Timo Werner Scores as Germany Beat Saudi Arabia in Final Friendly

Germany beat Saudi Arabia 2-1 at the BayArena in Leverkusen on Friday in their final international friendly before the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Timo Werner opened the scoring for Die Mannschaft before Saudi Arabia's Omar Hawsawi turned the ball into his own net after Thomas Muller tried to tap in from close range.

Saudi Arabia did get on the scoresheet late when Taisir Al-Jassim followed up a saved penalty kick after Sami Khedira committed a foul.

Holders Stumbling Towards the World Cup

Germany won but aren't exactly clicking into high gear as the defence of their World Cup title approaches. Die Mannschaft had gone five games without a win before tonight, their worst run since 1988, according to BBC Sport.

A positive result Friday has done little to build confidence about Germany's chances of repeating as winners. Part of the problem against Saudi Arabia was a lack of fluency in midfield.

Dominic King of the Daily Mail bluntly summed up the lack of quality early on:

A forward line with this much pace and fluency should be producing more. Inconsistency in front of goal will only create more questions about Low's decision to leave Manchester City's Leroy Sane out of his World Cup squad.

As OptaFranz noted, it's been a while since Germany looked this ordinary:

It's not all doom and gloom, though, especially since this nation has a proud history of saving its best for major tournaments, particularly the World Cup.

The emergence of Werner, along with having Reus fit and the return of Neuer, means Die Mannschaft shouldn't be overlooked as potential winners in Russia despite their sketchy form.

Manuel Neuer Is Ready for Russia

Neuer's lengthy spell on the treatment table only recently came to an end, but based on this evidence, the 32-year-old is more than ready for Russia. The Bayern stopper looked sharp on his return to the national team, making saves to deny Salem Al-Dawsari and Al-Jassim in the opening 13 minutes.

Overall, Neuer was commanding in the box and decisive when stepping out. As important as his saves, the stellar No. 1 showed he's lost none of his comfort and technique in possession:

The only blot on Germany's copybook came against Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who entered at half-time for Neuer. Ter Stegen denied Mohammad Al-Sahlawi from 12 yards with six minutes left after Khedira had conceded the spot-kick, but Al-Jassim scored on the rebound.

Neuer has been out since September, but eight months away hasn't left much rust on Germany's unrivalled first choice between the posts. Coach Joachim Low's decision to make Neuer captain, despite his layoff, looks like a good one based on this assured comeback.

Timo Werner Proving He Can Win the Golden Boot

Having RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner available will make the holders even stronger than four years ago. The 22-year-old put Die Mannschaft ahead after just eight minutes when he capped a typically slick exchange of passes with a decisive finish.

Joshua Kimmich angled a terrific ball to Marco Reus, whose first-time delivery was swept in by Werner. It continued his prolific start to life as a senior international:

Werner is carrying excellent form into Russia:

His timing couldn't be better since he's showing the form capable of winning the Golden Boot as the top scorer at the World Cup. Werner's subtle movement, deceptive pace and instinct for goal are sure to make him one of the more feared attackers at this summer's tournament.

What's Next?

Both teams will now focus on their group campaigns in Russia. Saudi Arabia will be in Group A along with the hosts, Egypt and Uruguay. Germany will need to improve in order to boss a tough Group F, also featuring Mexico, Sweden and South Korea.