Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala dazzled on the pitch, setting up goals for one another, as a revamped Germany team cruised to a 5-0 victory over Hungary in Düsseldorf on Saturday. The young attacking duo showcased the promising future of German football, following the retirements of 2014 World Cup champions Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos, Thomas Müller, and captain Ilkay Gündogan.
Just 27 minutes into the match, Wirtz delivered a precise pass to Musiala, who then squared the ball for Niclas Füllkrug to score the opener. In the second half, Wirtz's long pass enabled Musiala to double Germany's advantage. The Bayern Munich forward reciprocated shortly after with an assist of his own. Aleks Pavlovic netted his first goal for Germany with 13 minutes left, and Kai Havertz sealed the win by converting a penalty with nine minutes remaining.
With Wirtz and Musiala both aged 21 and Havertz 25, the emphatic win indicates that Germany possesses the talent to compensate for the summer's departures, with the 2026 World Cup just two years away. Joshua Kimmich was appointed captain, Pascal Gross stepped in for Kroos, and Marc-André ter Stegen donned the Germany number one jersey for the first time.
Despite struggles to integrate both forwards at the Euros, Nagelsmann opted to start both Füllkrug and Havertz. Füllkrug, yet to score since his move to West Ham, gave Germany the lead after 27 minutes. Wirtz's exquisite chip found Musiala, who then squared for Füllkrug to score his 14th goal in 22 international appearances. Havertz missed two clear opportunities to close the first half, and Hungary showed resilience early in the second. However, Wirtz's counterattack led to Musiala's goal in the 58th minute. Musiala returned the favor eight minutes later, assisting Wirtz for a low shot into the bottom corner.
The floodgates opened for the home side, with Pavlovic scoring just before Havertz sealed the result from the spot. Germany will travel to Amsterdam to face the Netherlands on Tuesday, while Hungary hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina.
