This was supposed to be Joshua Kimmich’s night.
Not only was the Germany captain playing his 100th match with the national team, but he also assisted the game’s first goal, which he did at his home stadium, Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Germany captain Joshua Kimmich made his 100th appearence with the teamImage: Wunderl/Beautiful Sports/IMAGO
However, Portugal had different plans and ended up stealing the show with a 2-1 away win to advance to the Nations League final, further damaging Germany’s hopes of a resurgence.
100th game but not at 100 percent
“We must understand that if we are not at 100 percent, it’s challenging against any opponent,” said Kimmich after the match, speaking to the absence of key players such as Jamal Musiala and Antonio Rüdiger due to injuries.
After a cautious opening half, it was Kimmich who provided a pass to Florian Wirtz to score Germany’s first goal in the 48th minute.
“Even after we took the lead at 1-0, I didn’t feel like we wanted to reach the final,” said Kimmich.
“We have to be honest with ourselves, we weren’t active enough when we did or didn’t have the ball. We lacked the energy on the pitch, and therefore, we deserved to lose,” added Kimmich.
Despite the defeat, Kimmich feels the team is “more united than we were a year and a half ago” and is very much aware of the current situation.
Kimmich started his international career in 2016, just two years after Germany’s World Cup victory in Brazil. While he won the now-defunct Confederations Cup with the national team in 2017, Germany has suffered multiple disappointing tournaments ever since.
The 30-year-old is the 14th player to reach 100 caps with Germany men’s national team. But he’s the only German player with more than 100 appearances who hasn’t won a World Cup.
“I’ve experienced many highs and lows with the Germany national team,” Kimmich had declared earlier in the week.
“Of course, you always aim to win a title. We go into every tournament, especially as Germany, to compete for the title,” said Kimmich.
But Kimmich and Germany will have to wait longer to end their trophy drought.
Dueling captains
While this was the captain’s 100th match wearing the Germany shirt, Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal’s captain, surpassed the German’s milestone by playing his 220th game for his nation.
Cristiano Ronaldo was met with a roaring stadiumImage: Halil Sagirkaya/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO
“Congratulations to Kimmich. He’s played 100 games, it’s a landmark, it’s amazing,” Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said after the match.
“But when you’re talking about a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, he’s got twice that. It’s difficult to put into words,” said Martinez.
Indeed, it was Ronaldo who would bring an end to a streak.
Ronaldo had lost all five of his previous matches against Germany, but it was the Portuguese captain who would score the winning goal in the 68th minute, just five minutes after Francisco Conceicao had tied the match with a stunning curling shot.
Francisco Conceicao scored his team’s first goal of the matchImage: Harry Langer/DeFodi Images/IMAGO
Ronaldo is no stranger to being in the spotlight. As soon as his name was announced, the stadium erupted in cheers and jeers. Naturally, the cheers came from the away fans and the jeers from the home fans.
But it seems Ronaldo thrives most when jeered at.
Ronaldo had missed a few chances earlier in the game, drawing boos and whistles from the home crowd. The loud noises turned to silence once he scored, turning the game around. His goal against Germany was his 137th for Portugal, a record-most in international football.
“It’s human. When you win, the next day you have less hunger. But that’s not the case with Cristiano,” said Martinez.
The striker played almost the whole game and was only substituted in the 90th minute to receive the applause of the away crowd as he led his country to another Nations League final.
With Ronaldo off the pitch, Germany desperately pushed for a last-minute equalizer with a counter-attack. But it was Kimmich who missed a crucial pass, causing the home crowd to sigh.
The special night meant to honor the Germany captain became yet another night of praise for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Edited by: Zac Crellin
