Florian Wirtz gave Liverpool supporters a glimpse of what they can expect as he went toe to toe with Bruno Fernandes in Germany’s Nations League semi-final defeat to Portugal.
Germany had looked to be heading for this year’s final after Wirtz headed Julian Nagelsmann’s men in front from close range just three minutes into the second half in Munich.
But Francisco Conceicao made an immediate impact after coming off the bench for the visitors, firing a sensational 25-yard effort beyond Marc-Andre ter Stegen to equalise in the 63rd minute.
With the momentum firmly in their favour, Portugal completed the turnaround just five minutes later as Cristiano Ronaldo swept home Nuno Mendes’ pinpoint cross to take the lead – his 137th goal in international football.
Roberto Martinez’s side preserved their narrow advantage at the Allianz Arena to advance through, setting up a clash against France or the reigning champions Spain on Sunday.
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Wirtz – who is reportedly on his way to Liverpool this summer – was arguably Germany’s brightest spark on the night, causing Portugal’s defenders problems throughout with his range of passing and incisive running.
But the attacking midfielder showed another side to him in the second period as he left his mark on the ankle of Manchester United captain Fernandes with a mistimed challenge.
While Wirtz went unpunished, the tackle left Fernandes writhing around in pain on the turf, forcing a lengthy break in play before the Portuguese eventually returned to his feet.
The pair were not done there, though. With six minutes remaining of normal time, Wirtz appeared to stand on Bernardo Silva’s boot during a coming together.
When Wirtz attempted to hoist Silva up from the ground, Ruben Dias and Fernandes both took exception and were seen shoving the Bayer Leverkusen star away from their fellow countryman.
The altercation, which threatened to escalate into an all-out brawl, saw referee Slavko Vincic hand out bookings to Wirtz, Dias and second-half substitute Niclas Fullkrug.
Facing the media shortly after the final whistle, Germany captain Joshua Kimmich admitted his side were ‘deservedly’ beaten.
‘It’s a deserved defeat. We gave the game away in the first half, even though the score was 0-0,’ Kimmich told reporters.
‘Portugal didn’t demand much of us and we didn’t play well in possession.
‘Defensively, we also lacked the ruthlessness that has distinguished us in recent games.’
Kimmich hopes he and his team-mates respond in the right way when they take to the field for their third-place match against one of Spain or France before the main event in four days’ time.
He continued: Bitter is the wrong word. It’s a completely deserved defeat.
‘After our 1-0 lead in the second half, we produced nothing. We have to learn certain lessons from this.
‘If we’re not at 100 per cent, we can’t compete against the top nations.
‘Today was one of our worst games. But we have a chance to respond on Sunday.’
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