Jurgen Klinsmann’s USA shocked Germany with a 2-1 victory in Wednesday’s friendly as the Stars and Stripes followed up their win over the Netherlands by beating the world champion.
Bobby Wood, who plays for Germany’s third division side Erzgebirge Aue, scored the winner just before the final whistle to seal the Americans’ deserved victory.
It capped a dream few days for the 22-year-old who also hit the winner when the USA fought back to stun the Netherlands 4-3 in Amsterdam last Friday.
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Again the USA fought back from a goal down to cap a strong display as Germany suffered its third defeat since winning the World Cup last year.
The defeat was not what Germany needed before its Euro 2016 qualifier on Saturday when it faces bottom side Gibraltar away in Faro, Portugal, as it looks to claim top spot in its group.
But after its Dutch win, it was a confidence booster for the USA as it prepares to host the CONCACAF Gold Cup next month.
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Mario Gotze’s first-half goal for Germany in Cologne was cancelled out by Mikkel Diskerud’s equaliser just before the half-time break before Wood struck the decisive blow later.
Second win It was Klinsmann’s second win over his former side Germany, coached by his former assistant Low, after America’s friendly win in Washington in 2013.
But Low’s team won when in mattered in the group stages in Brazil last year.
After a bright start, especially from debutant Patrick Herrmann, Germany took the lead when Bayern Munich’s Gotze hit his third international goal since netting the winner in the World Cup final.
Herrmann finished a blistering run by cutting in from the right wing and rolled a pass across the box for the unmarked Gotze to fire home on 13 minutes.
But the Stars and Stripes deservedly drew level on 41 minutes when midfielder Michael Bradley, a former Borussia Moenchengladbach player put in a superb diagonal pass.
It found Oslo-born Diskerud in space and the winger fired past Germany’s second-choice goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler with Manuel Neuer rested.
Low made changes soon after the break with Sami Khedira, whose transfer from Real Madrid to Juventus was announced on Tuesday, taking over from Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger.
The USA, which reached the last 16 of Brazil 2014, finished the stronger with only a reflex save from Zieler denying Bradley’s thunderbolt strike from the edge of the area with 10 minutes left.
Bradley started the move which led to Honolulu-born Wood’s winner as he held off Shkodran Mustafi’s challenge to beat Zieler from outside the area just before the whistle as the Hawaiian-native punched his shot home.
Khedira hit the crossbar in injury time as Germany chased in vain for an equaliser to spare its blushes.
The results: At Cologne: Germany 1 (Gotze 12) lost to USA 2 (Diskerud 41, Wood 87).
At Thun (Switzerland): Switzerland 3 (Dzemaili 29, 68, Shaqiri 60) bt Liechtenstein 0.