Germany made amends for their 3-2 home defeat against rivals England over the weekend with a 4-1 victory over rivals Italy at the Allianz Arena.
Mesut Ozil started for Germany and even scored. Here are three things we learned following his performance.
1. Big match player?
Ozil has been criticised in the past for being perceived as not being a big match player. The World Cup winner did not put on a particularly impressive performance against England but it could be argued that for Germany the Italy international was the bigger game. After all Germany had not beat the Azzurri in 21 years. Ozil did rise to the occasion against the Italian and even found the back of the net himself – from the penalty spot. The Arsenal star has now scored 19 times and setup 34 goals for Germany and in 72 international games.
Video: Ozil scoring a penalty for Germany Vs Italy. #afc #Ger https://t.co/1qZgXprssi
— Arsenal Relevant (@ArsenalRelevant) March 29, 2016
2. Pass maestro
Ozil’s passing has been consistently impressive over the international break. The Germany international of Turkish origin completed the second passes in the game – 104 – at a 92 percent accuracy helping his side keep possession against Italy. As has come to be expected Ozil also created goal scoring opportunities but failed to provide an assist this time around.
3. Improving defensively
Ozil has shown signs that he is improving on the defensive front – well for Germany anyway. The 27-year-old made the highest number of interceptions in midfielder (3) and the joint highest number of tackles (1). The Premier League assist king has been criticised for his languid playing style during this time at Arsenal and come under fire for not working hard enough but he did demonstrate against Italy that he can be assiduous in midfield when he wants to be.
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