Kai Havertz helps Germany salvage 3-3 draw with Ukraine, proceeds going to warfare victims

Kai Havertz helped Germany salvage a 3-3 draw with Ukraine in a charity pleasant that left neither crew comfortable from a sporting perspective on Monday.

Viktor Tsyhankov had scored twice for Ukraine to come back from behind and lead 3-1 in Serhiy Rebrov ’s debut as coach, placing his crew on track for the nation’s first ever win over Germany.

But Havertz pulled one again within the 83rd and was then fouled for a penalty that Joshua Kimmich transformed in stoppage time for the equalizer.

The German soccer federation was donating the proceeds to victims of Russia’s warfare in Ukraine. The match was additionally billed because the federation’s 1,000th, however the crew’s efficiency will do little to revive battered German confidence a yr earlier than the nation hosts the European Championship.

The buildup was overshadowed by the warfare in Ukraine with each groups taking to the sphere accompanied by youngsters who had fled their nation to flee the invasion.

Every visiting participant was draped in a Ukrainian flag. The groups posed for particular person images — with Ukraine’s in entrance of one other big blue-and-yellow flag — earlier than German and Ukrainian gamers posed for a combined picture behind a banner with the phrase “peace.”

The German gamers additionally had a peace image on the arms of their jerseys.

Niclas Füllkrug, taking part in in his dwelling stadium, was gifted an enormous probability by Mykhailo Mudryk within the second minute however the Werder Bremen ahead missed with solely the goalkeeper to beat.

Füllkrug was credited with the opening objective within the sixth when he deflected Marius Wolf’s shot previous Anatoliy Trubin within the guests’ objective.

Germany missed additional good possibilities towards the disorganized guests earlier than Tsyhankov equalized on a counterattack within the nineteenth.

Mudryk pressured an personal objective from Antonio Rüdiger 4 minutes later to make it 2-1, delighting the visiting supporters. The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, celebrated with restraint beside German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who smiled and held out his hand to congratulate him.

Buoyed by the objectives, Ukraine pushed for extra earlier than the house crew recovered.

But it was a typical show of late from Germany — seemingly in management, creating possibilities, but nonetheless vulnerable to pricey errors.

Coach Hansi Flick reacted by bringing on Havertz and Lukas Klostermann for the second half, however little modified.

Artem Dovbyk capitalized on one other mistake to arrange Tsyhankov for the third objective within the 56th.

Further German errors led to whistles from some within the crowd.

They had been lastly given purpose to cheer when Rüdiger despatched a protracted ball ahead for Havertz to attain.

Havertz was then fouled as he pushed for the equalizer and Kimmich, the Germany captain, made no mistake from the spot.