The unusual sound at the Germany game in Oman

The German national team played against Oman in the last friendly before the World Cup in Muscat. The final score was 1-0 (0-0), the stupid victory of the unimaginative DFB team was a disappointment, the dress rehearsal for the first group game next Wednesday against Japan (2 p.m., in the WELT sports ticker) was sobering and stoked Doubt. The only remarkable thing was that international newcomer Youssoufa Moukoko was in the starting XI. The Dortmund striker, who turns 18 next Sunday, is the fourth youngest DFB debutant ever.

Also noteworthy: the sound during the game. On the TV you wondered: what was going on there? Background: A singer with a huge megaphone that could not be overheard throughout the stadium got the fans of Oman in the opposite stand with songs in the mood. He intoned something like: "Oh you Reds (Oman players, the editors), I couldn't live without you." And everyone agreed.

The man is a big fan of the team and attends every national team home game. While some German TV viewers reacted annoyed and vented their displeasure on the Internet ("With these 'background chants' you have to say: you did a lot of injustice to the vuvuzela"), this is part of the standard repertoire for stadium visitors in Oman. Nobody is annoyed by this. A similar background noise can also be heard in games in the domestic league.

A first interim conclusion could be drawn after 22 minutes: The man sang for 20 minutes, then took a break for the second time and started again cheerfully and loudly. The block around him then stopped clapping and singing even during his little recovery period. It was immediately quiet in the stadium, without him there was hardly any atmosphere.

The Polish national team barely won their World Cup preparatory game against Chile 1-0 (0-0). Krzysztof Piatek, on loan from Hertha BSC to Italian Serie A club US Salernitana, scored the goal of the day in the 85th minute. Poland national coach Czeslaw Michniewicz did without stars Robert Lewandowski (FC Barcelona) and Piotr Zielinski (SSC Napoli) in the starting XI in Warsaw on Wednesday.

Poland will play their World Cup opener against Mexico on Tuesday. The other preliminary round opponents are Saudi Arabia (November 26) and Argentina (November 30). Chile does not qualify for the World Cup.

Led by captain Lionel Messi, title co-favourites Argentina clearly won the last friendly before the World Cup. The Albiceleste are unbeaten in 36 games after beating the United Arab Emirates 5-0 (4-0) in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Another unbeaten game would see the Argentines equal Italy's record of 37 straight games unbeaten.

The Squadra Azzurra, who failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, had gone almost three years unbeaten from October 2018. The Argentines conceded their last defeat to date in July 2019.

Against the United Arab Emirates, coached by Argentinian Rodolfo Arruabarrena, Julian Alvarez took the lead in the 17th minute on a template from Messi, Angel di Maria (25th/36th) with a remarkable brace and Messi (44th) with a right-footed shot in the angle increased before the break. Then Joaquín Correa met (60th). Argentina will face Saudi Arabia in their World Cup opener on November 22, while other group opponents are Mexico and Poland.

The German Football Association (DFB) will not have its own candidate in the election for Fifa President next March, but will also refuse to support incumbent Gianni Infantino. The DFB presidium decided this unanimously in a switch, the association announced on Wednesday. Shortly before the start of the World Cup, the DFB renewed its criticism of the world association, which is led by the Swiss Infantino. "The fact is: many associations have already signaled their support for the incumbent President Gianni Infantino," DFB President Bernd Neuendorf was quoted as saying with a view to the Fifa Congress on March 16 in Rwanda's capital Kigali. The nomination period for the post of top Fifa representative ended on Wednesday.

The decision was also intended to express "that we would have liked FIFA to have made a clearer commitment to human rights and a greater commitment to humanitarian issues," said Neuendorf. The DFB expects transparent decision-making processes in Fifa and stands by its demands for the establishment of a compensation fund for the relatives of the workers who died or were injured on the World Cup construction sites in Qatar. The world championship, which lasts until December 18, begins there on Sunday.

Former England international Gary Lineker is hoping for fewer tactical experiments from national team coach Gareth Southgate. "We don't really have a clear style of play. Southgate changes that from time to time, changes his tactics. Also during the tournament, which is a bit worrying for me," said the 61-year-old on MagentaTV: "I always look at the really good coaches, the great coaches in world football. They have a way of playing and then they have the players who either fit into it or don't."

