Deniz Undav shines as Germany down Finland in penultimate preparatory friendly

VfB Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav caught the eye with three goal contributions for Germany in their penultimate pre-World Cup friendly against Finland at Mainz’s MEWA Arena.

Germany 4-0 Finland
Goals: 1-0 Undav 34’ (assist: Kimmich), 2-0 Wirtz 48’ (assist: Undav), 3-0 Undav 57’ (assist: Karl), 4-0 Musiala 63’ (assist: Pavlović)

Immediately asserting themselves from the outset, Germany almost roared to an early advantage after seven minutes, when Nathaniel Brown slipped a low cross from the left into the path of Deniz Undav, whose close-ranged effort was halted miraculously by former Bayer Leverkusen stalwart Lukas Hrádecký.

Undav would break the deadlock after the half-hour mark though when Lennart Karl, who had made his first start for Germany, took a short corner quickly to Bayern Munich teammate Joshua Kimmich. The Germany captain subsequently curled a beautiful ball towards the far post where Undav was lurking to head home from close range.

18-year-old Bayern starlet Karl (l.) was electric on his first start for Germany, providing a stunning assist for Undav's (r.) second of the evening. - Alexander Hassenstein

Straight after the interval, Undav turned provider for Florian Wirtz, pouncing on a defensive mistake from Ville Koski before squaring the ball for the Liverpool man, who needed only to stroke it home into an open net.

Germany’s third once again came courtesy of that man Undav, who found the bottom corner after Karl had embarked on a mesmerising run from his own half before playing the No.26 in behind.

Jamal Musiala got in on the act minutes later, rifling in an effort from the edge of the box on his supposedly weaker left foot to complete the rout, after being teed up by Aleksandar Pavlović.

As it happened!

4 - 0

(1 - 0)

Germany

FINAL

Finland

Friendly
World Cup warm-up World Cup warm-up MEWA Arena, Mainz

Full-time: Germany 4-0 Finland

The final whistle goes in a one-sided match that Germany dominated from start to finish. Undav opened the scoring in the first half, and in the second period the hosts stretched away, adding goals from Wirtz, Undav again and Musiala. There were a plethora of strong performances in Mainz for Julian Nagelsmann to scrutinise, and the Germany coach will likely view this as a highly useful exercise ahead of the final warm-up match against the USA!

© KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

Full-time

90'

+ 3

Pinball in the Finland box!

Pretty incredible passage of play there, as somehow Finland manage to avoid conceding a fifth goal. Sané goes on a mazy run into the box, and the ball makes its way to Beier. He then shoots twice in quick succession, but both attempts are cleared off the line!

90'

Four minutes of added time

The fourth official flashes his board, and we've got four more minutes at the MEWA Arena.

88'

Bit of a lull

As the game moves into the last couple of minutes, the action - somewhat understandably, considering the scoreline - seems to be petering out.

86'

Undav seems to be OK

Undav can be seen shaking the hands of the Germany players and staff on the bench, and given the large grin on his face, it does appear to have been something minor that forced him off.

85'

Amiri on

Much to the delight of the home crowd, Mainz star Amiri makes a late cameo appearance, replacing Nmecha.

84'

Substitution

Nadiem Amiri

Felix Nmecha

79'

Substitution

Naatan Skyttä

Ryan Mahuta

Almost a second for Musiala!

Musiala takes a ball from the right and turns brilliantly in an instant. He stretches to poke the ball into the net, but can only knock it into the side netting.

© IMAGO/UWE KRAFT

74'

Karl and Wirtz depart...

...to be replaced by Sané and Woltemade. They've both put in excellent performances today.

73'

Substitution

Leroy Sané

Lennart Karl

73'

Substitution

Nick Woltemade

Florian Wirtz

73'

Substitution

Miro Tenho

Leo Walta

73'

Substitution

Samuli Miettinen

Nikolai Alho

71'

Finland free-kick goes close

Two chances in a row for Finland - Walta (again) aims a free-kick goalwards that deflects off the Germany wall and wide for a corner.

67'

Finland still battling

The game is obviously beyond them now, but the Finns are still fighting - in a rare foray forward, Walta gets a sniff of goal but hits his shot wide.

It's four!

