Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz at the DFB victory over Hungary: “A blessing”

Der Moment, in dem dieser Fußballabend richtig Schub aufnahm, ließ sich ziemlich exakt bestimmen. Es lief die 58. Minute, Florian Wirtz hatte gerade tief aus der eigenen Hälfte Jamal Musiala auf die Reise geschickt. Und auf dem noch ziemlich langen Lauf Musialas Richtung Tor entwickelte das Publikum im Stadion einen Geräuschpegel, der an ein startendes Flugzeug denken ließ, ein Turbinenrauschen der Erwartung. Als Musiala, mit ein bisschen Glück, den letzten verbliebenen Gegenspieler passiert hatte und den Ball ins ungarische Tor schoss, hob die Arena ab.

Von diesem Zeitpunkt an lief ein Film namens „Völlig losgelöst 2“ im großen Düsseldorfer Open-Air-Kino, und die Männer, die diesen Moment kreiert hatten, Musiala und Wirtz, spielten die Rollen ihres Lebens. Als zwei Stunden später Pascal Groß als letzter deutscher Nationalspieler die Arena verließ, sagte der manchmal etwas spröde sprechende Mittelfeldspieler diesen doch ziemlich schwärmerischen Satz über die beiden: „Das ist ein Segen für Fußballdeutschland.“

So oder ähnlich hatten das auch andere formuliert, Niclas Füllkrug etwa hatte von einem „Geschenk“ gesprochen, an dem „die deutschen Zuschauer sehr, sehr viel Spaß haben“ werden. Musiala und Wirtz, sagte er, „werden unsere Zukunft sein“. Sicher, es waren keine Superlative eines großen Spiels, eines Finales vielleicht, es war nur der Auftakt in der Nations League gegen Ungarn, einen Gegner, der längst nicht die Schärfe mitgebracht hatte wie vor zweieinhalb Monaten bei der Europameisterschaft.

Aber wenn man ein Bild davon bekommen wollte, wie es etwas werden soll mit der vollmundigen Aussage des Bundestrainers, dass man nun ja zwei Jahre warten müsse, bis man Weltmeister sei, dann bleibt vom Samstagabend in Düsseldorf dieses: Wie Wirtz von links oder rechts, Musiala von rechts oder links, wie einer der beiden irgendwo den Ball bekommt, und mit einer Mischung aus Highspeed, technischer Brillanz und einem Schuss Genie etwas Zauberhaftes formt – und das im Zweifel auch zu zweit.

„Wenn die beiden sich suchen und finden, ist das schon sehr gut anzusehen“, sagte Julian Nagelsmann. Und, wie der Bundestrainer hinzufügte, ziemlich schwer zu verteidigen.

Musiala was ultimately involved in four of Germany’s five goals in the 5-0 win, and if the professionals from France Football see these scenes again, they will perhaps ask themselves, a little ashamed, how they could not nominate this movement miracle for the “Ballon d’Or” (but instead nominated Mats Hummels alongside Wirtz, Toni Kroos and Antonio Rüdiger).

A small debate has broken out on this topic in recent days at the football vanity fair, in which Bayern Munich’s sporting director Max Eberl, among others, has spoken out (“surprised”). His club colleague Joshua Kimmich stated succinctly on Saturday evening: “I don’t know exactly what criteria are involved, but it should be about the best players in the world, and Jamal is one of them.”

Kimmich, the new captain, was the longest in the interview zone late on Saturday evening and, all in all, gave the impression of being deeply satisfied after this new beginning – which, for the obviously revealed, did not feel like a turning point at all.

The right-back emphasised that it was fortunate not to have to start from scratch after this tournament, and that after the loss of experience due to the retirements of Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gündogan and Thomas Müller, there was also room for something new. On Tuesday (8.45 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Nations League and on RTL), this will probably be put to a different test against the Netherlands in Amsterdam.

Kimmich certainly made the effort to rewind a little in the 58th minute, when Musiala and the events that had taken their frenzied course. There were only a few scenes, but then, a bit like investigators in the “Tatort”, you suddenly had another key scene of the evening in your mind: how Robert Andrich prevented the possible equalizer with a resolute tackle against Bendegúz Bolla. “Absolutely decisive for the game,” said Kimmich.

Precisely because it was Andrich, in football terms the antipode to Musiala and Wirtz, it was also a reminder that this football match could be viewed from a different perspective, and actually had to be viewed from a different perspective. Not from the euphoric end, but from the beginning. The German team had begun the match a little bit searching, and before the big unleashing it was unspectacular for a while, but at least, to use the words of a former national coach, serious.

The two men at the centre of this seriousness, Andrich and Groß, were responsible for this very respectability. Despite all the enthusiasm for the magicians Musiala and Wirtz, Germany’s chances of making it to the World Cup in two years’ time will probably be decided here, in the engine room. Because that is where the foundations are laid for anything to happen further up the pitch.

And as far as that goes, there are still far from being as certain as there are with the extra class of Musiala and Wirtz; the difference between Kroos and Groß is not only that between voiceless and voiced working class, but, as far as their previous CVs are concerned, also between royal and voiced working class.

In terms of football, however, the delta on Saturday evening was pleasingly small from a German perspective. On the one hand, the build-up play, in which either Andrich or Groß dropped between the two central defenders, seemed rather conventional and sometimes almost a bit too schematic: the magnetic Kroos, who directed asymmetrically from deep on the left, had a completely different aura (and also played it to his advantage). On the other hand, however, it was a great demonstration of how one can create brilliant moments even with a completely plain demeanor.

The 33-year-old new Dortmund player, who did not play at the European Championships, is not only the epitome of seriousness, but also a clever reader of the game, and his ability to open up paths into the depth with a long ball without hesitation proved to be extremely valuable against Hungary.

It was also his pass that sparked the first spark in the 27th minute, involving Wirtz and Musiala and at the end of which Füllkrug scored the 1-0. Despite all the changes, Groß also emphasized the value of continuity (“the same coach, the same processes, the same principles”).

Groß received the praise he deserved from the national coach. “He also does things similar to Toni. “He will have the ball at his feet, he has an eye for depth,” said Nagelsmann. “He did it well.” But it was noticeable that Nagelsmann let his gaze wander a little further. Aleksandar Pavlovic and Angelo Stiller also “wanted the balls straight away and weren’t afraid,” he said. “We have some players who can fill this role well.”

It was actually a special cliffhanger that Pavlovic (77th) was among the other goal scorers between Wirtz (66th) and the equally busy Kai Havertz (81st, penalty). The 20-year-old from Munich, who missed the European Championship at the last minute due to illness, is, like the 23-year-old from Stuttgart, one of the players from whom Nagelsmann still hopes to achieve something.

Something that may not have been necessary on Saturday evening, but which, with a view to the further episodes, may well play a role in the national coach’s script: an extra portion of boost.