However, Lineker credited Southgate with an "incredibly good job" since taking office in 2016, "he's a lot better than anyone in England for an awfully long time".

Lineker does not trust the German team to win the World Cup. "You don't have anyone you can rely on to score goals," said Lineker: "If Lewandowski were German, I would say: you are the absolute favorite to win the World Cup." Long-time Bayern professional Robert Lewandowski leads his home country Poland at the World Cup.

The anticipation of the German fans for the World Cup seems to be very clouded. This is the result of a representative survey of football fans conducted using the FanQ app. More than half of those surveyed stated that they "didn't watch a game at all" during the tournament. Only about one in ten plans to watch "most games", a good 17 percent want to watch "only the Germany games".

For about 85 percent of the study participants, the anticipation for the tournament in Qatar is “much less” compared to previous World Cups. Only a good two percent are more euphoric than in the past. Many football fans expressed their dissatisfaction with the human rights situation in Qatar and the timing of the staging in the German winter. More than two-thirds of the people stated that the period had a “negative” effect on their mood. Since the temperatures in Qatar are too high in the summer months, a World Cup will take place in winter for the first time.

The World Cup in Qatar will lead to fewer new TV purchases. This is the result of a survey by market researcher Yougov on behalf of the industry organization gfu Consumer

"Traditionally, major sporting events such as World Cups are a welcome reason for many fans to make new purchases," says a statement from gfu. Eleven percent of those surveyed said they had invested in major sporting events in the past. "A measurable World Cup special effect in the sale of TV sets is unlikely to occur this year," said gfu Managing Director Sara Warneke.

In the past few days, pictures from Doha have been circulating around the world, with fans from various football nations celebrating in fan marches on the streets. However, the trailers do not look really authentic. To put it mildly. These are exclusively men.

For example, here are the English fans:

Or the German followers:

According to various media reports, these are supposed to be "fake fans", i.e. people who are paid or asked to do so by the organizers for a bit of good vibes.

Qatar now vehemently denies these reports. An official statement from the organizing committee said: "Fans from all over the world - many of whom have made Qatar their homeland - have recently added to the local atmosphere, organizing fan walks and parades across the country and welcoming the various national teams in receive their hotels. Numerous journalists and commentators on social media have questioned whether these are "real" fans. We firmly reject these claims, which are both disappointing and unsurprising. Qatar and the rest of the world is made up of a diverse population of football fans, many of whom have emotional ties to multiple nations. In different places around the world, fans have different traditions and different ways of celebrating, and while this may contrast with what people are used to in Europe or South America, it doesn't mean that the passion for football is any less authentic. "

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wished the German national team all the best for the World Cup. "The Federal Chancellor not only keeps his fingers crossed for our players for the opening game, but of course also wishes our team a successful tournament," said a government spokesman in Berlin.

He answered the question of how enthusiastic the successor to Angela Merkel (CDU), who had always been a big fan of the national team, was about the World Cup and whether he would watch games. "The Chancellor is looking forward to our team's games and hopes for a peaceful World Cup with fair and exciting encounters," said the spokesman.

Owen Hargreaves raves about Jamal Musiala. “Every player is different, but Musiala is truly unique. When I saw him play for the first time, he immediately reminded me of Kaká: the way he moves, how graceful he is, how well he dribbles," said the former England international on eurosport.de.

Hargreaves, who also played for Bayern from 2000 to 2007 and then for Manchester United and Manchester City, considers Musiala to be one of the possible stars at the World Cup in Qatar: "The fact that he's playing at such a high level at such a young age and that stops him several positions at once, shows his unique talent for me. If Germany do well, he could really become one of the stars of the tournament.”

Dutch national coach Louis van Gaal has gathered his entire squad on the training field for the first full training session in Qatar. The recently injured Memphis Depay and Denzel Dumfries were also on the pitch on Wednesday. The Oranje team arrived in Qatar on Tuesday evening and immediately after arrival, shortly before midnight, had a short relaxation session.