Musiala picks up Pavlović's pass just inside the box and has no hesitation in slamming an effort into the bottom-left corner of the net!

© IMAGO/Joaquim Ferreira

63'

Jamal Musiala

GOAL!

4:0

62'

Undav goes off

Undav appears to have picked up an injury while scoring - he has to go off (and gets a rousing reception from the fans in Mainz), and he's replaced by Beier.

61'

Substitution

Maximilian Beier

Deniz Undav

58'

Substitution

Joel Pohjanpalo

Benjamin Källman

58'

Substitution

Daniel Håkans

Topi Keskinen

58'

Substitution

Oliver Antman

Robin Lod

Undav makes it three!

It's a brilliantly worked third goal by Germany - Karl drives forward and releases Undav, who comes up with a lovely composed finish!

© KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

57'

Deniz Undav

GOAL!

3:0

Karl gets the crowd on their feet!

The Bayern youngster skips past his man as if he wasn't there, and fires an angled effort off the base of the post!

© IMAGO/Matthias Koch

49'

Undav making his mark

That's a goal and an assist today for Undav - he's certainly grasping this opportunity with both hands.

Germany double their lead!

Wirtz makes it two for the hosts, and it's a bit of a disaster for Finland. Koski, backtracking into his own box after a poor pass, is dispossessed by Undav, who slides the ball across to the Liverpool man in the middle, and he strokes it past Hrádecký!

© Alexander Hassenstein

48'

Florian Wirtz

GOAL!

2:0

46'

Finland kick off...

...and the second half gets going.

Kick-off!

Half-time: Germany 1-0 Finland

Germany hold a single-goal lead at the break in Mainz courtesy of Undav's 34th minute opener. The Stuttgart man made up for an earlier missed chance - when he was thwarted by an incredible save from Hrádecký - by dispatching a clinical header into the net. The hosts have dominated proceedings, while Finland have offered very little going forward. Julian Nagelsmann's players will likely look to put the match to bed early in the second half!

© KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

Half-time

45'

Into first-half stoppage time

We're going to have two minutes of additional time in Mainz.

44'

Wirtz shoots wide

The ball is worked out towards the on-rushing Wirtz, but he can't get power or direction on the shot, and it trundles wide.

43'

Pushing for a second

Germany have had six shots on target in this half, while Finland are yet to manage one.

Nicely worked chance!

Brown comes really close to making it 2-0 - he does well to get into the box and hit Karl's low cross first-time, but he steers his effort just wide of the post!

© IMAGO/Joaquim Ferreira

35'

Merited lead

That goal was nothing more than Germany deserve, as they've been the better team for the vast majority of this half.

There's the opener!

Germany play a short corner to Kimmich, who swings in a great cross for Undav. The forward nods the ball into the ground and up into the net, leaving Hrádecký with no chance!

© KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

34'

Deniz Undav

GOAL!

1:0

29'

Finland threaten!

That's the first real chance for the visitors: Walta tries to place a long-ranged effort into the corner of the net, but it's blocked away for a corner kick by the Germany defence.

Undav again!

The Stuttgart striker takes Musiala's neat through ball in his stride and tries to poke it past Hrádecký, but the Finnish keeper is alert and makes a good save!

© IMAGO/Michael Weber IMAGEPOWER

24'

Ball gets away from Wirtz

Wirtz is sent through after some nice interplay, but he just pushes the ball a little too far ahead of himself and the Finland rearguard recovers.

21'

First chance for Wirtz

Wirtz pounces on a loose ball and fires a right-footed effort towards goal, but the shot is straight at Hrádecký!

20 mins gone

Germany have dominated the opening exchanges so far, but Finland are just starting to gain a small foothold in the match.

© IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Alexander Neis

Finland struggling

Due to Germany's strong start, the away side have been camped in their own half during the opening quarter of an hour.

© IMAGO/Michael Weber IMAGEPOWER

15'

Corner wasted

Germany earn another corner kick, but Kimmich overhits it and the chance is gone.

Karl looking sharp

The Bayern starlet's had some nice touches so far and looks keen to impress.

© IMAGO/Bernd Feil/M.i.S.

So close!

Brown sends in a great ball for Undav, who just tries to gently steer the ball into the net from close range, but Hrádecký makes a tremendous reaction save!

