In the stands of the infamous Laugardalsvöllur stadium, there was a mood between boredom and fatalism, which is not uncommon in the honorable German regional leagues. A couple of steadfast noises in their traditional corner cheerfully, regardless of the score, but most of the spectators watched the action largely in silence because they had long since come to terms with the fate of their team.
The only thing that differed from the atmosphere of the Häcker Wiehenstadion in Rödinghausen was the weather and topography of the Icelandic national stadium, which was filled with a maximum of 3600 spectators. Now and then it drizzled in the North Atlantic, and the nearby mountains were covered in thick clouds.
So it ended calmly, the last game of the national team for the debut round of the new national coach Hansi Flick, but nobody in the delegation of the German Football Association will have complained about it. The Germans also won the third World Cup qualifier they had to play within seven days, building their position at the top of Group J.
A controlled, energy-saving performance was enough for them to win 4-0 against the brave but consistently inferior Icelanders. Hansi Flick could be satisfied with his dispositions, his eleven proved themselves as an ensemble in which each individual knows his role and performs largely conscientiously. Only the exploitation of chances might have cost Flick a few nerves from time to time. There was something wasteful about Timo Werner and Kai Havertz dealing with the best of opportunities.
Gnabry is currently in an upscale goal-getter mood
Less than five minutes had passed, and the illusion of a repetition of Rudi Völler’s legendary Mist & Cheese gala was already superfluous. There would be no 0-0 after which the national coach would have to ask provocative questions like his mustached predecessor 18 years ago, Serge Gnabry made sure of that with the 1-0 after Leroy Sané’s concise presentation. The Munich attacker is currently in a lofty goal-getter mood, already in the 6-0 win against Armenia he gave the starting shots for a carefree game with his hits. This time, too, his goal had a beneficial effect on the teammates.
Hansi Flick had decided not to mess up the final part of his opening premiere through experiments; Except for Ilkay Gündogan, who replaced Marco Reus, who was injured at home, the team that had already started against Armenia played. The effect was a team in which there were no problems with understanding, everyone knew their job and did their job, there was no player who towered over everyone and no one who had had a bad day.
The Icelanders did their part, they were unable to use physical effort to force the Germans out of their rhythm. The ball control was with the guests from the distant mainland, the home side followed. The unexpected chance to equalize by Johannesson destroyed Manuel Neuer with an experienced fist defense (17th), but before this successful attack could develop into a rebellion, the Germans added the 2-0. Antonio Rüdiger used a very chic free kick by Joshua Kimmich to head it, which deserved the title perfectly.
It was now one of those international matches that cast the shadow of the next league match day, on Sunday RB Leipzig and FC Bayern face each other, Chelsea FC meet Aston Villa. In possession of the 2-0 lead, the German professionals became aware of the seriousness of everyday life and the feeling that the essential tasks of this business trip were done. They didn’t stop trying to get more hits, but neither did they think they had to overdo it.
After a shot from the post by Johann Gudmundsson had been coped with (49th) and the again well-disposed Sané had finally cleared up all ambiguities with the 3-0 win (56th), the German team completed the second half in the mode of duty. Hansi Flick assisted with the handling of the evening and with saving energy by making full use of his right to change. The lavish center forward Timo Werner remained on the pitch until the end – possibly for educational reasons. He promptly proved himself with the goal to 4-0 (89th).