A last-gasp Deniz Undav goal saved Germany’s blushes in an unconvincing 2-1 win over Ghana in a friendly in Stuttgart on Monday. Germany dominated possession and field position against the visitors but needed a Kai Havertz penalty to break through just before half-time. A counter-attacking Abdul Fatawu goal drew the visitors level and the lifeless match looked on track for a draw until Stuttgart striker Undav’s 88th-minute effort put Germany back in front. The home fans chanted Undav’s name until the striker was brought on at half-time. The former Brighton forward told ARD: “It was crazy to hear how the fans stood behind me,” adding “it was a perfect evening. Got the win, scored a goal — top.”

“We were completely in control in the first-half, but we have to make more out of our chances,” Undav said.

Despite a seventh win in a row, it was an inconsistent performance from Julian Nagelsmann’s men against an out-of-form Ghana side. 

“We didn’t play in position. There was a lot of ‘freestyle’ play again, like against Switzerland, which left us very vulnerable to counter-attacks,” Nagelsmann said.

Former Arsenal player Thomas Partey lined up in midfield for Ghana, making his second international start since telling a London court he would plead not guilty to two new charges of rape, with a trial set to take place in November. 

Before the game, Nagelsmann seemed unfazed despite Germany’s leaky defence in Friday’s 4-3 win over Switzerland on Friday, telling reporters “a clean sheet is nice, but above all we need to be winning.”

The hosts had Ghana pinned back for much of the opening half, with the visitors handing Germany the initiative with misplaced passes and failed clearances. 

Involved in all four of Germany’s goals against Switzerland, Florian Wirtz went close with a dipping free-kick after  six minutes, hitting the outside of the post. 

Nick Woltemade set Wirtz up for what seemed to be Germany’s opener just after the half-hour mark, but the Newcastle forward was narrowly offside in the build-up. 

In first-half stoppage time, VAR showed Jonas Adjetey handled an Angelo Stiller shot, allowing Havertz to convert from the spot.

Bayern Munich starlet Lennart Karl came on at half-time and almost set up Germany’s second minutes later with a deft chip which Woltemade headed against the crossbar. 

With 20 minutes left, Ghana broke through on the counter to punish the hosts for their wastefulness, Derrick Koehn threading a ball for Fatawu to tap home.

Undav had little impact until the dying stages when he collected a Leroy Sane pass and prodded the winner into the top corner. 

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