From World Cup qualifiers to friendlies, several FC Bayern players were in action with their national teams on Friday evening. fcbayern.com rounds up the results:
Germany on verge of qualification
Germany picked up a crucial 2-0 win in Luxembourg in their penultimate World Cup qualifier with four Bayern players in the starting line-up. Jonathan Tah led Julian Nagelsmann’s side as captain for the first time in the absence of Joshua Kimmich, who according to the DFB had to sit out because of a bruised ankle. Serge Gnabry, Aleksandar Pavlović and Leon Goretzka were also included in the German line-up, who struggled for a long time to live up to their status as favourites. It took a second-half brace from Nick Woltemade to overcome the plucky hosts.
“It was a great honour and means a lot to me,” said Tah after his first game as Germany skipper. “But it’s not about me, it’s about us qualifying for the World Cup.” Thanks to Friday’s victory, Germany are now well placed to seal qualification in their final group game against Slovakia on Monday (20:45 CET) in Leipzig. A draw against their closest challengers will be enough to book the DFB Team’s ticket to the USA, Canada and Mexico next year.
Stanišić books World Cup ticket with Croatia
Josip Stanišić, meanwhile, already has a World Cup place in the bag with Croatia. The Bayern defender played the full 90 minutes at the back as the Croatians beat Faroe Islands 3-1 in Rijeka with goals from Josko Gvardiol (23’), Petar Musa (57’) and Mislav Oršić (70’). Croatia, who now have an unassailable lead at the top of Group L, visit Montenegro in their final qualifier on Monday (20:45).
Friendly victory for Minjae
Earlier on Friday, Minjae Kim and the South Korean national team celebrated a 2-0 win over Bolivia. The Bayern defender played the full 90 minutes of the home match in Daejon, where Heung-Min Son and Gue-Sung Cho scored the goals in the second half. Minjae and Co play another friendly against Ghana in Seoul on Tuesday (11:00 CET).
Five Bayern goals for Germany U21s
Bayern youngsters Tom Bischof and Lennart Karl were the stars of the show for the German U21 team in their 6-0 thrashing of Malta in EURO qualifying. Captain Bischof scored a hat-trick of long-distance goals, while U21 debutant Karl netted a brace. Hoffenheim’s Muhammed Damar scored the other goal to make it 6-0.
“They are two incredible players, as we saw again today. They scored five dream goals,” praised teammate Nicolò Tresoldi, who recently faced the pair in Bayern's 4-0 win over Club Brugge in the Champions League. Despite the clear victory, the German U21s remain in second place in qualifying Group F with nine points from four games, three points behind leaders Greece. Next Tuesday (18:00), Bischof and Co will continue their campaign against Georgia in Tbilisi.
A number of Bayern players featured for their countries on Thursday:
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