Leon Goretzka was delighted to send Bayern Munich into the international break on a high as his goal helped them to a 2-1 win over Freiburg.
The Bundesliga leaders ended Freiburg's unbeaten start to the season at the Allianz Arena, Goretzka's opener and a second-half strike from Robert Lewandowski proving enough for maximum points.
Julian Nagelsmann's team lost at home to Eintracht Frankfurt prior to the last international break.
But they were dominant this time around against Freiburg, Bayern's 29 shots their most of the season so far.
Goretzka, who also hit the post in the second half, underlined the importance of approaching the break with a positive result.
"We shouldn't forget that we played against a good team today," Goretzka said to Sky. "The most important thing was to win the game, which we did.
"It was incredibly important to score the second goal, because you can always concede at any time. Our goal was to win today as it's the last game before the international break.
"It wasn't a good feeling when we lost just before the last international break. Therefore we are very happy today."
Rumour Has It: Tuchel pushes for Tottenham's Kane as Bayern Munich's top priority
New Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel has reportedly communicated to the board that Tottenham striker Harry Kane is his top priority in the upcoming transfer window.
Kane, 29, is just five goals away from overtaking Wayne Rooney for second on the Premier League's all-time leading scorers list, after recently surpassing Rooney as England's all-time top scorer and Jimmy Greaves as Tottenham's record holder.
With his personal legacy in England already secured, the logical next move is somewhere the striker can secure some team silverware, and that is an area Bayern can deliver.
While Tottenham will be desperate to convince their star to stay put, any indication that he will not sign a new contract will likely force the club to cash-in on their top talent.
TOP STORY – TUCHEL HOPING TO MAKE KANE BAYERN'S NEW CENTREPIECE
According to Football Insider, Tuchel "is a huge fan of Kane from his time in the Premier League managing Chelsea", and he has communicated to the Bayern board that he should be the main focus going forward.
Despite Kane approaching the final 12 months of his deal, Tottenham are still expected to demand a fee in the £100million (Є113.8m) range to part ways with their club icon, but it remains exceedingly unlikely that they will allow his contract to run out.
However, the report adds Kane would potentially be open to an extension if Spurs can secure former Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann as Antonio Conte's replacement.
ROUND-UP
– 90min reports 27-year-old Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is prepared to leave the club amid concerns his limited playing time will affect his spot in the England team, but Football Insider claims Phillips is prepared to stick it out.
– According to Sport, all 29 MLS clubs have agreed to split the salary of Lionel Messi and would allow him to choose whichever franchise he would prefer.
– Paris Saint-Germain are planning to capitalise on a two-week window at the start of July when 26-year-old Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae has a temporary release clause of €52.5m, per Foot Mercato.
– Fichajes reports Barcelona will likely be forced to sell 20-year-old winger Ansu Fati in the next transfer window for financial reasons.
Reynolds and McElhenney's Wrexham get their Hollywood meeting with Man Utd
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are taking Wrexham to the United States, where the non-league club will face Manchester United.
San Diego's Snapdragon Stadium will host the friendly on July 25.
Wrexham, who this month signed former United goalkeeper Ben Foster, are pushing for promotion from the National League.
They sit three points clear of Notts County, while they also reached the fourth round of the FA Cup, losing to Sheffield United, who have gone on to reach the semi-finals.
The Welsh club were bought by Hollywood A-listers Reynolds and McElhenney in 2020.
"We're looking forward to being able to play in the United States for the first time in the club's history," said Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson.
Wrexham last faced United in an FA Cup tie in 1995. The Red Devils' team will be mainly made up of academy players.
Tedesco: I have nothing to prove to the Germans
Domenico Tedesco does not believe he has anything to prove on his return to Germany with new side Belgium after previously being sacked by RB Leipzig and Schalke.
Leipzig parted company with Tedesco in September 2022, nine months after he took up the position, despite winning the DFB-Pokal in the 2021-22 campaign.
The 37-year-old was also ousted by Schalke in March 2019, a year on from guiding the club to a second-place finish in the Bundesliga.
But ahead of Belgium's friendly with Germany in Cologne on Tuesday, Tedesco insists he is content with what he achieved across his two spells in the country where he grew up.
"I love my job and I am happy with what I have already achieved," he said at Monday's pre-match press conference.
"I always want to win, but I feel I have nothing to prove to the Germans. The coach is not that important, either – the players make the difference."
Germany and Belgium endured disappointing World Cup campaigns, each exiting at the group stage in Qatar despite pre-tournament hopes being high.
Four-time world champions Germany have slipped to 14th in the FIFA rankings – 10 places below Belgium – but that is not a true reflection of their quality in the view of Tedesco.
"How is it possible that they're 14th?" he asked reporters. "At the World Cup in Qatar they had so many chances, they just didn't score enough.
"No one had more expected goals than Germany. Even if Germany were last in the FIFA rankings, that wouldn't change anything. We want to win, even if it's a friendly game.
"Germany have a few new young players, but they are players from top teams. They remain a strong country."
Germany beat Peru 2-0 on Saturday, while Belgium kicked off their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a 3-0 win in Sweden on Friday thanks to Romelu Lukaku's hat-trick.
The 29-year-old has 71 goals in 105 senior international appearances, but he has struggled this term for club side Inter, where he is on loan from Chelsea for the campaign.
However, Tedesco says there is more to Lukaku's game than goals alone.
"Don't judge him solely on that," the Italian said. "He is looking in good shape and was proud after scoring his hat-trick – rightly so.
"I want him to be happy. He has the qualities to play for any side, including Inter. He is a good guy and he deserves to be happy when he plays."
Kai Havertz and Nico Schlotterbeck have been ruled out for Germany, while first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has not made the trip for Belgium.
That means a rare chance to shine for Koen Casteels, who is perhaps better known to the home fans having spent made than a decade in the Bundesliga.
"I don't have to show myself in Germany anymore – they know me here," the Wolfsburg goalkeeper said. "Germany is my second home. It's nice to play here.
"I feel a lot of recognition in Germany, maybe more than in Belgium. I am spoken of more positively here; in Belgium less so. I have resigned myself to that.
"I owe a lot to Germany and also have German punctuality picked up, but after my career I'm just going to live in Belgium again."
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