Undav shines as Germany thrashes Finland
Forward Deniz Undav scored twice and set up another goal as Germany eased past Finland 4-0 in a friendly international on Monday (AEST), two days before the four-time champion departs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Undav headed in for a 34th-minute lead before setting up Florian Wirtz for Germany's second goal three minutes after the restart.
He added another from a Lennart Karl pinpoint pass in the 57th and Jamal Musiala rifled in a fourth six minutes later.
Germany has set its sights on the FIFA World Cup title as it looks to redeem itself after shock first-round exits in the past two editions in 2018 and 2022.
The squad will leave from Frankfurt on Tuesday and has one last warm-up match against co-host the United States at the weekend, five days before the tournament starts.
"That's for the coach to decide," Undav said when asked whether his performance was enough to nail down the starting spot.
"I am here to do my job and I did it well today," Undav said, adding that the 2026 FIFA World Cup would be a success for Germany only with a title win. "If we win it, then it will be a success."
Germany was in complete control from the start against Finland, with teenager Karl, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise this season with Bayern Munich, adding pace to its game and striker Undav twice being denied by Finland keeper Lukas Hradecky. Finland has not qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
It was third time lucky for Undav in the 34th minute when he headed in at the far post for the lead.
The Stuttgart forward then turned provider four minutes after the restart, pressing high and intercepting the ball before sliding it to Wirtz for a tap-in.
Karl, who was a constant threat, hit the post in the 55th but then delivered a perfect pass two minutes later into the run of Undav for 3-0. Musiala then found enough space to beat Hradecky with a powerful shot as the hosts kept their foot on the gas.
Germany kicks off its 2026 FIFA World Cup Group E matches against Curacao on 15 June (AEST) before facing Cote d'Ivoire and Ecuador.























