Germany finished the year with a goalless draw in Sweden – only the third time in seventeen games where they have failed to hit the target. They could not be accused of not trying, as a largely experimental side including four debutants were stifled by a home side determined to keep a clean sheet.
Nationaltrainer Jogi Löw started with two of the Neulings, Mainz 05’s Lewis Holtby and Borussia Dortmund’s Marcel Schmelzer – with Holtby’s first appearance at senior level in the Schwarz und Weiß finally drawing a line under the wild media speculation about him playing for England. The second half saw the appearance of the two other debutants – also from high-flying Mainz and Dortmund – André Schürrle and Mario Götze. Schürrle and Götze also became the first full German internationals to have been born in an united Germany.
At eighteen years and 167 days, Götze became the second-youngest debutant for the Nationalmannschaft – with the legendary Uwe Seeler still being the youngest when he made his international bow in 1954 at seventeen years and 345 days.
v Sweden, Ullevi, Göteborg, 17.11.2010
0-0 (0-0)
– / –
Team: Adler – Boateng (46. An. Beck), Hummels, Westermann, Schmelzer* – Khedira (60. Träsch), Schweinsteiger (60. Kroos) – Holtby* (79. Schürrle*), Großkreutz (79. Götze*), Marin (60. Cacau) – Gómez
* Full international debut
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain)
Assistants: Roberto Alonso Fernández, Enrique Andrés Samper (Spain)
Fourth Official: Stefan Hallberg (Sweden)
Yellow Cards: – / Källström
Red Cards: – / –
Attempts on Target: 5 / 0
Attempts off Target: 4 / 2
Corners: 7 / 1
Fouls Committed: 5 / 8
Attendance: 21,959