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Germany hammered Italy 5-2 in the group stages of the UEFA Nations League 2022-23 on Tuesday, June 14, at Borussia Park.
The hosts came into the game on the back of three 1-1 draws, the latest being against Hungary. Hansi Flick and his men were keen to put a win on the board and the manager went with a full-strength lineup.
The visitors, on the other hand, drew 0-0 with England in their previous encounter. Roberto Mancini and his men knew that they would have to put in a determined performance if they were to win.
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Germany made a flying start to the game as they dominated possession in the early exchanges. They created major chances early in the game and sent the home crowd into a frenzy when they converted one of those in the 10th minute.
Joshua Kimmich made a perfectly-timed late run into the box to get on the end of David Raum's cross. He cushioned the ball and finished it with great composure, sending Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way. Niklas Sule played a wonderful long ball in the build-up to create the opening in the first place.
The hosts continued to press Italy into their own half as they looked to maintain the pressure after going a goal up. The visitors barely even had a hint of a clear-cut chance as Germany did well to hold their shape and stay organized.
Bryan Cristante struggled in the middle of the park for Italy as he often found himself outnumbered by white shirts. Meanwhile, Raum, Kimmich, and Sule all played well for their team in the first half.
There was drama late in the first half as the referee awarded a penalty in the third minute of stoppage-time. Jonas Hofmann found himself in open space in the box when Alessandro Bastoni made a clumsy challenge to bring him down. The referee wasted no time in awarding the spot-kick.
Ilkay Gundogan stepped up and coolly guided the ball into the net to put Germany 2-0 up against Italy. It was virtually the final kick of the half as the sides headed into the break.
Italy started the second half as the stronger of the two sides early on and did well to press with energy. However, the hosts showed no signs of slowing down as they came out for the restart with all guns blazing too.
Thomas Muller burst into life as he put the hosts three goals to the good in the 51st minute. The ball broke to him following a ricochet in the box. The veteran forward hit it into the ground with sublime technique, giving it enough speed to beat Donnarumma with ease.
Nicolo Barella broke into the box following a delightful through pass by Gianluca Caprari. He did well to get to the ball and was met with an even better effort by Manuel Neuer. The custodian rushed back to make a goal-line save. However, the entire sequence was redundant as Barella was offside in the build-up.
Germany were relentless as they went 4-0 up after 68 minutes. Substitute Serge Gnabry did well to cushion the ball into Timo Werner's path, who finally got his goal.
Werner was on the scoresheet once again just minutes later following mistakes from Italy. He coolly slotted it into the goal to make it 5-0 after 69 minutes. Gnabry provided an assist for the second goal as well.
Wilfried Gnonto saved some face for Italy, albeit too little, too late. He tapped in at the back post after 78 minutes to make it 5-1.
Germany finally eased off the gas as they looked satisfied with their demolition job. However, Neuer continued making excellent stops in goal late on. However, he was beaten for a second time as Italy stole another goal late in the game. Alessandro Bastoni crept in at the near-post to nod the ball into the net.
Germany held on to secure a mammoth 5-2 win over Italy in Monchengladbach. That said, let's take a look at the player ratings from the game.
Germany Player Ratings
Manuel Neuer - 7.5/10
Neuer remained relatively unbothered in Germany's goal as Italy failed to make their way through a rigid defense. He made four saves and passed the ball with 88% accuracy.
Lukas Klostermann - 7/10
Klostermann made a good start to the game and held his position on the field well to provide width for his side. He made two clearances and won two out of three of his duels.
Niklas Sule - 8/10
Sule used his height advantage well as he made use of having the full view of the pitch, distributing the ball well. He won three of his four duels and played an astonishing 10 long balls with 100% accuracy. His passing accuracy was 99%.
Antonio Rudiger - 7/10
Rudiger made a strong and encouraging start to the game. He won three of his four duels and played four accurate long balls. He was also booked for arguing with the referee.
David Raum - 7.5/10
Raum started the game well and looked sharp as he provided an assist for Kimmich's opener. He won three of his seven duels and played three accurate crosses.
