Germany hand Italy latest disappointment with UEFA Nations League defeat

By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer

On the ultimate day of June’s two-week UEFA Nations League marathon, Germany served up one of the vital eye-popping outcomes of the 2022-23 match to this point by dismantling fellow four-time World Cup champion Italy 5-2 in Monchengladbach.

Joshua Kimmich opened the scoring for the hosts simply 10 minutes in, and Ilkay Gundogan doubled the Germans’ benefit from the penalty spot simply earlier than halftime. Thomas Muller made it 3-0 shortly after the break, and Timo Werner ensured the lopsided scoreline with a pair of targets later within the second half, together with this magnificence.

Timo Werner caps off an unbelievable sequence to increase Germany’s lead

Timo Werner scores to increase Germany’s lead vs. Italy on Tuesday within the UEFA Nations League.

Italy acquired two late comfort strikes however had been totally outplayed, and the ultimate outcome flattered them. 

Here are three fast ideas on the match.

More distress for the Azzurri

Less than a 12 months after profitable the Euros, Italy’s legendary nationwide staff — solely mighty Brazil has gained extra World Cups — is at maybe its lowest level ever.

Italy missed their second consecutive World Cup in March, a beforehand incomprehensible failure. That elimination got here to tiny North Macedonia within the European playoffs made it worse. Italy had been then humiliated 3-0 within the Finalissima towards South American champ Argentina two weeks in the past. Now, after Roberto Mancini’s staff seemingly stopped the bleeding with a win over eventual Group 3 winner Hungary, plus a attract England and one other at dwelling towards the Germans final week, there was this.

Make no mistake: Mancini’s aspect had been completely humiliated of their fourth and remaining match this month, regardless of the meaningless late tallies by Wilfried Gnonto and Alessandro Bastoni. The gaudy outcome was a reminder of how a lot lasting injury could be brought on by lacking the game’s most necessary occasion, not to mention twice in a row.

The Italian FA opted to maintain Mancini regardless of the qualifying catastrophe. Their resolve will certainly be examined once more after the Azzurri’s capitulation Tuesday. Whether Mancini stays or goes, it is a wounded participant pool badly in want of stability as the following technology of Italian stars, a few of them on this present staff, comes by way of the ranks.

Italy continues to be one of many world’s nice soccer international locations. They’ll be again. In the meantime, some severe soul-searching — and rebuilding — awaits.

Germany vs. Italy highlights

Check out the highlights from the UEFA Nations League match between Germany and Italy, wherein Germany established their dominance with a 5-2 victory.

An announcement win for Germany

Germany’s previous couple of years haven’t been nice, both. They went out within the first spherical of the 2018 World Cup. After Germany had been eradicated by outdated enemy England ultimately 12 months’s Euros, the 15-year tenure of supervisor Jogi Loew got here to an finish, with former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick taking cost in September.

His document to this point speaks for itself. Germany are undefeated in 13 video games beneath Flick. Die Mannschaft are a rebuilding staff themselves — or a minimum of they’re speculated to be. But their squad is absurdly deep; UEFA Champions League winners Leon Goretzka and Kai Havertz didn’t even get off the bench towards Italy, and one other, Serge Gnabry, entered as a second-half substitute.

On this kind, Flick’s picks are trying like greater than only a favourite to win the Nations League subsequent summer time. While they weren’t overly convincing in all their June video games, Germany are clearly a program on the right track. If that momentum continues into the autumn, this German staff seems nicely able to profitable a fifth World Cup for his or her nation subsequent summer time.

Joshua Kimmich offers Germany the early lead over Italy 1-0

Joshua Kimmich finishes in shut after a incredible contact to provide Germany a 1-0 lead over Italy.

Intriguing September looms for each groups

Before Qatar 2022 kicks off in November, there are a number of extra Nations League matches to play. As good as Germany appeared Tuesday, how they fare in two September video games — dwelling to Hungary, away to England — will present a clearer evaluation of their World Cup possibilities.

Italy’s subsequent take a look at comes quickly sufficient after Tuesday’s debacle. England may be a formidable foe, however the Azzurri don’t have anything to concern. They haven’t misplaced to the Three Lions of their previous two conferences, each on English soil, and by some means Gareth Southgate’s staff is coming off a good worse defeat than the one Italy simply suffered, with Hungary posting a 4-0 win in Wolverhampton to knock England into final place.

A victory towards a (for now) World Cup favourite and former champ would assist restore a measure of delight and morale for Italy, which travels to Bucharest for its remaining aggressive recreation in 2022.

It’s going to be a protracted summer time till then.

One of the main soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has lined United States males’s and ladies’s nationwide groups at a number of FIFA World Cups. Before becoming a member of FOX Sports in 2021, he was a workers author with ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.