Bernd Leno swapped London clubs as the Germany goalkeeper left Arsenal to join Fulham on Tuesday in a move that could rekindle his World Cup prospects.

The 30-year-old sealed a move in a reported £8million deal, having lost his Gunners first-team place to Aaron Ramsdale last season.

He joins Fulham, who return to the Premier League in the new campaign, becoming the latest addition to Marco Silva's squad ahead of a season that gets under way at the weekend.

Fulham host last season's runners-up Liverpool on Saturday at Craven Cottage.

Leno, who did not feature in Germany's squad for Nations League games at the end of last season, has won nine caps for his country, but the hold of Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer on the national team number one jersey has meant opportunities have always been limited.

The new recruit has signed a three-year contract with Fulham and told the club's FFCtv channel: "It feels amazing to finally be here. I can't wait to join the team, to train and play with the team.

"I'm relieved that everything is done. I'm just happy to be here. It took a little bit of time but in the end we made it, and that's the most important thing."

Former Bayer Leverkusen shot-stopper Leno said he had enjoyed "four amazing years" with Arsenal.

He played 49 first-team games in the 2020-21 season and featured 125 times overall during his Emirates Stadium career, but a mere eight appearances last term indicated his time was up at Arsenal.

His most recent Germany appearance came in the 2-0 win over Liechtenstein last September, Hansi Flick's first game as national team boss.

Georgia Stanway revealed England's men's team have made ticket requests for the sell-out Women's Euros final between the Lionesses and Germany.

England have the chance to be crowned European champions for the first time with victory at Wembley on Sunday.

However, they face a formidable foe in Germany, who have won the tournament a record eight times.

A Women's Euros record crowd of 87,200 will be in attendance for the mouth-watering showpiece, just over a year on from England's penalty shoot-out defeat to Italy at the same venue in the final of the men's Euros.

Speaking during a media conference ahead of the final, Stanway - scorer of a stunning extra-time winner in the quarter-final against Spain - said: "Quite a lot of the England men have been in touch, just wishing us well and asking if they can have a ticket.

"Sorry lads, we're all sold out!

"They've been at us, just giving us all the information they can. They reached this point last year and we're just trying to make sure we can do one better.

"We've had so much support, whether it be footballers, people around the hotel and it's mad how many people actually recognise us."

Stanway will be playing her football in Germany next season, having left Manchester City for Bayern Munich in May.

And she knows cool heads will be required if England are to prevail and end their wait for a European title.

"The biggest thing we need to bring on Sunday is calmness, composure," added Stanway

"We know that Germany like to get out the traps and they like to put people under pressure and challenge their decision-making. We just need to be even better on the ball, it's down to us really."

German football great Uwe Seeler has died at the age of 85.

Seeler spent his 19-year playing career, spanning from 1953 to 1972, with Hamburg and is considered the greatest player in the German club's history.

He also earned 72 caps for West Germany and played in their 1966 World Cup final defeat to England.

The news of Seeler's death was confirmed by Hamburg, where he also worked as president for three years in the 1990s, in a statement on their official website.

"Uwe stands for everything that characterises a good person: down-to-earthness, loyalty, joie de vivre, plus he was always approachable," said HSV board member Jonas Boldt.

"He is the epitome of HSV. I personally have special memories of our get-together on his last birthday. He talked shop, asked about his HSV, gave me tips and a few sayings.

"We will never forget him and will always cherish him. Now our thoughts and sympathy go out to Uwe's family, to whom we extend our heartfelt condolences."

Seeler scored 507 goals in 587 competitive matches for Hamburg, the club said, and he was made an honorary citizen of the city in 2003.

He was crowned German footballer of the year in 1959-1960, 1963-1964 and 1969-1970, while also winning the German top-flight title in the first of those campaigns.

One of four players to have scored at four separate World Cups, along with Pele, Miroslav Klose and Cristiano Ronaldo, Seeler became just the second honorary captain of the German national team in 1972.

The German Football Association (DFB) paid tribute to the striker, who Hamburg said was survived by wife Ilka as well as three daughters and seven grandchildren. 

