Florian Wirtz had gone eight Premier League games without a goal. In Basel on Friday night, in front of a full house at St. Jakob Park, he had two goals and two assists by the 86th minute. Germany beat Switzerland 4-3 in a match that had everything — and one moment that will be talked about long after the scoreline is forgotten.
The game was breathless from the start. Dan Ndoye cut in from the left and beat Oliver Baumann from a tight angle after 17 minutes to put Switzerland ahead. Germany levelled nine minutes later through Jonathan Tah, who headed home Wirtz's cross at the back post. Breel Embolo headed in a Silvan Widmer delivery to restore the home side's advantage four minutes before the break, and it looked like Germany might go in behind again at half-time — until Wirtz floated a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Serge Gnabry, who finished without hesitation to make it 2-2 deep into stoppage time.
Then came the moment. Germany won a short corner shortly after the hour. The ball was rolled to Wirtz at the edge of the box and, with no obvious angle of attack, he bent a right-footed shot over goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and into the top corner from 30 metres. The ball dipped perfectly under the bar. It is already a leading candidate for the 2026 Puskas Award, and it is difficult to argue with that assessment.
Joel Monteiro pulled Switzerland level again in the 79th minute with a rifled effort that left Baumann with no chance. The equaliser lasted six minutes. Wirtz collected a pass from substitute Pascal Gross and drove another precise, powerful effort into the net from the edge of the box to seal the win.
Germany have now won six consecutive matches and go into the World Cup in genuine form. Wirtz, who had only managed four goals and two assists in 27 Premier League games for Liverpool this season, looked like a completely different player in an international shirt. His return of two goals and four assists across his last two Germany appearances tells its own story.
"We have a very good team," Wirtz said after the match. "We know it will be rough, but we have a great squad and we don't need to hide."
Germany outshot Switzerland 22 to 7 and won the expected goals battle by a margin of more than 2.5 to 0.57. That level of dominance suggests Friday night was not a fluke. It also ended Switzerland's 10-match unbeaten run.
