Harmless, amorphous, and brittle, the Germans lost again against an opponent within their reach, four days after an already worrying defeat against Poland (1-0), weakening a little more their coach Hansi Flick.

The Mannschaft broke a first time after a header from Luis Diaz (54th) and then a second when Joshua Kimmich, who had just entered the game and put on the captain's armband, countered a center of the hand, giving his South American counterpart Juan Cuadrado the opportunity to score a second goal (82nd) on penalty.

Automatically qualified for the Euro (June 14 - July 14, 2024) as the host country of the event, the Germans have not won since March, when they beat another South American team, Peru (2-0). Since then, they have lost to Belgium (3-2), in Cologne, then drew against Ukraine (3-3) before their two defeats against Poland and Colombia.

"Worrying? I do not know if the word is enough. This is dramatic, it must be said clearly. We are missing things on all floors. (...) It's far too little," midfielder Leon Goretzka told German television.

It was Colombia's first win against Germany in five games played in the history of both teams.

Without solutions despite talent

Not only does Germany no longer manage to win, but it also seems to have no solution, almost envy, despite a very competitive squad.

The position of German coach Hansi Flick is weakened after the new defeat of the Mannschaft, this time against Colombia in a friendly match (2-0) in Gelsenkirchen (west of the country) on June 20, 2023 © Odd ANDERSEN / AFP

Thus, neither captain Ilkay Gündogan, excellent with Manchester City, nor Bayern Munich's attacking nugget Jamal Musiala, managed to wake up their teammates after the opening score, and whistles even came down from the stadium usually occupied by Schalke 04.

A sign "Flick Raus" (Flick outside) was held up by a disillusioned fan at the end of the match.

Timid offensively, the Germans were too wait-and-see in defense, overwhelmed by the speed of transmission and the envy of the Cafeteros. The opening of the scoring was a model of fast play: after a high recovery, the ball flowed quickly from side to side before a superb center from Cuadrado for a pivotal header from Diaz.

Néstor Lorenzo's players then had several chances to drive the nail in, before Kimmich signed his entry in the worst way.

After a bitter failure at the 2022 World Cup, where the Mannschaft did not leave its group, it must now relaunch quickly for "its" Euro. They face Japan, then France in September.

© 2023 AFP