"Rest in peace Uwe Seeler," the DFB tweeted. "Our honorary captain passed away at the age of 85. Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to his family and loved ones."

Kai Havertz hopes to repay the trust of Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea in the absence of Romelu Lukaku, while the Germany international cannot wait to learn from Raheem Sterling.

Tuchel has previously used Havertz as a false nine to lead the Blues line, with Lukaku either injured or unselected, but the striker scored just eight times in 29 Premier League appearances last season.

With Lukaku returning to Inter on loan, Tuchel ruling out a move for Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski joining Barcelona, Havertz will likely be tasked with the role up top once more.

Though the former Bayer Leverkusen star acknowledged he did not expect the positional switch, Havertz is aiming to make the role his own and give Tuchel reason to have faith in him.

"I've played a lot of positions over the years but last season I played a lot as a number nine and it's a position I like very much," he told reporters.

"If I look back four years ago, I could never have imagined playing there. But the last two years I've played it more often and I like the position.

"It's still good that I am flexible and can play different positions up front, but I am there to score goals and make assists and as a number nine you have to do that and link up with players.

"Consistency in football is a very big word; we play every three days and we have to always keep the level high. It's also the case for me to be consistent in every match and to score as many goals as I can.

"Sometimes, it's normal that for one game you drop the level. It's not always possible to score five goals in every game. Consistency for me is a big point and I try to work on that.

"I need to get that confidence from the coach, I need the trust of the coach. Sometimes also in the bad times too. He has always given that trust to me in the last couple of years.

"It is always good for a striker, and me as well, [to know that]. I'm still young. If you are playing and on the pitch, you always have to take the responsibility.

"I will definitely try to play again as much as I can this season. Hopefully, it is going to be a better year than last year."

If Havertz wants to improve his goalscoring ability and finishing, he has to look no further for advice than from Sterling, who joined from Manchester CIty on a five-year deal last week.

Since Pep Guardiola became City coach in 2016, Sterling has scored 27 Premier League goals from inside the six-yard box, which is five more than anyone else (Harry Kane, 22).

The England international averaged almost a goal every other game (one every 179 minutes) in the Premier League under Guardiola, with his haul of 85 bettered by only five players since the start of the 2016-17 season.

"We all know that he is a great player," Havertz said of Sterling. "I saw a stat about him that he has had the most goals and assists for Man City in the last five years or something like that. That tells the whole story of him.

"He was a great player for City and the national team as well, hopefully, he can keep up his level here. For me and of course, for everyone, he is going to help.

"I think in every game you can see that. I know the game against England at the Euros, he played well. You can see his quality here already and it's been just a few days.

"You can see in training how good he is, how fast he is. He is definitely going to help us."

Kalidou Koulibaly has also joined Chelsea as the second signing of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital era at Stamford Bridge, and Havertz is delighted to have new ownership after a turbulent last season.

"It was a crazy time for all of us," Havertz said, referencing former owner Roman Abramovich's sanctions. "There were then a lot of changes in the club which was strange for all of us, but we came through it.

"I think it helps that in the team we all get to know each other and also in different or difficult situations that everyone is together so I think it helped us as well.

"I think we are a special group. We see that in the changing room away from the pitch and on the pitch. We have a lot of young players who are maybe the same age.

"We have a lot of experienced players and I think we all fit together very well. You see it off the pitch that it is hopefully going to be a special year for us."

Mario Gotze acknowledges he was wrong to reject a move to Liverpool upon leaving Bayern Munich in 2016, when the Reds were at the beginning of their rebuild under Jurgen Klopp.

Gotze returned to the Bundesliga this month, joining Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt after spending two seasons with Eredivisie giants PSV Eindhoven.

The creative midfielder, who scored the only goal of the game as Germany overcame Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final, became one of European football's hottest properties during a four-year spell with Klopp's Borussia Dortmund between 2009 and 2013, winning two Bundesliga titles and reaching a Champions League final.

After moving from BVB to rivals Bayern Munich, where he scored 36 goals in 114 appearances, Gotze was targeted by the Reds in 2016, and now admits a move to Anfield would have benefited his career.

