Julian Nagelsmann hails ‘intelligent’ Ilkay Gundogan as Germany seal Euro 2024 knockout spot

Germany have booked their place in the last 16 at Euro 2024 thanks to a superb performance from captain Ilkay Gundogan.

The host nation followed up their superb opening 5-1 win over Scotland with a 2-0 victory against Hungary in Stuttgart.

Six points was enough to confirm Germany’s place in the knockouts ahead of a final Group A game against Switzerland on June 23.

Gundogan was instrumental in easing Germany to their latest win, with an assist for Jamal Musiala’s opening goal, before calmly slotting home a second.

Head coach Julian Nagelsmann was full of praise in his full time review with his call to keep the Barcelona star as captain fully justified.

“He worked hard and tried to guide and control the game. He’s a very intelligent player and we trust him a lot”, as per reports from Mundo Deportivo.

“He was the captain of Manchester City when they won the Premier League and he was one of their best players. We have to push him a little, because we know what’s inside of him.”

With qualification now safe, Nagelsmann could rotate against Switzerland, after naming an unchanged team in their first two games.

Gundogan is expected to start but he may not complete the full 90 minutes at Deutsche Bank Park.

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