Qatar 2022: European giant Germany struggles to beat 75th-ranked Oman in a friendly

Former World Champions Germany have completed their World Cup preparation following a hard-fought win over Oman on Wednesday evening.

Germany defeated their gallant hosts with a narrow 1-0 scoreline at the Sultan Qabos Sports Complex in Muscat.

The only goal of the encounter came in the first final 10 minutes of the game from Werder Bremen star Niclas Fullkrug.

Germany was without the duo of Thomas Muller, Antonio Rudiger and goalkeeper, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but that was not an excuse for poor performance.

Head Coach, Hansi Flick, will be grateful to Fullkrug, who saved their blushes with that decisive late goal.

17-year-old Borussia Dortmund wunderkind Youssoufa Moukoko was handed his first full international debut as he led the German line from start.

However, Moukoko, who turns 18 on Sunday when the World Cup kicks off, came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half when his effort came off the post just before the break.

With his appearance against Oman, the German-born superstar of Cameroonian descent became the youngest debutant for Germany since 1954.

In what can be described as a game for debutants, Fullkrug was another player who made his international debut against Oman.

The Bremen forward replaced Moukoko at halftime and went on to net the game's only goal to give Die Mannschaft a winning momentum heading into the tournament proper.

Fullkrug thought he had doubled the advantage a few minutes later when he had the ball in the net again but it would be ruled out for offside.

This performance wasn't one expected from one of the pre-tournament favourites at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Hansi and his Die Mannschaft will have to raise their game a notch if they want to make a better impact in Qatar.

Germany will compete in Group E in Qatar 2022 alongside Spain, Japan, and Costa Rica. They will kick off the competition against Japan next Wednesday.