"Liverpool had finished eighth in their first season with Jurgen [2015-16] and had not qualified for the Champions League," he recalled in an interview with Bild.

"Even in previous years, it wasn't a club that always played at the top.

"Dortmund had previously played a top season under Thomas Tuchel, BVB was on the up. Jurgen was still building something.

"In retrospect you have to say, Liverpool would have been better."

Reds boss Klopp has won six major trophies during his spell with the Merseyside club, lifting both domestic cups during a marathon 2021-22 season which saw them narrowly miss out on a historic quadruple. 

They were the unlikeliest of all European champions and to this day remain the poster boys for all underdogs.

Denmark, the Euro 92 winners, gave hope to generations of teams that would follow them onto the big stage.

How could a nation with a population of a little over five million in 1992 sweep away the competition, when that competition looked so formidable?

Michel Platini's France squad boasted Papin, Cantona, Deschamps, Blanc and Boli; Germany had Klinsmann, Hassler, Moller and World Cup final match-winner Brehme; the Netherlands fielded Van Basten, Gullit, Rijkaard and a young Bergkamp.

Nobody was tipping Denmark, who were called into the tournament 10 days before it began after the expulsion of Yugoslavia, a decision taken by UEFA amid war in the Balkans.

Denmark have given hope to teams who logically should have none. This hope has often been outrageously misplaced. The notion that 'if Denmark can do it, so can we' is a fallacy. The Danes opened the door and fantasists walked through.

The 1992 Denmark team were a band of brothers who seized their unexpected opportunity, facing on-field and off-field challenges along the way. Thirty years since the June 26 final, we celebrate them.

HOW ON EARTH DID THEY DO IT?

There was little indication of what was to come when Denmark followed a 0-0 draw against England by losing 1-0 to hosts Sweden; however, a 2-1 victory over France in Malmo snapped the watching continent to attention.

Peter Schmeichel. John Jensen. Brian Laudrup. Kim Vilfort. Torben Piechnik. The football world knew about goalkeeper Schmeichel, a year into his Manchester United career, and Laudrup was Denmark's star outfielder. But many in their side were barely known outside Denmark. Twelve of their 20 still played in the Danish league.

Michael Laudrup was in international exile, after he and Brian quit the national team in late 1990, unimpressed with new coach Richard Moller Nielsen. Brian came back shortly before the Euros, but Barcelona forward Michael continued to give international football a swerve. Denmark got by without him.

"We were very fortunate that we were one group of people who felt like pioneers in Danish football," Schmeichel told UEFA.com. "We felt we had responsibility to break the waves and go against the tide and prove to everyone that we can compete."

He said it was a "myth" that the Danes had been summoned from the beach, not least because the Danish season was still in full swing.

It was "like a funeral" in the Denmark dressing room after the England stalemate, according to Schmeichel.

"But from that moment on we felt we were definitely in a position where we can compete in this tournament," he said.

SLAYING THE GIANTS

In an eight-team tournament, scraping through in second place from Group 1 meant the Danes went straight into a semi-final.

Getting the better of the Netherlands looked beyond Denmark, given the defending champions were so strong.

Both teams knew Germany were waiting in the final, having got the better of Sweden 3-2 in the first semi-final. The Netherlands had beaten Germany in the group stage, but their hopes of a second clash with Berti Vogts' side were to be shattered in Gothenburg.

Henrik Larsen's double either side of a Bergkamp strike almost gave the Danes victory in 90 minutes, but Frank Rijkaard grabbed a late leveller. When it came to penalties, Schmeichel's save from Marco van Basten made all the difference, every other player scoring from the spot as Kim Christofte sealed the shoot-out success.

In an interview at the FIFA Best awards in 2022, Schmeichel recalled how he had found inspiration in the national team from a young age.

"I have to go back to even 1984 when Denmark lost to Spain in the semi-finals of the Euros," Schmeichel said.

"I was in the generation that came after that and [took] the inspiration from that, and the understanding that even though we are from a small country with a limited number of people playing football, if you work hard and look for your luck, and we always produce skilful players, then there is an opportunity to create very, very good results."

