Nagelsmann praises Goretzka for having a positive impact on both ends of the floor

With goals from Kleindienst and Goretzka, Germany beat Italy 2-1 in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League A in the 2024/25 season. Nagelsmann said he was happy with Goretzka's performance and praised the midfielder for his positive impact on the team both offensively and defensively.

Politano's cross in the 9th minute was cleared by the opponent, and Tonali immediately stepped forward and shot into the goal, helping Italy take the lead 1-0.

In the 48th minute of the second half, Kimmich received a pass from his teammate and made a long pass to the penalty area. Kleindienst jumped up and headed the ball into the goal, helping Germany to tie the score 1-1. In the 76th minute, Kimmich assisted Goretzka with a header from a corner kick, helping Germany to overtake 2-1.

In the end, Germany defeated Italy 2-1 at the San Siro Stadium.

Germany coach Nagelsmann said in an interview after the game, "I am particularly happy that we were able to reverse and win the game after falling behind 0-1. We said before the game that we hope to win both rounds. The players who came on the bench performed very well, and we could have scored more goals in the second half."

"We encountered some problems in the first half, but we didn't make too many adjustments after the halftime break. The main changes were in personnel. The team showed a desire to win and tried their best to win the game."

When talking about Goretzka who scored in this game, Nagelsmann said, "I am very happy for him. I think he played very well, especially in the second half. He performed very well both on the defensive end and in the threat in the penalty area. He had an impact on the game on both offense and defense, and his performance was outstanding."

"I am looking forward to the second leg in another big stadium. Our fans were very loud in this game and I hope the next game will be even louder."

In addition, German midfielder Musiala said, "It is not easy to equalize the score and reverse the situation, but we showed a different mentality in the second half. Kleindingst scored a wonderful header right after he came on the court. We made some tactical adjustments to let him take on more tasks on the front line. But the most important thing is that we became more determined."

"Oliver Baumann also made some great saves and we knew Italy could threaten at any time. So in the second leg, we have to maintain the same focus and not let down our guard just because we won the first leg."