Germany Beats France 2-1 in a Friendly to End Its Winless Run Days After Removing Coach Hansi Flick 

Football - International Friendly - Germany v France - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany - September 12, 2023 Germany interim coach Rudi Völler talks to Thomas Müller. (Reuters)
Football - International Friendly - Germany v France - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany - September 12, 2023 Germany interim coach Rudi Völler talks to Thomas Müller. (Reuters)
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Germany Beats France 2-1 in a Friendly to End Its Winless Run Days After Removing Coach Hansi Flick 

Football - International Friendly - Germany v France - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany - September 12, 2023 Germany interim coach Rudi Völler talks to Thomas Müller. (Reuters)
Football - International Friendly - Germany v France - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany - September 12, 2023 Germany interim coach Rudi Völler talks to Thomas Müller. (Reuters)

From jeers to cheers inside three days.

Germany beat World Cup runner-up France 2-1 in a friendly on Tuesday in a dramatic turnaround from being whistled by the crowd in a 4-1 loss to Japan on Saturday. That defeat cost Hansi Flick his job as coach the following day.

The win lifts some of the gloom around the team hosting the European Championship next year.

“We really threw ourselves into it and I think people saw that,” goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen told broadcaster ARD. “These have been strange, difficult days and it was all the better that we could turn things around with the win. I think it gives us confidence and that was what we definitely need right now.”

Thomas Müller scored early on and Leroy Sané added a second on a late counterattack, ending the run of five winless games which led to Flick being ousted Sunday. The search is on for a new permanent coach ahead of games against the United States and Mexico next month.

Against France, Germany was coached by a three-person caretaker team including sporting director Rudi Völler. He was Germany’s coach when it reached the 2002 World Cup final but hadn’t taken charge of any game for 18 years.

France had not conceded a goal in five games since losing the World Cup final to Argentina last year, but Germany scored in just the fourth minute. Thomas Müller, brought back to the squad by Flick last week for the first time this year, controlled Benjamin Henrichs’ cross and hammered the ball past goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

France could have had a penalty when Antonio Rüdiger appeared to shove Randal Kolo Muani to the ground in the penalty area in the 20th, but the referee opted not to give it. Aurelien Tchouameni had chances to score with two first-half headers at corners and a low shot in the 57th which was saved.

Sané made it 2-0 on a swift counter in the 87th but almost immediately gave away a penalty for a foul on Eduardo Camavinga. Antoine Griezmann converted the spot-kick.

On a night when Germany far surpassed expectations, there was concern over its captain, Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gündogan, who went off injured in the 25th after landing heavily on his back following an aerial challenge.



Peace with Sinner: Tennis Fan Pope Leo XIV Meets with Top-Ranked Player During Italian Open Off-Day 

Jannik Sinner of Italy gestures as he plays against Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina their men’s singles round of 16 match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Italy, 13 May 2025. (EPA)
Jannik Sinner of Italy gestures as he plays against Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina their men’s singles round of 16 match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Italy, 13 May 2025. (EPA)
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Peace with Sinner: Tennis Fan Pope Leo XIV Meets with Top-Ranked Player During Italian Open Off-Day 

Jannik Sinner of Italy gestures as he plays against Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina their men’s singles round of 16 match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Italy, 13 May 2025. (EPA)
Jannik Sinner of Italy gestures as he plays against Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina their men’s singles round of 16 match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Italy, 13 May 2025. (EPA)

Pope Leo XIV has apparently made peace with Jannik Sinner.

The top-ranked tennis player visited the new pope on Wednesday, gave him a tennis racket and offered to play, during an off day for Sinner at the Italian Open, the Vatican said.

Leo, the first American pope, is an avid tennis player and fan and had said earlier this week that he would be up for a charity match when it was suggested by a journalist. But at the time, Leo joked “but we can’t invite Sinner,” an apparent reference to the English meaning of Sinner’s last name.

Sinner said it was “a good thing for us tennis players” that the new pope likes to play the sport.

The top-ranked player has a quarterfinal match on Thursday in his first tournament back after a three-month ban for doping that was judged to be an accidental contamination.

Sinner will next face either freshly crowned Madrid champion Casper Ruud or Jaume Munar. Sinner is attempting to become the first Italian man to win the Rome title since Adriano Panatta in 1976.