Denmark were winning their battles on the pitch, but the most important struggle was being fought away from the spotlight, with Vilfort's young daughter Line battling leukaemia.

He missed the France game to be with his family in Copenhagen but returned to Sweden before the semi-final. A movie dramatisation of Denmark's great triumph that summer portrayed Line telling her father he should go back and join his team-mates.

Come the June 26 final against Germany, the Danes were not alone in thinking the improbable might just be possible.

At the Ullevi stadium, Germany began strongly but were caught out in the 18th minute when Jensen sent a sizzling strike past Bodo Illgner.

Schmeichel and his defence defied Germany, and in the 78th minute came a magical moment for Vilfort when he found space between Brehme and Thomas Helmer before sending a low left-footed shot in off the right post, sealing a 2-0 win.

Schmeichel said Denmark's achievement came "from not accepting we're a small country".

"If we get the right circumstances, we can go and do whatever job we want to do, so it's more a mentality thing," he said. "I think that, more than anything, was why we won the European Championship. It was magical and unexpected."

Coach Moller Nielsen later reflected on his sudden change of plans for June 1992.

Moller Nielsen, who died in 2014, was quoted by UEFA as saying: "I was supposed to fit a new kitchen [in my house] but then we were called away to play in Sweden. The kitchen is finished now. I got a professional decorator to do it."

From a hospital bed, Line Vilfort got to see her father lead Denmark to the country's greatest footballing success.

She died a few weeks later, at the age of seven. Dad was a national hero, but this would be the cruellest of final chapters in the story of these great Danes, a personal tragedy amid a summer-long national celebration.

Mario Gotze has all the qualities to return to the Germany squad ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, according to former Die Mannschaft coach Joachim Low.

Gotze has won 63 caps for his country and scored an extra-time winner against Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final as Germany lifted the trophy for a fourth time.

The creative midfielder has not appeared for the national side since November 2017, though, when he appeared as a second-half substitute in a friendly against France.

That is due to a lack of club success for the former Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich star, who has traded PSV for Eintracht Frankfurt in a reported €4million move to the Europa League winners.

Appearing in the Champions League for Eintracht, alongside returning to the Bundesliga, the 30-year-old will be hopeful of making his way back into the fold for Germany.

Low, who guided Germany to that World Cup triumph in the crowning achievement of his 15-year tenure, says Gotze has the talent to earn a place in Hansi Flick's Die Mannschaft team before the 2022 tournament in Qatar in November.

"He has all the qualities for it," Low told Sky in Germany. "He will play in the Champions League again, he is the focus here in the Bundesliga and wants to impress for the World Cup."

Gotze scored 12 goals and added 11 assists across all competitions for PSV in the 2021-22 season, playing in 52 games, with reports linking him to Serie A champions Milan.

Eintracht swooped in as Oliver Glasner looked to bolster his squad to compete in Europe, but the Germany international's arrival came as a surprise to Low.

"Of course I didn't expect Mario to return to Germany, not at this point in time," he added.

"But I'm very happy for Mario and Eintracht. Mario is an exceptional player, very professional and with his great playing intelligence, he fits in very well with Eintracht."

Mario Gotze expressed his excitement at returning to the Champions League after sealing his transfer to Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt. 

The 30-year-old former Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich man has returned to the Bundesliga for a reported €4million fee after spending two years with Eredivisie giants PSV.

Frankfurt confirmed the midfielder had signed a three-year deal on Tuesday, as Oliver Glasner looks to strengthen his squad for next season's Champions League campaign.

Speaking to the club's website, Gotze said: "I'm incredibly excited about joining Eintracht Frankfurt. This club have made remarkable progress and have started out on an exciting and ambitious path, on which I can now accompany them. 

"This club have a great foundation. From the stadium to the fans to the city, everything is just to my liking. I'm really looking forward to my return to the Bundesliga, as well as the chance to play in the Champions League."

Gotze, who has won 63 caps for Germany, scored the only goal of his country's 2014 World Cup final win over Argentina, earning Die Mannschaft their fourth world title.

