Florian Wirtz was back among the goals for Germany as he took up his best role again, while Wataru Endo made his return for Japan after a long-term injury.
Wirtz’s difficult first season at Liverpool was not helped by the confusion over his role under Arne Slot, who appeared to place too much burden on him centrally.
While brought in as a No. 10 it is clear that the 23-year-old is at his best in a freer duty on the left flank – which is where he thrives for his country.
He again started on the left as Germany hosted Finland in their first of two warmup friendlies ahead of the World Cup, scoring their second in a 4-0 victory on Sunday.
With opening goalscorer Denis Undav up front, Jamal Musiala as No. 10 and Lennart Karl on the right, Wirtz was able to drift and find the space needed to help drive Germany’s attacks.
It gave him the opportunity to move into a central area just outside the six-yard box as Undav pressed Finland into a mistake in playing out from the back, with Wirtz finding himself free for a tap-in to make it 2-0.
Undav and Musiala both added goals in the second half to seal a 4-0 victory in a game that saw Wirtz brought off after 73 minutes.
Less of a creator and more of an attacker, Liverpool’s No. 7 had the most shots of any player (six) and the third-most touches in the penalty area (eight).
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, April 25, 2026: Liverpool's Florian Wirtz speaks to the linesman during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
With a change of head coach this summer it could provide Wirtz with a fresh outlook, after seven goals and 10 assists in his 49 games since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth up to £116 million.
Another player who could hope for an improvement under Arne Slot‘s likely successor Andoni Iraola is Endo, who was only afforded 455 minutes on the pitch last season.
Endo’s campaign was blighted by a serious foot injury picked up in the 1-0 win at Sunderland in early February, which ruled him out for three months.
Wataru Endo plays first game since foot surgery
Wataru Endo, Japan. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Though he returned to the squad for Liverpool’s final game of the season, his first appearance back instead came with Japan on Sunday.
The 33-year-old started and played the first half as Japan beat Iceland 1-0, with a view to finding full fitness ahead of a key role at the tournament.
Endo enters the final year of his contract at Liverpool this summer and it is now unclear whether he figures in Iraola’s plans looking forward – but there is of course a chance he features more prominently under a new head coach.