Germany national football team sets anti-record, losing to Italy in Nations League – 1:4
This is Germany's biggest home defeat in 20 years. Kimmich called the game a "disgrace" after the match and called for the coaching staff to resign.
"A disgrace in front of the whole nation": Germany national team crushed by Italy at home – 1:4
Munich, Allianz Arena. In the match of the 3rd round of the UEFA Nations League group stage, the Germany national team suffered a crushing defeat against Italy with a score of 1:4. This is the biggest home defeat for the German team in the last 20 years. Captain Joshua Kimmich called the game a "disgrace" after the final whistle and demanded the resignation of the coaching staff.
Munich, Germany. 80,000 spectators at the Allianz Arena witnessed one of the most humiliating evenings in the history of German football. The team that once instilled fear in opponents with its discipline, will, and efficiency looked like a team devoid of any direction that evening. The Azzurri under Luciano Spalletti did not just win – they dominated, toyed with, and enjoyed the game on the pitch of the legendary German arena.
For the DFB team, this match was supposed to be a ticket to the Nations League playoffs. Instead, it became a nightmare that will likely cost head coach Julian Nagelsmann and his entire staff their jobs. An enraged captain Joshua Kimmich did not mince words.
"This is a disgrace. A disgrace for every one of us who stepped onto this field today," Kimmich was quoted by German publication Bild after the match. "We did absolutely nothing that the coach asked of us. Playing like this in front of our own fans is a crime against football. If the coaching staff is not held accountable after this, then what is?"
Main event: German collapse in numbers and emotions
The match, which was supposed to be a show of strength after a hard-fought draw with France in the previous round, turned into a horror show from the first minutes. The Italians did not waste time. Already in the 12th minute, after a midfield blunder, Gianluca Scamacca broke through one-on-one with the goalkeeper and coolly opened the scoring, slotting into the far corner.
Instead of waking up, the Germans fell apart. The defense, which until recently was considered almost the best in Europe (Rüdiger, Schlotterbeck, Tah), acted like a group of strangers. Stefano Sensi doubled the lead in the 28th minute from a corner kick – German defenders lost their positions, allowing the midfielder to shoot unhindered from the edge of the box.
The climax of the first half came with the third goal in the 41st minute. Nico Wildschutt, a 22-year-old debutant for Italy (with German roots), ran away from Schlotterbeck, received a pass from Federico Chiesa, and scored with a bicycle kick. The Allianz Arena erupted in whistles. The teams went into halftime with a score of 0:3, and German fans, who had paid huge sums for tickets, greeted their team with deafening boos.
The second half began with a timid attempt to save face. In the 52nd minute, after a solo run by Kai Havertz, Germany earned a penalty. Ilkay Gündogan, who had come on as a substitute, reduced the deficit by converting the spot kick. For a moment, it seemed a comeback might start, but that hope died 10 minutes later.
In the 63rd minute, Matteo Retegui, who had come off the bench, finished a cross from Giovanni Di Lorenzo, making the score 1:4. That was the knockout blow. The Germans spent the remaining half hour without any desire, for which they were again booed by fans who were leaving the stands long before the final whistle.
Details and statistics: anti-record after anti-record
The 1:4 defeat is the biggest home loss for the Germany national team since 2004, when the team under Rudi Völler lost 1:5 to Romania in a friendly. In official tournaments (World Cups, European Championships, Nations League), this is the biggest home defeat since World War II.
Match statistics (approximate based on match report)
| Metric | Germany | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 54% | 46% |
| Shots (on target) | 12 (4) | 15 (8) |
| Passes (accuracy) | 523 (85%) | 442 (81%) |
| Corners | 5 | 6 |
| Fouls | 11 | 14 |
Goal timeline
| Goal | Time | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0:1 | 12' | Gianluca Scamacca | 0:1 |
| 0:2 | 28' | Stefano Sensi | 0:2 |
| 0:3 | 41' | Nico Wildschutt | 0:3 |
| 1:3 | 52' (pen) | Ilkay Gündogan | 1:3 |
| 1:4 | 63' | Matteo Retegui | 1:4 |
Individual anti-statistics for the Germans:
- Joshua Kimmich: 0 key passes, 12 turnovers, 2 opponent goals following his defensive errors.
- Niklas Süle: won only 1 out of 5 aerial duels against Scamacca.
- Captain's armband: Kimmich for the first time in his career publicly demanded the coach's resignation after a match, causing shock in the federation.
Context and significance: why 1:4 is a diagnosis for all of German football
The defeat to Italy was not a coincidence – it was the logical outcome of a crisis that has been brewing in German football for the last three years. After the failure at the home European Championship in 2024 (elimination in the quarter-finals) and the unsuccessful 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Germany has not been able to find its identity.
Julian Nagelsmann, once considered a coaching prodigy, has lost the dressing room. His experiments with tactical formations (playing 3-4-3, then switching to 4-2-3-1) have led to players no longer understanding their roles. Joshua Kimmich, who has been moved from defensive midfield to right-back and back again, is openly tired of the constant shuffling.
Italy, on the other hand, showed a model of efficiency. Luciano Spalletti has built a team without stars of the caliber of Del Piero or Totti, but with a system. The Azzurri punish opponents for the slightest mistake – and that is exactly what they did at the Allianz Arena.
For German fans, this defeat is symbolic. Once upon a time, the Germans themselves won 4:0 or 4:1 against Bayern in the Champions League? No, but for the national team, this is a deep psychological trauma. Italy did not just beat Germany – it humiliated them on their own turf, showing the gap between the levels of the teams.
Kimmich's "disgrace" rang out like a bolt from the blue. In German football culture, public calls for the coach's resignation by the captain are a revolution. The German press has already called it an "internal coup." Bild demands Nagelsmann's resignation, Kicker writes about "total disintegration."
What's next / Preview of the next match
The next match for the Germany national team in the Nations League was scheduled for early October 2026. According to the competition calendar, the group stage will continue until mid-November. However, the fate of these matches is now in question.
If Joshua Kimmich and other veterans (Gündogan, Müller, Ter Stegen) get their way, a new coach will prepare the team for the next games. Among the candidates are:
- Hansi Flick – who has already worked with the team and failed at the 2022 World Cup, but still enjoys authority.
- Louis van Gaal – a free agent after his stint with the Netherlands national team.
- Jürgen Klopp – the dream of all German fans, but his move to the national team is unlikely due to his contract with Real Madrid (or whichever club he currently coaches).
The match against Italy was the last straw. June 14 – a date now forever written into the history of German football in black ink.
Editorial forecast
Where will the Germany national team go from here? There are two options: either the federation (DFB) will announce Nagelsmann's resignation immediately, the next day, sacrificing him to save face. Or it will try to keep him until the end of the group stage, risking a complete split in the team.
Kimmich is not a man who throws words to the wind. If he publicly called for resignation, it means the dressing room has already decided. The players are against Nagelsmann. The coach has lost authority. Continuing with the current staff will lead not only to Germany failing to advance from the Nations League group but also losing to the Netherlands and Greece, finishing last with possible relegation to League B.
Editorial forecast: Julian Nagelsmann will be sacked within the next 48 hours. An assistant will be appointed as interim, and a new coach will prepare the team for the October matches. But the damage is done. This defeat is not a random glitch. It is a signal that German football needs a total reset, from youth development to a change in mentality. The question is only who will dare to carry out this "revolution" – and whether it will be too late.
— Editorial Team