Ilkay Gundogan - 7.5/10
Gundogan played a good game and converted a penalty to put Germany 2-0 up on the stroke of half-time. He also played two accurate long balls and won three of his five ground duels.
Joshua Kimmich - 7.5/10
Kimmich's off-ball movement helped Germany truly outdo the Italian defense. He made a superb run into the box to score after 10 minutes. He played four accurate long balls and one accurate cross.
Jonas Hofmann - 7/10
Hofmann made some good runs into the box and was fouled late in the first half, resulting in a penalty for his side. He had one shot on target and won four out of seven of his duels.
Thomas Muller - 8/10
Muller had a slow start to the game by his standards, but slowly started finding his feet as Germany dominated possession. He burst into life in the second half and scored after 51 minutes. He also won two of his five ground duels and played two key passes.
Leroy Sane - 6.5/10
Sane used his pace and trickery down the left flank but unfortunately looked a bit off-color going forward. He provided two key passes and attempted two shots on goal. Sane was also booked for an argument.
Timo Werner - 8.5/10
Werner missed an early chance in the first minute to put his side up. However, he looked a different player in the second period. Werner scored a brace in two minutes - in the 68th and 69th.
Substitutes
Serge Gnabry - 8/10
Gnabry was the first German substitute to come on and provided two assists for Werner's brace. He also won two of his four duels and played one accurate long ball.
Jamal Musiala, Lukas Nmecha, Jonathan Tah & Anton Stach - N/A
The quartet came on after Germany were already 5-0 up and had very little to do and hence, do not warrant a rating.
Italy Player Ratings
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 6/10
Donnarumma had a busy evening as the ball often made its way into Italy's 18-yard box. Despite making four decent saves, his night was marred as he made one error that led to a goal.
Davide Calabria - 6/10
Calabria played a decent game on the right flank. His distribution was good as he played three accurate crosses and five accurate long balls.
Gianluca Mancini - 6.5/10
Mancini looked like the most composed and locked-in among the Italian defense. He did well to win seven of his nine duels. He also made six tackles and two clearances.
Alessandro Bastoni - 6.5/10
Bastoni started the game fairly well but gave away a penalty late in the first half which saw Germany double their lead. He scored a late header to save some face for Italy in the 94th minute.
Leonardo Spinazzola - 6/10
Spinazzola struggled on the left flank as Italy were pressed well into their own half by a resolute German outfit. He was subbed off around the hour-mark after a relatively poor performance.
Davide Frattesi - 6.5/10
Frattesi showed glimpses of the form he has shown in Italy's last couple of games, but failed to provide an end product. He was replaced at half-time.
Bryan Cristante - 6/10
Cristante struggled in central areas and was often dispossessed in midfield. He attempted three shots, of which, all were off target. He also failed to play a single accurate long ball in five attempts.
Nicolo Barella - 7/10
Barella made a decent start to the game, doing nearly everything well. He played three accurate long balls, completed two dribbles, and won five of his seven ground duels. He also took two shots which sailed off-target.
Matteo Politano - 7/10
Politano started the game well but was subbed off just before half-time. He played one accurate cross and won his only duel.
Giacomo Raspadori - 6/10
Raspadori struggled to get into the game in the first period and was replaced at half-time.
Wilfried Gnonto
The youngster made a good start to the game and looked to get involved at every opportunity. Gnonto scored a consolation goal for Italy in the 78th minute, capping off a wonderful phase of the tournament for him.
Substitutes
Luiz Felipe - 6.5/10
Felipe came on just before half-time to replace Politano. He won his only duel, made three clearances, and blocked two shots.
Giorgio Scalvini - 6.5/10
Scalvini came on at the interval and had a good game. He won three of his four duels and made two tackles.
Gianluca Caprari - 6.5/10
Caprari, too, came on at the interval and had a decent game. He played one key pass, one accurate cross, and one accurate long ball.
Federico Dimarco - 7/10
Dimarco came on late in the game and provided an assist.
Gianluca Scamacca - N/A
Scamacca came on as a late-game substitute and did not do enough to warrant a rating.
