World Cup qualification
Third victory under Hansi Flick: DFB team confidently beat Iceland 4-0
Goal scorer Serge Gnabry (M) cheers with Timo Werner (l) and lkay Gündogan about the 0: 1 against Iceland in the World Cup qualification
© Christian Charisius / DPA
Hansi Flick has achieved his first goal. With the win in Iceland, his first week as national coach ended flawlessly. Only his predecessor had a similarly good start as a DFB head coach. The national soccer team is heading straight for the World Cup in Qatar.
Third game, third victory: Hansi Flick has confidently fulfilled his first nine-point plan as national coach for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. With his early opening goal, Torgarant Serge Gnabry (4th minute) paved the way for the national football team, which was not furious on Iceland but always controlled, the way to a 4-0 (2-0) success in the 100th World Cup qualifier.
Against the harmless opponent, Antonio Rüdiger (24th), Leroy Sané (57th) and Timo Werner (89th) provided the other goals for a befitting victory at the conclusion of the first international three-pack on Wednesday evening under thick, gray clouds in Reykjavik Flick. Kai Havertz (55th) and Werner (61st) even missed the best chances for another shooting festival in front of 3500 spectators in the Laugardalsvöllur stadium.
As the sovereign leaders of Group J, the DFB-Elf can tackle the next tasks in October against the more distant pursuers from Romania and North Macedonia. Flick is releasing his players into the upcoming top games in the Bundesliga, Premier League and Champions League with a good feeling. With three wins without conceding a goal, only one national coach had started in the history of the DFB: Joachim Löw with Flick as his assistant 15 years ago.
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Germany leads in the fourth minute
When the legendary “Huh!” of Icelandic fans echoed through the national stadium, Germany was already leading. Gnabry skilfully completed the first quick combination towards goal via Werner and Sané to his 19th international goal, which was still checked by the video assistant due to suspicion of being offside. On the sidelines, Flick was happy, this time wrapped in a black jacket because of the autumn temperatures in Iceland.
The national coach had left no doubt about his nine-point goal. “It’s our job to give everything again,” Flick said shortly before the game on RTL. Again in the favored 4-2-3-1 line-up and with many flat passes with speed to the top, the DFB selection dominated the first half. After the goal gala against Armenia, which only played 1-1 against outsiders Liechtenstein on Wednesday, Flick only changed once: Ilkay Gündogan took the position in the offensive midfield of Marco Reus, who was slightly injured and did not even fly.
In the air, Flick and his coaching team had actually expected fewer chances against the mostly great Icelandic national players. But Rüdiger used a well-rehearsed free-kick variant with a massive header to score his second DFB goal after almost four years. Joshua Kimmich had carefully chipped the ball over the penalty area, where the Chelsea defender was lurking. Standard situations are very important to Flick – with Mads Buttgereit, a special trainer was hired.
16. Qualifying away win in a row
The hosts brought the DFB defense, which had once again been enormously clarified, in danger in the first half, with Manuel Neuer in the German goal when Ísak Jóhannesson (17th) and Johann Gudmundsson (43th) were shot. Iceland’s goalkeeper Hannes Halldórsson saved well against Leon Goretzka in the 27th minute, which did not change the fact that the DFB-Elf controlled the game. Even at the break it was clear that the impressive statistics of the national team, unbeaten away in the World Cup qualifying, would be expanded. The success in Iceland was the 16th qualifying away win in a row.
Kai Havertz and Lukas Klostermann came into the game for Gnabry and Jonas Hofmann in the second half. Flick had emphasized several times that he wanted to pay close attention to the stress control. Among other things, the Bayern professionals, six of whom were in the starting line-up, will play at RB Leipzig on Saturday and in the premier class at FC Barcelona next week.
Germany was a little lucky when Johann Gudmundsson only hit the post at the beginning of the second half (49th) – the DFB selection had become a bit careless for a few minutes. The Flick-Elf quickly recovered. Havertz first put the ball past the goal after an outnumbered attack (55th), before Sané eliminated any remaining doubts about the German victory with a left-footed shot under the crossbar. The Bayern professional clapped with a grin with assists Goretzka and was replaced a little later for Jamal Musiala (60th).
Flick was able to take a seat on the bench, even if Werner missed the next huge chance from close range (61st). Halldórsson also held against Gündogan (72nd). In the onset of Icelandic rain, the DFB selection routinely brought the victory to the finish line, Werner then scored his third goal in the third game under Flick in the final phase.