Board member Markus Krosche told the club's media channels: "The fact that a player like Mario Gotze has chosen, with full conviction, Eintracht Frankfurt over numerous other offers, speaks volumes for the outstanding image that the club has built over the past few years.

"I don't need to say much about his footballing qualities. We've been lacking a player of his type. Mario's technical ability will help our game enormously."

As well as being seeded for next season's Champions League group stage, Frankfurt will face Real Madrid in August's UEFA Super Cup in Helsinki after beating Rangers on penalties in Seville last month.

Mario Gotze looks set for a Bundesliga second coming after being given permission to miss PSV's first training session under new boss Ruud van Nistelrooy. 

The 30-year-old former Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich attacker has been strongly linked with a move to Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt. 

Serie A champions Milan were also recently credited with an interest in Gotze, but reports in Germany on Monday indicated a move to Frankfurt was close to completion. 

Sport1 said Gotze, who joined PSV in 2020 and has two years left on his contract, has a clause allowing him to leave for €4million and that an agreement with Eintracht has been broadly agreed. 

PSV confirmed Gotze's absence from training, saying that he had been "given the space... to complete a transfer to another club". 

Gotze, capped 63 times by Germany, was the 2014 World Cup final match-winner, scoring the only goal of the game against Argentina in extra time. 

He scored 12 goals and added 11 assists across all competitions for PSV in the 2021-22 season, playing in 52 games. 

Van Nistelrooy, the former PSV, Manchester United and Real Madrid striker, looks like having to plan without the experienced Gotze, and spoke on Monday of wanting to give opportunities to the club's best young players. 

The 45-year-old was announced as PSV's incoming boss in March, signing a three-year contract. 

Miroslav Klose pointed to the influence of Hansi Flick on his fledgling touchline career as the World Cup record-breaker began his first job as a head coach.

Germany great Klose has taken over as boss of Austrian Bundesliga team SCR Altach. The player whose career haul of 16 World Cup goals remains unmatched was presented to the media on Monday.

The 44-year-old Klose had a spell as an assistant with the Germany national team during Joachim Low's tenure, and worked at Bayern Munich under Flick in the 2020-21 campaign, having previously spent two years with the Bavarians' under-17 team.

Bayern won the Bundesliga, DFL-Supercup, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup trophies in the season when Klose was involved in the first-team squad. Flick then departed to become Germany boss, and Klose also left.

"I learned a lot from Flick, he's fantastic in every respect," Klose said.

Altach narrowly avoided relegation in the 2021-22 season, and Klose's impact will be closely watched.

He said: "I'm incredibly happy. I am full of anticipation and have been received in a very friendly manner. I'm able to work where others go on holiday.

"I have a lot of hard work ahead of me. It is important the team shows heart and passion. We have to work out everything step by step, so it's also important that the team communicates with me."

Klose said he would allow himself "time to develop" as a coach, declaring the team must have targets without yet identifying those.

"I don't know how fast that will go. But I think it's incredibly important to have goals," Klose said. "I put myself under a lot of pressure. I have clear ideas. It will be a tough road. I probably need to lower my expectations."

Klose won 137 caps and scored a record 71 goals in a distinguished Germany career, in which he reached the finals of the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2008, before helping Die Mannschaft win the World Cup in 2014.

The winner of the Golden Shoe at the 2006 tournament on home soil also played elite club football with Bayern, Lazio, Kaiserslautern and Werder Bremen.

Miroslav Klose has secured his first senior job as a head coach after taking over as boss of Austrian Bundesliga team SCR Altach.

The appointment of the Germany great, whose career haul of 16 World Cup goals remains a competition record, was announced on Friday.

The news was portrayed as a surprise appointment in Austria. Altach said Klose will sign his contract on Sunday and be presented on Monday.

Klose, the 44-year-old former striker, retired from playing in 2016 after five years with Serie A side Lazio and has since had spells working as an assistant with the Germany national team, and at Bayern Munich.

He was head coach of the Bayern under-17 team for two seasons and served as first-team assistant to Hansi Flick in the 2020-21 campaign.