© IMAGO/Matthias Koch

5'

Pavlović downed

Pavlović takes a sore one from a late challenge by Lod, but he dusts himself off and seems to be OK.

3'

Early corners

Germany push right from kick-off, and earn a couple of corners. They come to nothing, but it's a clear sign of intent from Nagelsmann's charges.

1'

And we're off!

This World Cup warm-up match between Germany and Finland is underway at the MEWA Arena.

Kick-off!

Kick-off is fast approaching!

About five minutes to go till the ball starts rolling in Mainz, where there's a nice atmosphere building.

© IMAGO/Marco Bader

Baumann out for the warm-up

The Hoffenheim 'keeper will collect his 12th cap for Germany today.

© Alexander Hassenstein

A pre-match wander...

...on the pristine Mewa Arena pitch!

© IMAGO/Bernd Feil/M.i.S.

More on that Finland team

The big news for the Finns is the presence of Nuremburg’s Markhiyev, who has recovered from a broken nose – sustained in his club’s final match of the season against Schalke – to take his place in the starting line-up. In addition, Hannover's Källman is preferred to Pohjanpalo up front.

© IMAGO/Sportfoto Zink / Wolfgang Zink

More on that Germany team

Nagelsmann had already confirmed that Baumann, Karl, Undav, Pavlović and Nmecha would start, and he has been true to his word. Elsewhere, Brown continues at left-back and Musiala returns.

© Christian Kaspar-Bartke

Finland starting XI

Hrádecký (c) - Alho, Koski, T. Miettinen, Mahuta - Suhonen, Markhiyev, Lod, Walta, Keskinen - Källman

Finland subs

Joronen, Sinisalo, S. Miettinen, Peltola, Tenho, Arifi, Håkans, Kilo, Pyyhtiä, Skyttä, Väänänen, Antman, Jukkola, Pohjanpalo, Terho

Germany starting XI

Baumann - Kimmich (c), Tah, Schlotterbeck, Brown - Pavlović, Nmecha - Karl, Musiala, Wirtz - Undav

Germany subs

Nübel, Urbig, Anton, Raum, Rüdiger, Thiaw, Amiri, Goretzka, Groß, Stiller, Beier, Leweling, Sané, Woltemade

The last time Germany played Finland...

...was also the last time the legendary Bastian Schweinsteiger donned his country's kit - an emotional night in Mönchengladbach!

© Franz Waelischmiller/SVEN SIMON via www.imago-images.de

5:15

Watch: What makes Deniz Undav different?

Five survivors

From the Germany XI that last started a match at Mainz's Mewa Arena (the aforementioned 2-0 win over Peru in 2023), only five players were included in Nagelsmann's World Cup squad: Havertz (absent today), Wirtz, Kimmich, Raum and Schlotterbeck. Goretzka did come on as a half-time sub, though, while Nmecha remained on the bench.

© THOMAS KIENZLE

Musiala on Wirtz

At Saturday's press conference, Jamal Musiala shared his thoughts on potentially sharing a pitch with Florian Wirtz, a selection combination that has not occurred since November 2024: “I had definitely missed playing with him. It’s a lot of fun being on the pitch with him. I’m looking forward to the coming weeks."

© IMAGO/Ulrich Hufnagel

3:31

Watch: What makes Felix Nmecha so good?

Valuable experience

Four of the players that Nagelsmann has already confirmed will start today's friendly versus Finland - Deniz Undav, Felix Nmecha, Aleksandar Pavlović and Lennart Karl - are yet to break the 10-cap milestone, so this match provides an excellent opportunity to build up some more international experience.

© IMAGO/Frank Hoermann / SVEN SIMON

Havertz shares disappointment

Kai Havertz, who will not play in Mainz today due to his UCL obligations with Arsenal yesterday, spoke to the media after the final: “We really wanted to win the game. But we can be proud of ourselves and our season. After my goal, I had a great feeling. But it doesn’t mean anything to me now.”

© IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Edward Cheung

Friis looking for 'courage' from Finns

Finland head coach Jacob Friis stressed in his pre-match comments that his players would need to demonstrate bravery in Mainz: "We need to play with courage on and off the ball. We have to try to achieve what we want to achieve with the style of play we have, and that requires a lot of courage."

