„He’s a top player“: Karl impresses on his DFB debut | OneFootball

Lennart Karl puts in a strong performance on his first outing for the senior national team. Florian Wirtz has strong words for the Bayern youngster, opening the door to Karl’s World Cup dream.

Karl came on in the 63rd minute of the 4-3 win over Switzerland and immediately brought pace and dynamism to the attack. The 18-year-old replaced the underperforming Leroy Sané and showed that he has nothing to hide at this level.

The attacking player actively sought out balls, moved around a lot and repeatedly intervened in dangerous situations. His courage in one-on-one situations and the clear body language with which he demanded the game were particularly noticeable. He almost set up a goal in the closing stages when he set up David Raum.

Karl was also in the thick of the action before the decisive attack. He broke through on the wing with a quick movement and brought the ball precisely into the penalty area. The scene continued to run through several stations – in the end, Florian Wirtz scored the winner.

Wirtz demands: „Don’t put too much pressure on him“

photo: IMAGO

The numbers underline his influence: several chances created, a clean passing ratio and many duels won. A remarkable performance for a debutant at this stage of the game.

After the final whistle, match-winner Florian Wirtz also commented on the debutant: „I saw him for the first time in training this week. He’s a top player. It’s a lot of fun to play with him,“ explained the 22-year-old. He also added: „We don’t want to put too much pressure on him, but we’ll have a lot of fun with him in the coming years. We just have to enjoy the fact that he’s German and can help us.“

Karl therefore made the most of his first chance in a DFB shirt and fitted into the routines immediately. The young Munich player could get more minutes in the next match against Ghana. If he continues to play like this, national coach Julian Nagelsmann will have no choice but to nominate him for the World Cup in the summer.