Germany maintained their lead in Nations League Group A3 with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Bosnia on Friday, thanks to a first-half double from forward Deniz Undav.
Despite missing several key players due to injuries, including Jamal Musiala, Niclas Fuellkrug, and Aleksandar Pavlovic, Germany dominated the match from the outset. However, they struggled to create clear chances against a disciplined Bosnian defense until the 30-minute mark.
Undav broke the deadlock when Robert Andrich’s cross found Florian Wirtz, who cleverly set up the VfB Stuttgart striker for a first-time finish. Six minutes later, Undav doubled Germany’s lead, converting a cross from Maximilian Mittelstaedt.
Germany had three more goals disallowed for offside and could have extended their lead further. Bosnia threatened occasionally, with Ermedin Demirovic hitting the woodwork, before Edin Dzeko scored a header in the 70th minute to set up a tense finish.
German coach Julian Nagelsmann expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating, “Overall I am satisfied with the performance. We did not allow too many counter-attacks. We maybe had too few goals for the dominance we had.”
However, Nagelsmann confirmed that midfielder Chris Fuehrich, who came on as a substitute, picked up a muscle injury and will be unavailable for Monday’s crucial match against the Netherlands.
The victory keeps Germany at the top of Group A3 with seven points from three games, followed by the Netherlands with five points. Hungary sits third with two points, while Bosnia remains at the bottom with one point.
As Germany prepares for their upcoming clash with the Netherlands, this win provides a crucial boost to their Nations League campaign despite the narrow scoreline and late pressure from Bosnia.