© IMAGO/Markku Ulander

Finland's recent form

By contrast, Finland have struggled to find consistency of late. Most recently, the Scandinavians lost on penalties against Cape Verde in the 2026 FIFA Series, having beaten New Zealand 2-0 earlier in the competition. In 2025, Finland won three of their eight matches - all of which came on home soil.

© IMAGO/Jussi Nukari

Germany's recent form

Germany come into the Finland clash on the back of seven straight victories. Most recently, Nagelsmann's side defeated Switzerland (4-3) and Ghana (2-1) in a pair of March friendlies.

© IMAGO/Celina Leiers

Familiar faces

Several Finland stars will be familiar to Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 fans. Former Leverkusen stopper Lukas Hrádecký is the national team captain, while Hannover forward Benjamin Källman, who has 37 international caps, could be in the starting XI to face Germany. Another ex-Leverkusen man to watch is striker Joel Pohjanpalo, who now plays his club football in Italy with Palermo.

© IMAGO/osnapix / Marcus Hirnschal

Havertz scores but ends on losing side

Kai Havertz, missing from the squad due to Champions League final duties, opened the scoring for Arsenal against PSG in Budapest on Saturday, but ended up with a runners-up medal after the holders equalised and eventually won on penalties. The ex-Leverkusen forward's thunderous close-range finish early on was one of the highlights of the match, and he put in a solid all-round performance before being subbed in extra time. Nagelsmann had wished Havertz luck prior to the match, stating, "We’re keeping our fingers crossed and hope he comes back fit. He’s an extremely important player and his absence is felt when he's not with us."

© Alex Grimm

4:08

Watch: The best of Lennart Karl

More selections confirmed up front

Nagelsmann also confirmed that Deniz Undav will start up front and Bayern Munich youngster Lennart Karl will also start. He explained: "He made a very good impression in training. But we have different options and profiles in Jamie Leweling and Leroy Sané. Lenny will get his chance tomorrow to show what he can do"

© Alexander Hassenstein

Early team news from Nagelsmann

The Germany coach shared some early team news for the friendly against Finland and confirmed that Felix Nmecha and Aleksandar Pavlović will start in midfield.

© KARL-JOSEF HILDENBRAND

Jamal Musiala on his national team return

Speaking to the media ahead of the Finland game, Musiala said: "I'm really happy. It feels like I haven't been here in a very long time. The first few days have been great, the atmosphere in the team - I'm really enjoying myself here."

© Alexander Hassenstein

5:04

Watch: Manuel Neuer in high demand for selfies and autographs!

Manuel Neuer took some time off from Germany's World Cup preparations to sign autographs and poses for selfies with fans.

Kimmich on the differences between World Cup squads

Speaking at Friday's press conference, Kimmich explained: "I have the feeling that everyone in our team knows what we can and can't do. That everyone has also internalised what they need to contribute for us to be successful as a group. That's the difference to previous World Cups, where we felt we were better than we actually were. We spoke a lot about potential, but didn't translate it onto the pitch."

© Alexander Hassenstein

Joshua Kimmich on his leadership style

Speaking in an interview with Sports Illustrated, Germany's captain explained: "I demand a lot, but I also try to lead by example. I've come to understand and accept that you can't expect the same from everyone. That's not the way to get the most out of everyone. Of course, you need guidelines and rules that apply to everyone but within that framework, you have to treat everyone somewhat individually."

© IMAGO

Nagelsmann on Nick Woltemade

"He’s had some good games for us. The way we play will suit him. With us, he has a shorter route to goal than he does at Newcastle. It’s been harder for him there to get into the penalty area. You have to get him into positions where he can threaten the goal."

© Alex Grimm

Added incentive

Should Germany go on and win the World Cup, David Raum and Julian Nagelsmann plan on getting matching tattoos. "What scares me the most is our matching tattoo if we win the World Cup," explained Nagelsmann. "Not because I'm afraid of getting tattoos, but because I think we won't find any space left on your body." To which the Raum responded: "No no, you can always find a free spot [...] He can chose the design himself, but I definitely want to be there when he gets his tattoo."

© IMAGO/Bernd Feil/M.i.S.