Dumfries injured his knee in his club's Inter Milan game last weekend but doesn't appear to have any serious problems. Depay, on the other hand, has been out since the international matches in September. Van Gaal is therefore not counting on the goalscorer for the opening game against Senegal on Monday.

Christopher Nkunku misses the World Cup. In a training duel with his teammate Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), the currently best striker in the Bundesliga with twelve goals sprained his left knee, the French football association said after radiological examinations late Tuesday evening.

"Get well soon, Christo! This news hurts," RB Leipzig tweeted: "We're with you and we know you'll come back stronger!" Nkunku's RB teammate Timo Werner also missed the World Cup due to injury.

Nkunku has made eight appearances for the national team, with two assists. The fast and technically highly gifted attacker, who was voted the best player in the Bundesliga last season, was planned as a backup player under coach Didier Deschamps. The competition, especially up front, is great for the Équipe Tricolore.

Now another Bundesliga professional has been nominated. Randal Kolo Muani (23) from Eintracht Frankfurt joins the team. The attacker is currently in Japan with Eintracht and will arrive with the national team in Doha on Thursday morning. France meet Australia, Denmark and Tunisia in Group D of the World Cup finals in Qatar.

Youssoufa Moukoko of Borussia Dortmund is the youngest player at the World Cup. The German attacker turns 18 on November 20, the day of the opening game between Qatar and Ecuador.

In addition to Moukoko, five other players were born in 2004. Australia's Garang Kuol (September 15, 2004), who plays for the Central Coast Mariners in his home country, is the second youngest player at the tournament. They are followed by Spain's Gavi (5 August 2004/FC Barcelona), England's Jewison Bennette (15 June 2004/AFC Sunderland), Morocco's Bilal El Khannouss (10 May 2004/KRC Genk) and Ghana's Fatawu Issahaku (8 March 2004). /Sporting Lisbon).

Not only is the German team contesting their last test today at 6:00 p.m. (RTL), other World Cup participants are also doing a form check. The games at a glance:

The German World Cup final hero Andreas Brehme has high hopes in his former Bayern teammate Hansi Flick when he makes his tournament debut as national coach. "Hansi was an important player for us, a worker in midfield. And that's how he is as a coach, a worker," said Brehme.

As a coach, Flick “had not had such great success for nothing, not only with FC Bayern, but also now with the national team,” said Brehme, explaining his appreciation: “He does it really well. And I hope they go far in Qatar, that we become world champions.” Brehme (62) and Flick (57) played together at FC Bayern from 1986 to 1988.

FC Bayern's Sadio Mané will miss the first games of Senegal's national team. The vice-president of the Senegalese association assumes this, reported "L'Equipe". Mané was injured and you have to deal with it and not complain too much, said Abdoulaye Sow accordingly. You have to play the first games without Mané and win without the top attacker.

The 30-year-old striker tore a tendon in FC Bayern's 6-1 win against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga, but was still nominated for his home country's World Cup squad. Africa's Footballer of the Year is his country's most important player. In Group A, Senegal meet the Netherlands on 21 November, followed by hosts Qatar and Ecuador as opponents.

Qatar national soccer coach Felix Sanchez is confident ahead of his team's World Cup debut. "In 2019 it was very difficult to imagine that we would win the Asian Cup and we did it. I'm not talking about becoming world champions, but keeping up at the highest level is definitely our goal," said Sanchez before the start of the tournament this Sunday (5 p.m. / ZDF and Magentasport) with a view to the preliminary round. Qatar play Ecuador in the opening match, Senegal five days later and fellow favorites Netherlands to finish off Group A.

“We meet teams that have been in the World Cup final or are African champions. Many players are the best in the world in their positions, with World Cup and Champions League experience,” the 46-year-old Spaniard clarified. The hosts' team is rather inexperienced internationally, the players play in the Qatar Stars League. Sanchez has had plenty of time in recent months to prepare his team for the tournament. The only World Cup host to have been eliminated in the preliminary round was South Africa 2010. Qatar goes into the tournament as a clear underdog.