Germany Start Post-Flick Era With Win Over France
13th September 2023
The result was France's first defeat since losing the 2022 World Cup finals against Argentina in December.

- Hansi Flick was fired on Sunday after a torrid run with the German national team.
- Flick's sacking triggered Rudi Voeller's return to the dugout for the first time since 2005.
- Goals from Bayern Munich teammates Thomas Mueller and Leroy Sane helped Germany to a first win since March.
Germany's post-Hansi Flick era got off to a perfect start as they
recorded a 2-1 friendly win over France in Dortmund on
Tuesday night.
Flick's sacking on Sunday triggered Rudi
Voeller's return to the dugout for the first time since 2005 and the
interim coach brought Bayern
Munich forward Thomas Mueller back into the starting
line-up in a move that paid off early, Mueller scoring four minutes in.
Mueller's Bayern team-mate Leroy Sane
scored with three minutes remaining to double his side's lead.
Sane gave away a penalty just a minute
later which France captain Antoine Griezmann converted but Germany held on for
a 2-1 win - just their second victory in seven games since the Qatar World Cup.
"Our early goal was good for us,"
Muller said at the final whistle.
"We knew we'd have a lot to do. It
wasn't easy for us with this bad run, and the departure of Hansi Flick at the
end of the week was a crazy situation."
"It was balm for the soul. It was a
curious and difficult few days, so it's all the nicer that we were able to end
it with a win. That was what we needed," keeper Marc
Andre Ter Stegen said.
Fresh from Thursday's 2-0 Euro qualifier
victory over Ireland, France's fifth straight win since losing the 2022 World
Cup final on penalties to Argentina, coach Didier Deschamps made six changes
including benching star striker Kylian Mbappe.
Deschamps' counterpart and old friend
Voeller - the two won the Champions League with Marseille in 1993 - made just
three changes to Flick's final line-up, including returning Mueller to
centre-forward for the first time since Qatar.
The home crowd at Borussia Dortmund's
Signal Iduna Park rallied behind their embattled side.
The fans did not need to wait long to
celebrate, Mueller rewarding Voeller's faith by opening the scoring four
minutes in, chesting down a spinning Benjamin Henrichs cross and blasting in
from close range. For his first goal since June 2022.
With three minutes to go, Sane ran onto a
perfect through ball from Kai Havertz, and slotted in his second goal in two
games.
Sane quickly turned villain, bringing down
Eduardo Camavinga just one minute later, Griezmann converting the
penalty for a fifth goal in Germany-France fixtures, the most of any player.
© Agence France-Presse