Second straight defeat for Germany
Chances for the German аttаck featuring Serge Gnabry were few and far between against Konrad Laimer’s Austria.
Germany lost 2-0 in their final international of the year in Austria (0-1). In front of 46,000 spectators at the sold-out Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, Marcel Sabitzer (29th minute) and Christoph Baumgartner (73′) scored for the team led by German coach Ralf Rangnick and featuring Bayern midfield motor Konrad Laimer, who was substituted on 90 minutes. Three FCB players – Leon Goretzka, Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry – were in the starting XI for Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany, while Thomas Müller (45′) and Joshua Kimmich (61′) came off the bench.
The DFB team struggled for long periods in Vienna and posed little threаt in аttаck. Shortly after the break, Sané was shown a red card for pushing Phillipp Mwene over (49′). Down to ten me𝚗, Müller and Co. showed more commitment but were unable to score. Kimmich had the best chance with a shot from distance (78′). Laimer’s Austrians thus celebrated their second straight win over Germany. Nagelsmann’s side don’t play again until March 2024 ahead of their home European Championship.
France wrap up European Championship qualifiers with a draw
Kingsley Coman provided fresh impetus for World Cup runners-up France after coming off the bench.
World Cup runners-up France drew 2-2 (1-0) in Greece at the end of the European Championship qualifiers. The Équipe Tricolore had already been crowned group winners before the eighth Group B match. In Athens, FCB winger Kingsley Coman came off the bench after 64 minutes, while his teammate Dayot Upamecano didn’t get any game time. Coman helped to force the 2-2 through Youssouf Fofana (74′). In the 90th minute, Coman could only Һit the inside of the post with a deflected cross. Anastasios Bakasetas (56′) and Fotis Ioannidis (61′) had previously given the Greeks the advantage. Randal Kolo Muani had scored France’s first goal of the evening shortly before the break (42′).
Peretz wins with Israel in Andorra
Daniel Peretz kept a clean sheet with the Israeli national team in Andorra and is still hoping to qualify for the European Championship.
Daniel Peretz and the Israeli national team won their final group match in Andorra 2-0 (1-0). The FC Bayern keeper was between the posts for the full 90 minutes and kept a clean sheet. Israel took the lead through an own goal by Joan Cervos (29′) before Gadi Kinda (81′) wrapped up the game. 15 points after ten games saw Israel finish third in their group, behind Romania and Switzerland. As they won their group in League B of the Nations League, Peretz & Co. still have the chance to qualify for the finals in Germany via the European Championship play-offs in the spring.
Canada bow out of the Nations League despite a goal from Davies
Alphonso Davies shone for Canada in Toronto against Jamaica with a goal and an assist. In the end, however, his team were knocked out of the Nations League.
Alphonso Davies and the Canadian national team were knocked out of the CONCACAF Nations League in the quarter-finals by Jamaica. Despite a goal and an assist from the Bayern player, the World Cup 2022 participants lost 3-2 in the second leg in Toronto (first leg: 2-1). Shamar Nicholson (62’/66′) cancelled out Davies’ lead with a brace, but Canada’s Ismael Koné immediately equalised (69′). Jamaica’s Bobby de Cordova-Reid made it 3-2 from the spot following a hand ball in the box (78′), and a second yellow card against Jamaica’s Demarai Gray (84′) did nothing to change the result. Instead of qualifying directly for the 2024 Copa América, Davies & Co. will now have to hope they progress via the play-offs in March 2024.
Mazraoui wins with Morocco on the way to the World Cup
Noussair Mazraoui played the full 90 minutes in Morocco’s away win in Tanzania.
An away win for Noussair Mazraoui: The FC Bayern defender and his Moroccan teammates won 2-0 in their away match in the World Cup qualifiers in Tanzania (1-0). The 2022 World Cup semi-finalists took the lead through Galatasaray’s Hakim Ziyech (28) and benefited from an own goal by Lusajo Mwaikenda on 53 minutes. Mazraoui played the full 90 minutes in Dar es Salaam.
Kim wins with South Korea in Shenzhen
Minjae Kim celebrated South Korea’s fifth win in a row without conceding in China.
Minjae Kim and the South Korean national team ran out 3-0 (2-0) winners in their World Cup qualifier in China. The FCB defender played the full 90 minutes for Jürgen Klinsmann’s team, who celebrated their fifth straight win without conceding a goal. Heung-Min Son (11′, pen/45′) and Seung-Hyun Jung (87′) scored for the Taegeuk Warriors in what was their second qualifier. The Asian Cup begins for the South Koreans on 15 January 2024.