Three months ahead of hosting Euro 2024, Germany defeated France 2-0 last week, and World Cup winner Philipp Lahm told AFP in an interview that Germany had found their confidence again.
The encouraging showing, according to Lahm, the tournament director for Euro 2024, “brought back euphoria in our country” since the “German national team played football well and played football passionately”
In Qatar in 2022, Germany reached a new low when they were eliminated at the group stage of a World Cup for the second time in a row.
Hansi Flick became the first Germany coach in history to be sacked and was replaced by Julian Nagelsmann in September.
In Lyon on Saturday, Nagelsmann appeared to be finally moulding a new, young team, less than three months from the opening match of the tournament against Scotland on June 14.
“(Germany) performed completely differently” against France, Lahm said of the victory that came thanks to a first international goal from Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and a Kai Havertz strike.
“We had an established midfield and of course very, very young, dynamic, attacking players. And of course that brings self-confidence.
“But we can only know for sure over a longer period of time.”