Florian Wirtz scored his first goal for the national team as his Germany defeated France 2-0 in a friendly match on Saturday.
At nearly seven seconds, 20-year-old talent Wirtz surprised the audience in Lyon by giving Germany the lead, and then Kai Havertz finished the match just after half-time, showing a solid performance by the Euro 2024 hosts.
Toni Kroos, in his first international appearance since 2021, passed the ball to Leverkusen playmaker Wirtz from the kickoff.
Wirtz moved forward and, finding no one to block him, he took a powerful shot that went under the crossbar, leaving Brice Samba rooted to the spot with only seven seconds on the clock.
If it weren't for Christoph Baumgartner's goal within seven seconds earlier on Saturday, Wirtz's goal would have tied the record for the fastest international goal, set in 2013 by compatriot Lukas Podolski.
Four minutes into the second half, Havertz increased the visitors' lead to two goals, and they never looked like they would lose it.
When Wirtz found Jamal Musiala with a long pass and the Bayern Munich youngster rounded Samba before setting up Havertz, Musiala had far too much space in the box.
France coach Didier Deschamps made substitutions at the hour mark, but without Antoine Griezmann, who was absent from his first international match since 2017, the hosts lacked an attacking threat despite the presence of star striker Kylian Mbappe.
It was Julian Nagelsmann’s team who seemed more likely to score the next goal, with Samba making fine saves to deny debutant Maximilian Mittelstaedt and Thomas Mueller.
In the 88th minute, France nearly reduced the deficit when Mittelstaedt's mistimed clearance hit his own arm, but Antonio Rudiger cleared the ball off the line, and VAR then ruled that the handball inside the box was unintentional.
Both teams are preparing for this summer's European Championship, with France playing against Chile and Germany facing old rivals Netherlands on Tuesday.
AFP
