Germany made it eight wins in a row with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Ghana at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart on Monday, but they were made to work for it.
Kai Havertz converted from the penalty spot deep into first-half stoppage time after a handball by Jonas Adjetey was confirmed by VAR. Germany dominated possession throughout the first half with 69 per cent of the ball and 23 shots across the game, yet consistently failed to convert their dominance into goals.
Ghana grew into the contest and levelled in the 70th minute through Fatawu Issahaku, the Leicester City winger coming off the bench to drill a composed finish past Alexander Nubel. For a period, it looked as though the Black Stars would salvage a deserved draw.
Deniz Undav had other ideas. The Stuttgart forward, playing on his home ground, buried the winner two minutes from time to send the MHP Arena crowd into raptures. Germany had been poor by their recent standards but the result is what matters with the World Cup now ten weeks away.
Florian Wirtz was again involved in everything positive for Julian Nagelsmann's side, continuing the brilliant form he showed in the 4-3 win over Switzerland on Friday. Germany's World Cup preparation is complete with eight wins from eight, even if the performances have not always matched the results.