Germany in blue

Die Nationalelf will don their away jersey against Finland. Debuted in March, the dark blue shirts - which are based on Germany’s traditional blue training tops - were worn in their victories over Switzerland and Ghana.

© IMAGO/Bernd Feil/M.i.S.

Nagelsmann on facing Finland

"We want to use these warm-up games to look at a team that could potentially start the tournament. However, nothing is set in stone[...] Our idea of how we want to play has developed over the past few years and we don’t make it dependent on any one player. It’s possible that we’ll see a few more players against Finland as well. It’s about finding a rhythm within the group, but the starting line-up against Finland won’t necessarily be the one that starts at the World Cup."

© IMAGO/DeFodi.de

Baumann working hard

The Hoffenheim keeper was heavily involved in the first training session after Nagelsmann confirmed on Wednesday that he would start in the friendly against Finland ahead of the injured Manuel Neuer.

© IMAGO/Frank Hoermann / SVEN SIMON

Training camp underway

With the exception of Kai Havertz, who is in Arsenal's matchday squad for the UEFA Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, the Germany players have completed their first training session at their camp in the sun in Herzogenaurauch.

© IMAGO/Heiko Becker

Leweling the strike legend?

The Stuttgart attacker saw the funny side of unexpectedly being handed the Germany number 9 shirt by changing his Instagram profile to a picture of former Brazilian centre-forward Ronaldo.

© Alexander Hassenstein

It's a numbers game

The DFB announced the shirt numbers for the World Cup squad on Wednesday, with Manuel Neuer to take number 1, Joshua Kimmich 6, Jamal Musiala 10 and, in a slight change to tradition, Stuttgart winger Jamie Leweling will take number 9.

© Alexander Hassenstein

0:59

Watch: Germany arrive at training camp

Rudi Völler on Germany's World Cup hopes

The German team's sporting director said: "We're not among the absolute top favourites - there are three or four others. I'm convinced it will be difficult to beat us though. Of course, we want to win our group. Then we'll see what happens. We want to go as far as possible, but there's no set target."

© IMAGO/Herbertz / Nico Herbertz

Nagelsmann on whether Lennart Karl will start

"A lot depends on how he performs. His start was exceptionally good. He made a very quick impression. Whether he starts or not is something we'll discuss with him, and he'll have to show he deserves that on the pitch."

© IMAGO/Ulrich Wagner

Nagelsmann on Musiala

The Germany coach said on the Bayern playmaker, who is still seeking a return to full form following a long injury break: "He has made important progress in recent weeks. The important thing is that he plays freely and doesn't overthink things. If Jamal plays at 70 per cent, he's still better than many others. I'll be happy if he's at 100 per cent for the first World Cup game."

© Christof Koepsel

Welcome return

Nagelsmann said on Neuer: "We are better with Manu than without him, so we are pleased that he is with us."

© IMAGO/Frank Hoermann/SVEN SIMON

Baumann to start in goal

Hoffenheim's Oliver Baumann will retain his status as Germany's first-choice goalkeeper for now, Julian Nagelsmann confirmed on Wednesday. Returning legend Manuel Neuer will sit out the fixture to aid his recovery from a calf injury. Nagelsmann said: "Olli will play, and he will do well."

© IMAGO/Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images

The setting

This clash will be played at Mainz's Mewa Arena. Germany have played there three times previously, most recently against Peru in a 2023 friendly match, which the hosts won 2-0.

© IMAGO/DeFodi.de

Tale of the tape

Germany have won 16 of their 23 matches against Finland, with their only defeat coming back in August 1923. The last time the two sides met was in August 2016, where goals from Max Meyer and Mesut Özil secured a 2-0 win for Germany. The match also saw legendary midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger earn his final international cap for Die Nationalelf.

© 2016 Getty Images

Final World Cup preparations

Germany's clash with Finland is the first of their two warm-up games ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Julian Nagelsmann's side will also face tournament co-hosts USA in Chicago on 6 June.

© IMAGO/JOERAN STEINSIEK

Welcome!

Follow all of the build-up and live action from Germany's international friendly with Finland on Sunday (kick-off: 8.45pm CEST).

About the players

6

Joshua

Kimmich

Midfielder

FC Bayern München

1

Manuel

Neuer

Goalkeeper

FC Bayern München