Mario Gotze was delighted to be back in international action as he made a telling contribution in Germany’s 2-2 draw with France on Tuesday.
Gotze has not played for the national team in over a year after the last campaign was severely interrupted by a metabolic disorder.
He has slowly been reintegrated into the Borussia Dortmund squad in 2017-18 and earned his first call up from Joachim Low for the friendlies with England and France.
The attacking midfielder was an unused substitute in the 0-0 draw with the Three Lions on Friday, but four days later he finally made his return in Cologne.
On as a 65th minute substitute, Gotze was on hand to create a last-minute chance that Lars Stindl swept home to extend Germany’s unbeaten run to 21 matches.
Welcome back, @MarioGoetze! #DieMannschaft #GERFRA pic.twitter.com/Whp8VoE0WK
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) November 14, 2017
“This was a positive story tonight for me and a big step in the right direction,” he told ARD.
“I’m happy to be back with the team again. This was a great thing for me tonight.”
It looked like the world champions’ run was about to come to an abrupt halt after a double from Alexandre Lacazette before Germany’s late equaliser, a goal Sami Khedira felt the hosts deserved.
“The result is okay,” he said. “In the second half we played great and then we conceded the 1-2.
“At the end the draw was well-deserved. We made very positive impressions after we went down two times.”
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SoccerNews
Soccernews.com is news blog for soccer with comprehensive coverage of all the major leagues in Europe, as well as MLS in the United States. In addition we offer breaking news for transfers and transfer rumors, ticket sales, betting tips and offers, match previews, and in-depth editorials.
You can follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/soccernews.com or Twitter: @soccernewsfeed.