Bayern Munich rightback Joshua Kimmich on Tuesday earned Germany a 1-1 draw against Denmark with an acrobatic bicycle kick in a warm-up for a FIFA World Cup qualifier and FIFA Confederations Cup campaign.
Germany coach Joachim Loew opted to rest a clutch of stars, including Manuel Neuer, Mats Hummels, Jerome Boeteng, Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller.
A lackluster Germany were trailing for much of the game after Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen put the hosts’ into a 19th minute lead.
However, Kimmich, who spent most of the season on champions Bayern’s bench, spoiled the Danes’ night with the equalizer two minutes from time.
It was a goal worth waiting for, too, a spectacular acrobatic overhead-kick.
Making his Germany debut, Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Kevin Trapp had an early chance to press his case when denying Bundesliga-based Jannik Vestergaard’s volley on the quarter of an hour.
However, he was unable to stop Eriksen putting Denmark into the lead four minutes later after a defensive slipup.
It took Germany half an hour to produce their first shots on target from Leon Goretzka and Trapp’s PSG teammate Julian Draxler.
However, under persistent rain in the Copenhagen suburb, Lowe’s men were finding it difficult to get out of first gear.
Good work from Trapp prevented Yussuf Poulsen from putting Denmark further ahead in the 54th minute, before Kimmich earned Germany a stunning face-saving leveler in the 88th minute.
Loew said there was “more good than bad” in his side’s performance.
“It was a decent preparation. We’d only had one training session before the game, so I was totally satisfied,” he said.
Germany have a World Cup qualifier date with minnows San Marino in Nuremberg, Germany, on Saturday before the Confederations Cup begins in Russia on June 17.
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