Deniz Undav delivered a commanding performance to fire Germany to a convincing 4-0 win over Finland in Mainz on Sunday, wrapping up their final home friendly before the 2026 World Cup in style.
Given a rare start in the absence of Champions League finalist Kai Havertz, who has yet to link up with the squad, Undav ran the outclassed Finns ragged alongside 18-year-old Lennart Karl, who was making his first full international start for Germany.
Undav finished the evening with two goals and an assist, taking his tally to six in eight appearances for the national side, before being withdrawn shortly after netting his second due to a minor injury. He was quick to play down any concerns, though.
“It was a 10 out of 10 evening,” Undav told Germany’s ZDF network. “Good night, family was here, the main thing is we won. I had three goal contributions and it couldn’t have gone much better.”
Jamal Musiala, making his first appearance for Germany since March 2025 following a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a broken leg, marked his return with a goal, while Florian Wirtz also got on the scoresheet to round off a thoroughly satisfying evening for Julian Nagelsmann’s side.
“I hope it was fun for everyone because it was for me,” Musiala said. “It’ll do me good. I haven’t scored for a while.”
Finland, ranked 73rd in the world, offered precious little resistance to the four-time world champions, who have one further friendly to come before the tournament begins.
Germany face World Cup co-hosts the United States in Chicago on 7 June before opening their Group campaign against Curacao on 14 June.
Nagelsmann used the match to hand opportunities to those on the fringes of his plans, with Undav, Nathaniel Brown and Felix Nmecha all coming into the starting line-up, alongside the uncapped Karl. Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who had been handed a surprise recall to the squad nearly two years after stepping away from international football, was absent with a calf injury, leaving Oliver Baumann to deputise between the posts.
Karl caught the eye early on with his directness from the right flank, and Brown found Undav in a promising position, only for the Stuttgart forward’s effort to be kept out by Finland goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky.
Germany broke the deadlock on 34 minutes through Undav. Captain Joshua Kimmich floated a delightful cross from the right that Undav met with a precise header to open the scoring.
Early in the second half, Undav turned provider when he pounced on a loose Ville Koski pass and squared for Wirtz to tap home and double Germany’s advantage.
Just before the hour mark, Undav added his second of the night, bursting onto a Karl pass and finishing coolly to make it 3-0. He was substituted immediately afterwards, though he sought to reassure supporters over the extent of his knock.
“A little bit of pain but nothing wild,” Undav said. “Everything is fine. I will need a couple of days of treatment and then I will be ready.”
Musiala, playing his first Germany match in 434 days, then put the gloss on the win with a powerful finish from just inside the box to complete a thoroughly professional evening’s work.