Altach said in a statement that Klose's former Bayern coaching colleague Slaven Skeledzic would become an assistant coach, once his release from the German champions, where he remains employed, can be secured.

Klose said of his challenge: "I'm really looking forward to my new job here in Altach. It was just that positive feeling right from the start that I have to have, that I'm in the right place here.

"The first discussions with those in charge were so open that it was clear to me that I want to do this. Now I can hardly wait to get to know the team, the people in the club and of course the fans."

Klose won two Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal doubles during four years as a player with Bayern, from 2007 to 2011.

He won 137 caps and scored a record 71 goals in a distinguished Germany career, in which he reached the finals of the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2008, before helping Die Mannschaft win the World Cup in 2014.

The winner of the Golden Shoe at the 2006 tournament on home soil also played elite club football with Kaiserslautern and Werder Bremen.

Altach managing director Christoph Langle offered assurance that the club were not merely attracted by Klose's high profile.

Langle said: "Miro Klose is a very big name in football. But it's not about the name for us, it's about Miro Klose's personality, his skills as a coach and what is very important to us at SCR Altach: the people.

"Known as a hard, down-to-earth worker, Miroslav has risen to world class. The values ​​he stands for are a perfect match for our club and his football skills are undisputed anyway."

Former Australia goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has backed Germany to win the World Cup in Qatar later this year due to Hansi Flick's swift impression at the helm.

The 2014 winners became the third defending champion in a row to be eliminated at the group stages in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, following on from the previous early exits of Spain in 2014 and Italy in 2010.

Joachim Löw retained his managerial position, with his contract due to last until after the Qatar World Cup, but requested an early end to his spell last year and departed his position following the European Championships.

While Low's 15-year stint in charge heralded success, a poor final year saw Germany smashed 6-0 by Spain in the Nations League before exiting Euro 2020 at the hands of England after a 2-0 defeat in the last 16 of the competition.

Flick took charge in September last year and led to an immediate improvement, becoming the first Germany boss in history to win their first six matches and comfortably securing qualification for this year's World Cup.

A drubbing of Italy in the Nations League on Tuesday once again displayed Germany's credentials and Schwarzer believes they're the team to beat in November when the World Cup begins.

"I think this World Cup, Germany with Hansi Flick at the helm, are genuine favourites and I say that Germany is generally always regarded as one of the teams that could go and do something," he told Stats Perform.

"But they're, for me, stood right up there with being a genuine favourite of winning this World Cup because they've got an amazing manager.

"Someone that's got the belief and support of all the players and has changed the German national team literally overnight exactly like he did with Bayern Munich when he took over after Nico Kovac had a disastrous period at Bayern the season, and then go on to win everything that's possibly there to win. 

"I've got a feeling he's able to do the same thing with Germany right now."

Thomas Muller lauded his side's acceptance of risk, following Germany's 5-2 win at home to Italy in the Nations League on Tuesday.

Muller was among the scorers for Die Mannschaft, who led 5-0 at one stage in Monchenglabach after Timo Werner's second of the night. Joshua Kimmich and Ilkay Gundogan were the other scorers for Germany, handing the home side a 2-0 lead at the interval.

Germany sit second in Group A3 after four games, following draws in the opening three matches characterised by high volumes of passive possession.

Especially after early exits at the past three major tournaments, however, the 32-year-old is buoyed by Germany's play under Hansi Flick despite ever-present room for improvement.

"One good aspect that we brought into play today is that we actually played a little more risky and had more courage," Muller told ZDF. "To accept the risk of losing the ball with the knowledge of snatching away the second ball. So, objective courage and not emotional courage.

"If we understand that a little better on the offensive, that a cross that doesn't lead directly to the goal becomes dangerous with the second ball if we are positioned like that, then we'll make life easier for us.

"We have good players, we have a good attitude and a good project going on. But we still have all sorts of deficits, you have to be honest."

Germany again dominated in possession but were able to translate that into good chances in front of goal on Tuesday, with Joshua Kimmich's opening goal in the 10th minute setting the tone.

The home side were levels above the reigning European champions, who fielded an inexperienced starting lineup and conceded five goals for the first time in a single match since 1957.

