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Füllkrug's jubilation after the 1-0
Photo: ANNEGRET HILSE / REUTERS
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was hardly on the pitch when he had to wipe the sweat from his forehead for the first time.
After 30 minutes, the referee asked the players to take a drink break, who greedily sucked on their drinking bottles.
Hansi Flick and the German national soccer team traveled to Oman to acclimatise, and two days after their arrival the friendly, which they won 1-0 against the hosts, made it clear how necessary that is.
"The players should also overcome their weaker self here," Flick had stated as one of the goals before the game.
It was visibly difficult for his professionals, in the first half the internationals dragged themselves across the pitch against the much lighter-footed Oman.
That was not nice to watch at all, neither for the viewers on the screen, nor for the national coach himself.
The fear of injury
"The way we went into the duels wasn't at the level of the World Cup," Flick summed up and blamed it on the "fear of getting injured".
After all, that could also have been the reason why you were sweating on your forehead.
At times the defenders acted so carefully, as if they were balancing a raw egg instead of a soccer ball.
That just doesn't happen very much now, seven days before the first World Cup game against the Japanese.
You can feel that very well, but you should have expected a little more in the duel with the 75th in the world rankings.
Negligent in defence, uninspired in midfield, largely harmless in attack – only Niclas Füllkrug, who came on as a substitute in the second half, corrected the picture.
Committed and also successful with the goal of the day in the 79th minute: a debut couldn't go better.
"Our second half was actually a bit better," summarized the man from Bremen without putting too much weight on his own contribution.
It was obvious to everyone anyway that there was more of a goal threat when he came into play and the flanks now had a taker.
That's his job, and Füllkrug did it as one would expect from a centre-forward.
"Nothing big changed"
What can you learn from such a test match so shortly before the tournament as a national coach?
Apparently not very much, because Flick himself said that "nothing changed much" as a result of the game in terms of which line-up he will start the tournament with next Wednesday.
Antonio Rüdiger and Thomas Müller, who haven't played against Oman yet, will most certainly play, as will Serge Gnabry, who is currently in great form. Otherwise, the team will look very different from when they played against Oman.
Josua Kimmich only came after the break, Jamal Musiala didn't play at all.
It should be more than pure speculation that the German game would have seemed more inspired with Musiala, as the young Bayern star has performed in recent weeks.
In fact, he is probably the greatest hope, a lot of ballast for a 19-year-old, but recently he didn't give the impression at the club that he was particularly affected and burdened.
In any case, without him there wasn't much going on in the German development game, and the home cheerleader in the stands, who set the tone over loudspeakers, seemed far more enthusiastic than most of the DFB players.
But whatever?
A defeat, which was even possible at times when Oman missed a huge scoring chance when the score was 0-0, would have been slightly embarrassing.
But as it is, Flick can tick off the 90 minutes from Muscat, everyone has stayed healthy.
"And now we're all thinking of Japan," Captain Manuel Neuer set the tone after the game.
"Everything was just as planned," Flick wiped away possible points of criticism after the game that the game had "fulfilled its purpose".
Whatever the purpose of that may have been - there is still a week to sharpen the automatisms, to optimize the fitness, to raise the team to a level to beat Japan.
It's going to be difficult enough, "I don't have a good feeling," said RTL expert Steffen Freund on the live microphone, and if Freund, who is otherwise always bursting with optimism, doesn't have a good feeling, that should perhaps give food for thought.
In any case, this game on Wednesday evening was not a stimulant, nor was it a game to arouse euphoria, which in view of the World Cup host Qatar will be difficult to get going in Germany anyway.
The national coach insisted that "I'm looking forward to the tournament".
A tournament that leaves so many question marks.
And the sporty ones are not even the biggest.