Slovakia stun Germany in friendly

Germany 1-3 Slovakia
(Gomez P 13' - Hamsik 41', Duris 44', Kucka 52')

With Tuesday's squad deadline fast approaching, Germany's friendly against Slovakia did little to help Joachim Löw pick his final 23 for the European Championship in France. The experimental team the Germany coach fielded - including a back three and several young players who might not make the final squad for France - could not build on a first-half penalty, unable to get a strong footing in the game on a wet pitch in Augsburg's WWK Arena.

The loss did little to build momentum before the Euros for the world champions. Löw's team has now conceded a goal in each of its last seven games, a kind of record that does not usually bode well for teams trying to lift another major trophy.

Late Slovakian surge washes away first-half penalty

Germany appeared to be the better team at first, firing away 10 shots before Slovakia could register one of their own. Leroy Sane, who was making his first start for Germany, made a lot of dangerous runs through the Slovakia defense. Germany's early efforts were finally rewarded when Mario Götze won a penalty on the left side of the box. Mario Gomez converted from the spot to give the lead.

Slovakia came roaring back before the break, though, with a late flurry of goals giving them a halftime lead. Marek Hamsik fired in the equalizer from outside the penalty area in the 41st minute, and Kucka headed in another just three minutes later.

From bad to wetter

Thunder and lightning during the break forced referee Serge Gumienny to extend half time for safety reasons. When play restarted, the waterlogged pitch hampered the flow of the game with ground passes become harder to predict.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who replaced Bernd Leno in goal at halftime, may feel wronged by the weather. A volleyed corner from Juraj Kruka slipped through the Barcelona goalkeeper's gloves and into the back of the net not long after the restart, giving Slovakia a comfortable 3-1 lead.

With the rain hindering their play, Germany could not find a way back into the game. Götze may have had the best chance to get a goal back when he fired a shot through the legs of Martin Skrtel, but goalkeeper Matus Kozacik was able to block it away. Germany had only lost to Slovakia twice before Sunday's match.