback had his defensive capabilities tested and he was found to have his limitations. Yannick Carrasco gave him a tough game. He didn’t cover himself in glory for the third goal, but at least he offered some positivity going forward.

Mathias Ginter:4

Of the defence, Ginter was the more solid, but that isn’t exactly a compliment. His shaky performance did get better in the second half, but the damage had already been done. It’s hard to imagine this performance will push him above the likes of Antonio Rüdiger, Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck as Germany’s first-choice.

Thilo Kehrer: 5

Coming in for the absent Nico Schlotterbeck Kehrer was totally dominated physically by Romelu Lukaku who just shrugged him off with ease. Late to react on all three goals but did win a few more duels in the second 45 minutes.

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David Raum:5

If this were an audition to make the left back role his own, then Hansi Flick will have to find a different option as Raum was poor. A weak header for the second goal didn’t put him in a good light and when he did get forward his crosses were ineffective.

Leon Goretzka: 3.5

The Bayern midfielder was a rare light for Germany in the dismal first half with his dynamism in the middle. Better going forward on the counter than facing the ball. His evening was cut short by injury after half an hour.

Joshua Kimmich: 3.5

He failed to get control of the midfield in the opening minutes and he was at fault for the second goal. He did slowly regain composure and his passing range with contributed to Germany’s second half improvement.

Serge Gnabry: 2.5

Gnabry was Germany’s best player and stood out for his attacking intent and direct dribbling. Missed the chance to equalise on 53 minutes before hitting the post in the 84th minute. Was rewarded late on with Germany’s second goal of the night.

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Florian Wirtz: 5

Totally overcome by the intensity of the Belgian start and he largely was a spectator with no input. Didn’t manage to win a single duel and was taken off by Hansi Flick after just 32 minutes. That’s two starts and two poor performances from Wirtz this week.

Niclas Füllkrug: 2.5

He held the ball up well and won the penalty in the first half. Unlike Kai Havertz against Peru, he made no mistake from the spot kick to keep up his impressive scoring run for Germany.

Timo Werner: 4.5

A nervous start saw him losing possession too easily but offensively improved as the game wore on. He missed a good chance on 40  minutes and had a goal correctly rule out for offside in the second half.

Substitutes

Emre Can: 2.5

Can was sent on after 32 minutes to help provide some much-needed defensive stability in midfield and he did just that. His tackling intensity and body language helped raise the whole performance of the German team.

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Felix Nmecha: 3

An unexpected and early debut for the Wolfsburg midfielder following Goretzka’s injury, but he did well in a game that was going badly for the hosts before he arrived. Good in the duels and at pressing, this was a pleasing first outing for the youngster, who didn’t look out of place at all.

Christian Günter: 4.5

The experienced Freiburger replaced the ineffective David Raum and did try to inject some pace and urgency down the left late on.

Kevin Schade: n/a

Only on for the final ten minutes but did provide the assist for Serge Gnabry’s late goal.

Mergim Berisha: n/a

Only on for the final ten minutes so unable to rate. He was involved in the build-up for Gnabry’s goal.

Joshua Vagnoman: n/a

Only on for the final ten minutes and had little impact.

About Mathew Burt 1058 Articles
Former writer at Goal.com and JustFootball, I've been doing my thing for Bundesliga Fanatic since 2015. A long-suffering Werder Bremen fan and disciple of the Germanic holy trinity...Bier. Wurst und Fußball