For Muller, who insisted he does not see himself playing much longer at international level, it was an affirmation of Germany's quality.

"We have everything to be able to beat anyone on a good day," he said. "We still have to improve on the football-savvy things, like wanting to do the right thing. We won a lot of second balls and that made the game easier for us.

"I know I won't play 50 more international matches. Let's see what happens in the next two or three years, but I'm enjoying it a lot at the moment."

A defiant Gianluigi Donnarumma claimed he will have his "head held high" following Italy's 5-2 defeat away to Germany in the Nations League on Tuesday.

Germany led 5-0 at one stage in Monchengladbach and wearing the captain's armband, the Azzurri goalkeeper had a disappointing night personally, with Timo Werner pinching the ball off him before making it 4-0.

Goals from Wilfried Gnonto and Alessandro Bastoni provided small consolation late for Italy but for an inexperienced squad, Tuesday's loss was a harsh reminder of international football's margin for error.

Asked whether distribution with his feet was an aspect he needed to improve upon post-game, after similarly getting his pocket picked in Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League exit, the 23-year-old responded angrily.

"When did it happen before? When I was fouled against Real Madrid? If we want to cause controversy over these things, then fine," Donnarumma told RAI Sport. "I am here to talk for the team. If you want to blame me, fine, I’ll take the blame, I am the captain and I keep going with head held high.

“I think you’re all trying to create something about these errors, fine.

"We are angry. There are no excuses, we have to get back out there and prove this is not us. There are simply no excuses."

The Azzurri sit third in Group A3 after two draws and a win in their opening three games but following their loss in the UEFA/CONMEBOL Finalissima, Tuesday's defeat represents a return to square one.

Donnarumma suggested end-of-season fatigue had been a contributing factor, but it had not been primary in Italy's performance in Germany.

"We were lacking everything tonight," he said. "There was also some fatigue after four games in 15 days at the end of the season, but we don’t want to seek alibis. Now we will look each other in the eye and analyse everything.

"We’re really disappointed for the fans, for what they saw tonight. We had a few chances, but it’s not good enough. We’ll analyse everything and start again.

"All of us made mistakes. I could’ve dealt with the situation better at 4-0 and kicked it away, but you learn from mistakes and grow. Now we just have to rest and come back much stronger than this."

Germany claimed their first win of this Nations League campaign as they hammered Italy 5-2 in Monchengladbach.

Having drawn each of their previous three Group C matches 1-1, Hansi Flick's side were dominant at Borussia-Park, easily swatting the European champions aside.

Joshua Kimmich got things started in the 10th minute and Germany never looked back, with Thomas Muller netting early in the second half after Ilkay Gundogan had scored from the penalty spot.

Timo Werner's rapid double added further gloss to a mightily impressive victory, as Germany made a statement of intent despite consolations from Wilfried Gnonto and Alessandro Bastoni.

Germany had the bit between their teeth from the off, and although Giacomo Raspadori should have put Italy ahead against the run of play, the hosts had the lead when Kimmich found time in the area to take a touch and side-foot home.

Gianluigi Donnarumma might have done better for Kimmich's opener, but he could do little to prevent Gundogan doubling Germany's lead from 12 yards after Bastoni inexplicably shoved Jonas Hofmann on the stroke of half-time.

Donnarumma was fetching the ball out of his net again six minutes after the restart. A cross from the left caused havoc in Italy's defence, with Muller's snapshot on the rebound making it 3-0.

A remarkable Manuel Neuer save from Nicolo Barella was rendered meaningless by an offside flag, but a dismal display continued for his opposite number.

While Donnarumma would have been hard pushed to prevent Werner's first goal – a close-range effort from Serge Gnabry's cute lay-off – he was at fault for the striker's second a minute later, playing a dreadful pass that was intercepted by Gnabry, before being fooled by the subsequent finish.

Neuer gave Donnarumma a run for his money with an unusually weak save to gift Gnonto a maiden international goal, with Bastoni heading in a further consolation in stoppage time in a nevertheless humbling defeat for Italy.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.