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Published : 28 Mar 2026, 10:15 AM
Germany forward Florian Wirtz scored two goals, including an 86th-minute winner, and set up two more as his team twice came from a goal down to beat hosts Switzerland 4-3 in a friendly on Friday as both sides continued their preparations for the World Cup.
The 22-year-old Wirtz put the visitors 3-2 up just past the hour with a stunning 18-metre curled effort and bagged the winner with another spectacular strike from the edge of the box in an entertaining game.
Wirtz, who missed the 2022 World Cup through injury, has been struggling for form in his first season at Liverpool but on Friday played arguably his best game for the national team.
"Well with four scorer points, most likely, yes," Wirtz said. "We have a tight World Cup phase in front of us and we obviously want to reach the final and win the trophy but we all know it will be a very hard road until then."
As for the three goals conceded, Wirtz said it was part of the process of coming together as a team.
"No concerns there because we have a very good team and a good defence," he said. "I think you feel that we have not played together for some time and all three goals were a little bit avoidable. But it is about winning games and if you score more goals than the opponent then it's alright."
Pulsating First Half
In a pulsating first half, the hosts struck against the run of play through Dan Ndoye in the 17th minute following a defensive error by Nico Schlotterbeck before Germany's Jonathan Tah levelled with a header.
The Swiss, who are in World Cup Group B with Qatar, co-hosts Canada and a playoff spot winner, scored with their next effort on goal in the 41st minute when Breel Embolo caught the German defence napping but the visitors levelled again on the stroke of halftime courtesy of Serge Gnabry's chip from a superb Wirtz assist.
Wirtz then took matters into his own hands, curling a stunning shot from the edge of the box into the top corner just past the hour.
This time it was the hosts' turn to level in the 79th minute when Joel Monteiro beat two defenders and drilled home before Wirtz silenced the home crowd with another curled effort from just outside the box that left keeper Gregor Kobel frozen on the spot.
"We are used to such high-scoring games against Germany and there are a lot of things we can learn from such a game," said Switzerland's Granit Xhaka. "Like the calmness of Germany under pressure and how they find solutions and ways out, and obviously the quality they have."
"For us it was a very good test," Xhaka said.
