At a Glance:
- Germany beat Ghana 2-1 in an international friendly on Monday.
- Kai Havertz scored a penalty for Julian Nagelsmann’s team.
- German media weren’t impressed by Havertz’s display.
Arsenal forward Kai Havertz scored and played 45 minutes as Germany narrowly beat Ghana in an international friendly on Monday night.
Havertz hasn’t played significant minutes for the Gunners this season due to injury issues, although he remains a pivotal figure in Julian Nagelsmann’s side. The 26-year-old dispatched a penalty on the stroke of half-time, cooly sending Benajmin Asare the wrong way, to give the Germans the lead.
The Arsenal man’s half-time replacement, Denis Undav, ultimately scored the winner two minutes from time after Abdul Fatawu had equalised for the Black Stars. This was Die Mannschaft’s final game of this international break, having beaten Switzerland on Friday, and Havertz will subsequently return to London Colney ahead of Mikel Arteta’s team’s trip to Southampton on Saturday night.
German media react to Kai Havertz’s performance vs Ghana
A lot has been made of Arsenal players withdrawing from international duty over the last week. Ten Gunners players have now left their country’s camp early and returned to North London, although Havertz was not among those.
Instead, the number nine remained with Nagelsmann’s outfit to get some much-needed minutes into his legs. He played an hour up front against the Swiss on Friday, before being deployed in a more unconventional role on Monday against the Ghanaians.
Nagelsmann selected Havertz on the right wing, with Nick Woltemade favoured up front and Serge Gnabry preferred as the number ten. Florian Wirtz completed the front four by being deployed on the left, and unsurprisingly, this bizarre set-up did not pay dividends.
🚨💣 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃: 🇩🇪
— Topskills Sports UK (@topskillsportuk) March 30, 2026
Kai Havertz's penalty sums → his 21st senior international goal (56 caps).
Reliable from the spot (career 92%+ conversion rate) pic.twitter.com/4u1a5vgAZi
Germany struggled in the first half and only found the opening goal after Jonas Adjetey was adjudged to have handled the ball inside Ghana’s penalty box. Havertz gleefully converted the spot-kick with his final contribution on the night.
German publication Sport1 weren’t impressed by the former Bayer Leverkusen man as a winger, handing him a 3/6 in their player ratings.
“The national coach deployed him on the right wing this time,” they wrote.
“While the Arsenal star was industrious, he struggled to create anything tangible for a long time – partly because he too easily lost possession.
“His subsequent actions also seemed unlucky, so the penalty just before halftime should have been a welcome boost. Shortly afterwards, his day was over, and he was substituted.”
Kai Havertz’s statistics vs Ghana
It’s fair to suggest that Havertz is unlikely to be used on the right wing by Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. The Spaniard has the likes of Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Max Dowman, who are more natural fits in this role, and thus, Nagelsmann’s experiment isn’t likely to extend to club football.
It’s clear from the data that this role didn’t suit him. Havertz managed just one shot aside from his penalty and created one chance for his teammate, indicating that he struggled to impact the game from the wing.
| Kai Havertz’s statistics vs Ghana | |
| Minutes Played | 45 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Touches | 34 |
| Shots | 2 |
| Accurate Passes | 17/22 (77%) |
| Chances Created | 1 |
| Touches in Opposition Box | 7 |
While he was relatively involved, managing 34 touches in just one half, this is likely a symptom of Germany dominating possession rather than anything Havertz did himself. He still managed to venture into the box at an impressive rate, demonstrating his striker instincts, although it’s evident from these numbers that this isn’t a position he should be used in on a frequent basis.
