Arsenal’s Kai Havertz bagged a goal and an assist in a friendly match against World Cup hosts the USA on Saturday, helping Germany complete a perfect warm-up to the final tournament.
Arsenal forward Kai Havertz linked up with Germany this week following last weekend’s Champions League final, and he got his first chance back in the starting lineup in a friendly match against the USA on Saturday.
It didn’t take long for the striker to have an impact, pouncing on a Joshua Kimmich free-kick to head home for 1-0 in the second minute of the match.
The USA responded later in the half with an excellent goal from Antonee Robinson for 1-1, but Havertz helped Germany back into the lead after the break with a lay-off for Leroy Sane, who fired home in the 57th minute for 2-1.
That was how the game finished, with the highlights available here. The win gave Germany their second pre-World Cup friendly victory and their ninth win in a row overall.
The team’s last dropped points came in a defeat to Slovakia in September, so they’ve built up a lot of momentum since then.
Beating the World Cup hosts will also provide some extra encouragement, though the USA have now lost three of their last four games, so they don’t look to be in a good position to impress in the main event.
On an individual level, Havertz will be pleased to have impressed again with Germany. The Arsenal 26-year-old had a long injury absence from the team between November 2024 and March 2026, but he’s returned with three goal contributions in his last three games.
Germany will face Curacao, the Ivory Coast, and Ecuador in Group E of the World Cup, so Havertz faces an encounter up against Arsenal teammate Piero Hincapie.
But that will be the third of their three group matches, with Curacao up first on June 14th, then the Ivory Coast on June 20th, before Ecuador on June 25th.
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