A last-gasp Deniz Undav goal saved Germany’s blushes in an unconvincing 2-1 win over Ghana in a friendly in Stuttgart on Monday.<\/p>\n
Germany dominated possession and field position against the visitors but needed a Kai Havertz penalty to break through just before half-time.<\/p>\n
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A counter-attacking Abdul Fatawu goal drew the visitors level and the lifeless match looked on track for a draw until Stuttgart striker Undav’s 88th-minute effort put Germany back in front.<\/p>\n
The home fans chanted Undav’s name until the striker was brought on at half-time. The former Brighton forward told ARD: “It was crazy to hear how the fans stood behind me,” adding “it was a perfect evening. Got the win, scored a goal — top.”<\/p>\n
“We were completely in control in the first-half, but we have to make more out of our chances,” Undav said.<\/p>\n
Despite a seventh win in a row, it was an inconsistent performance from Julian Nagelsmann’s men against an out-of-form Ghana side.<\/p>\n
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“We didn’t play in position. There was a lot of ‘freestyle’ play again, like against Switzerland, which left us very vulnerable to counter-attacks,” Nagelsmann said.<\/p>\n
Former Arsenal player Thomas Partey lined up in midfield for Ghana, making his second international start since telling a London court he would plead not guilty to two new charges of rape, with a trial set to take place in November.<\/p>\n
Before the game, Nagelsmann seemed unfazed despite Germany’s leaky defence in Friday’s 4-3 win over Switzerland on Friday, telling reporters “a clean sheet is nice, but above all we need to be winning.”<\/p>\n
The hosts had Ghana pinned back for much of the opening half, with the visitors handing Germany the initiative with misplaced passes and failed clearances.<\/p>\n
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Involved in all four of Germany’s goals against Switzerland, Florian Wirtz went close with a dipping free-kick after \u00a0six minutes, hitting the outside of the post.<\/p>\n
Nick Woltemade set Wirtz up for what seemed to be Germany’s opener just after the half-hour mark, but the Newcastle forward was narrowly offside in the build-up.<\/p>\n
In first-half stoppage time, VAR showed Jonas Adjetey handled an Angelo Stiller shot, allowing Havertz to convert from the spot.<\/p>\n
Bayern Munich starlet Lennart Karl came on at half-time and almost set up Germany’s second minutes later with a deft chip which Woltemade headed against the crossbar.<\/p>\n
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With 20 minutes left, Ghana broke through on the counter to punish the hosts for their wastefulness, Derrick Koehn threading a ball for Fatawu to tap home.<\/p>\n
Undav had little impact until the dying stages when he collected a Leroy Sane pass and prodded the winner into the top corner.<\/p>\n
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