Arjen Robben and the Netherlands played out a goalless stalemate with a Germany team featuring Philipp Lahm, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller in Amsterdam on Wednesday evening. All four FCB men started the dour encounter, with Robben coming off at half-time, Müller giving way six minutes from the end, and Lahm and Neuer completing the game.
“It's a classic fixture. We stopped them creating many chances. The Dutch are a good team, so we can be satisfied," commented Germany captain Lahm. According to Neuer, “neither team wanted to make a mistake and lose, so it was a bit turgid at times."
Both sides favoured disciplined defending on the night, with the unfamiliar Germany line-up generally in control of the play. Dortmund trio Mario Götze, Marco Reus and Ilkay Gündogan had the best chances in the first half, with Neuer only in danger once before the break when Robben rounded his Bayern team-mate but slipped as he shaped to score.
The entertainment value failed to rise after the restart as the teams continued to cancel each other out. Neuer showed all his class on 77 minutes with a fine save from Dutch substitute Daryl Janmaat, but that was the final incident of note.
Shaqiri seals Switzerland's last-gasp victory
Xherdan Shaqiri handed Switzerland a late friendly victory away to Tunisia, striking in the fifth minute of stoppage time to secure a 2-1 success. Hoffenheim man Eren Derdiyok handed Ottmar Hitzfeld's team a first-half lead, but the home side's Hamadi Harbaoui levelled on the hour. The visitors’ Gökhan Inler saw a 17th-minute penalty saved by home keeper Aymen Mathlouthi.
Topics of this article