20th Minute: Germany vs. Norway - Still 0-0
The corner kick from Marco's run came to nothing—cleared at the near post by a Norwegian defender. But the sequence had shifted something. Germany was finding their rhythm, and Marco was finding his confidence.
23rd minute: Marco received the ball wide left again, this time with more space. The Norwegian right back approached cautiously now, having seen Marco's pace on that earlier run. That caution was exactly what Marco needed.
He took a touch to the left, inviting pressure. The defender stepped in. Marco shifted his weight right, dragged the ball across his body with his left foot—his cut-inside move—and suddenly he was on his right foot, moving centrally.
The defender lunged but missed. Marco was through into the half-space between fullback and center back.
Özil, seeing the movement, drifted away from the right, pulling his marker and creating even more space.
Marco drove forward, now twenty yards from goal. Two Norwegian center backs converged. He looked up. The Stuttgart striker was making a diagonal run across the front post. The angle for a through ball was tight, but visible.
Marco's right foot connected cleanly. The pass split the defense perfectly, weight immaculate. The striker ran onto it, one touch to control, second to shoot—
The goalkeeper saved it brilliantly, diving low to his left. The ball spun away for another corner.
"Great ball, Marco!" The striker gave him a thumbs up. "Keeper made a hell of a save."
Coach Müller applauded from the sideline. "Excellent, Reus! That's what we want!"
[System Update:
Performance Rating: 7.2 → 7.7/10
Key Pass: Elite execution (9.1/10)]
27th minute: Germany took the lead, but not through Marco.
A corner kick swung in from the right. Mats Hummels rose highest at the near post, his header powerful and accurate. The ball crashed into the net.
1-0, Germany.
The team mobbed Hummels. Marco sprinted over to join the celebration, feeling the electricity of scoring first in a competitive match. Özil found him in the pile of bodies, both grinning.
"Now we can play," Özil said.
He was right. With the lead, Germany could be more expansive, force Norway to come forward, create space in behind.
32nd minute: Norway pushed higher, trying to equalize. They won the ball in midfield and countered quickly. Their striker broke through— a dangerous situation.
But Ron Zieler was equal to it, coming off his line to smother the shot. Quick distribution to the right back, who found Özil. Özil turned and immediately looked for Marco on the opposite wing.
The diagonal ball was perfect. Marco controlled, already moving forward. The Norwegian defense was unbalanced from the counter-attack, scrambling to recover. Marco had space, time, and confidence.
He drove toward the box. The right back recovered, positioning himself centrally to force Marco wide. The center back shifted over as cover. Standard defensive positioning.
But Marco saw something else: the Stuttgart striker checking to the ball, and behind him, Özil sprinting forward unmarked on the right side.
Marco shaped to shoot, selling it completely.
Both defenders reacted, closing him down. At the last second, Marco cut the ball square with the outside of his right foot, a low pass across the box.
Özil arrived at full speed. One touch with his right foot, to control the ball perfect ly. Second touch with his left foot, side-footed pass to the bottom corner, past the gloves of the goalkeeper.
2-0, Germany
GOAL. Mesut Özil. Assist: Marco Reus.
Özil wheeled away in celebration. Marco chased him, jumping on his back. "Perfect finish!"
"Perfect pass!" Özil shouted back.
The German bench erupted. Coach Müller was on his feet, fist-pumping. That was the combination play they'd been drilling all week—wide players interchanging, creating overloads, executing with quality.
38th minute: Norway tried to respond, pushing more players forward. This left space in behind, exactly what Germany wanted. Marco found himself with more room to operate, the Norwegian defense stretched thin.
He received the ball on the left, faked the cut inside this time, and instead accelerated down the line. Pure pace. The right back couldn't match his speed. Marco reached the byline and cut the ball back toward the penalty spot.
The Stuttgart striker was arriving—header, powerful, on target—but the goalkeeper made another excellent save.
"Unlucky!" Marco called. That was two great chances he'd created that hadn't been finished. The quality was there, just needed the final touch.
Halftime whistle: Germany 2-0 Norway.
Halftime - Locker Room:
The mood was positive but focused. Germany was winning comfortably, but the match wasn't over.
Coach Müller addressed the team. "Excellent first half. Defensively solid, good transition play, clinical finishing from Özil. But Norway will come out aggressive in the second half. They need goals. Stay disciplined, don't get drawn into individual battles, and if we get a third goal, the match is over."
He looked at Marco specifically. "Reus, good performance. Your assist was perfect, your passing has been dangerous, and you're causing their defense problems. Keep doing exactly what you're doing."
"Yes, Coach."
Coach Weber added tactical notes: "Norway will push their fullbacks higher. That means more space in behind. Özil, Reus—you'll have opportunities to run at their center backs one-on-one. Be direct when you get those chances."
The team went back out for the second half energized and confident.
Second Half
48th minute: Norway made a change, bringing on a more attacking player. They pressed higher immediately, winning the ball in Germany's half and creating a dangerous chance. Their striker shot from close range—
Ron Zieler saved brilliantly again. He'd been exceptional all match.
52nd minute: Germany's third goal came from sustained pressure.
Özil received the ball centrally, dribbled past one defender, and played a quick pass to Marco on the left. Marco took one touch and crossed first-time toward the far post—a driven, low cross.
The Stuttgart striker had timed his run perfectly. He slid in at the back post and knocked it home.
3-0, Germany.
Marco's second assist. The match was effectively over.
60th minute: Coach Müller made substitutions, resting key players. Marco came off to applause from the German fans and handshakes from the coaching staff.
"Excellent debut, Reus!" Coach Weber said as Marco reached the sideline. "Two assists, but I can see— you where dangerous all match, their defence couldn't handle you. Well done. And I want to see more of that next time."
Marco sat on the bench, wrapping a jacket around his shoulders, and watched the final thirty minutes. Germany controlled it easily, added a fourth goal through a substitute, and cruised to a 4-0 victory.
Final whistle.
Germany 4-0 Norway.
Marco's debut: 2 assists, 8.7/10 performance rating, 60 minutes played.
In the locker room afterward, the atmosphere was jubilant. Three points from the first match, dominant performance, perfect start to the qualifiers.