Hello all and welcome to this live coverage of Norwich City’s concluding game of their week-long tour of Germany for pre-season here at the Fritz-Walter Stadion – a stadium that holds nearly 50,000 people – against 2.Bundesliga side 1. FC Kaiserslautern!
We also have some team news for you…
Norwich goalkeeper Angus Gunn – who has now returned from international duty with Scotland – gets his first minutes of pre-season.
Andrew Omobamidele, who played the closing stages of Wednesday’s game against SV Darmstadt 98, is also in the starting eleven and exposed to more minutes by David Wagner. You can find our live blog of that game here – https://www.overtimeonline.co.uk/sv-darmstadt-98-vs-norwich-city-as-it-happened/
The Kaiserslautern lineup is as follows:
Summer signings Tymoteuz Puchacz (on loan from Union Berlin), Tobias Raschl (signed from fellow 2.Bundesliga side Greuther Furth), and Jan Elvedi (signed from SV Jahn Regensburg) are all started by manager Dirk Schuster.
The teams are now emerging from the dugout and we’re just moments away from kick-off here in Kaiserslautern. Who will emerge victorious in this pre-season friendly? Norwich also sporting their new home kit – which has mixed opinions from their fans. What do you think of it? Let us know on our Twitter page @OverTime_Online.
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MIN 1 – The referee blows his whistle and we’re underway at the Fritz-Walter Stadion. And the first action of the game sees Shane Duffy find Przemyslaw Placheta with a cross-field pass but the latter’s cross is straight at Andreas Luthe.
MIN 5 – The atmosphere here is absolutely electric. You wouldn’t believe this is a pre-season friendly at all. Meanwhile, Norwich get forward with a nice move. Placheta finds Dimitris Giannoulis and his cross is met by Adam Idah who looks to head it back across goal but it’s blocked by Kevin Kraus.
MIN 8 – Some pass from Kenny McLean there. He curls the ball into Liam Gibbs from deep. The youngster is unable to bring it down and it’s cleared. Duffy has a go from long distance but it only finds the protective netting behind the goal.
MIN 9 – Philipp Hercher looks to find Erik Durm on the overlap, but his pass is just behind the former Borussia Dortmund man.
MIN 11 – Kaiserslautern are finding their rhythm now. Hercher gets away down the right-hand side but Duffy gets the block in to put it behind for a corner. The cross is then headed off target.
MIN 13 – Jonathan Rowe plays the ball back to Marcelino Nunez after being surrounded by Kaiserslautern defenders – but the latter’s cross flies wide.
MIN 15 – Giannoulis fires a shot wide from the left-hand side of the box but the flag is up.
MIN 16 – Nunez has been the epicenter for Norwich so far. He’s just slid a pass into Gibbs. His shot evades everyone but ran across the box.
MIN 17 – Bali Mumba feels as if he should have a corner kick after nicking the ball off Puchacz but the referee awards a goal kick.
MIN 18 – Giannoulis beats Hercher to clear a cross from the right. Boris Tomiak then goes over a Norwich player trying to win a header. Rowe then feels as if he was fouled. The referee stops play but awards Norwich the foul.
MIN 21 – Kaiserslautern win a corner after Placheta prevents the cross from Durm. Duffy rises highest to clear. The hosts come again and Norwich clear at the third attempt.
MIN 23 – Idah does well to bail out Rowe after a poor touch. The latter is then wiped out by Raschl and Norwich get a free kick.
Embed from Getty ImagesMIN 24 – Huge handball shout from Norwich as McLean meets a corner at the near post. The ball strikes Lex-Tyger Lobinger on the arm but the referee waves away the claims.
MIN 26 – We’ve paused for a drinks break.
MIN 31 – Far too easy from Norwich. Warning signs initially as Durm got in behind. Then Gunn makes an excellent save to deny Hercher, with Rowe blocking the follow-up by Julian Nieheus from close range.
MIN 34 – Gorgeous pass from Gibbs to find Giannoulis on the left but Elvedi makes the tackle.
MIN 37 – Very silly from Idah. He does so well to get Puchacz into a good area facing his own goal and then fouls him. That is exactly what he has to get better at and lacks – game intelligence.
MIN 39 – As a host of Norwich players emerge to start warming up, Kaiserslautern are nearly presented with an opportunity to get the ball through Norwich’s backline but Omobamidele gets enough on his deflection to take it away from Hercher.
MIN 43 – Been a real lack of chances in this half. Both sides have had spells but lack cutting edge.
MIN 44 – Good burst of pace from Placheta who finds Giannoulis. His cross is headed behind for a corner.
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Half time here in Kaiserslautern and it’s goalless between the hosts and Norwich City. There’s been a real lack of chances for either side so far, so let’s hope that changes after the interval.
As expected in pre-season, it looks as if both sides are making some changes for the managers to get a better idea of their starting eleven when the season begins in three weeks. Will they make a difference in this game?
We’re minutes away from finding out…
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MIN 46 – We’re back underway at the Fritz-Walter Stadion. Norwich have made eight changes at the break. Typical pre-season shenanigans.
MIN 47 – Norwich get themselves the first corner of the second half.
MIN 48 – Tim Krul punches away at his near post from Kenny Prince Redondo’s cross under pressure from Lobinger.
MIN 49 – Brilliant cross from Aaron Opoku from the left. Unfortunately for him, it evades everyone.
MIN 52 – Fine save by Krul to deny Opoku.
MIN 54 – Opoku again at the center as he pulls it back for Jean Zimmer but Krul easily gathers the effort.
MIN 57 – Jacob Sorensen gets frustrated and looks to cross the ball in from deep. Norwich are getting frustrated here.
MIN 58 – Opuku has been a real threat since coming on. His cross is headed behind for a corner which Ashley Barnes clears.
MIN 61 – The rain has just started to pour down dramatically and all the players have been taken off the pitch. That was definitely unexpected. Torrential downpour out of nowhere and the referee quickly took everyone off.
The players are now back out onto the pitch and we’re back underway! Onel Hernandez and Jack Stacey have also emerged for Norwich.
MIN 62 – Big chance for Kaiserslautern. A cross at the near post is met by Opoku, but his effort goes wide.
MIN 64 – Hernandez does well to weave inside the box and find Stacey, but his cross goes behind for a corner.
MIN 65 – Josh Sargent attacks the corner but can’t make good impact.
MIN 66 – Cross from Hendrick Zuck almost finds the head of Hanslik but he doesn’t meet it.
MIN 66 – Jonathan Tomkinson is receiving treatment and isn’t moving too sharply. Kellen Fisher will replace him.
MIN 67 – The stretcher is out for Tomkinson. This doesn’t look good at all. Stacey has moved to CB and Fisher comes on at RB.
MIN 72 – Sargent goes down in the box but nothing given.
MIN 73 – Gibbs is booked for a foul on Opoku.
MIN 77 – Hernandez is brought down by Tomiak in a central position after a weaving run. Gibbs and Sorensen are standing over the free kick.
MIN 78 – Sorensen strikes it into the wall and Norwich have a corner. Gibbs is taken off for Christos Tzolis.
MIN 79 – Good defending from Ben Gibson to get across and clear as Hanslik chased a ball over the top.
MIN 81 – Brilliant determination from Fisher as he works his way into the box. He also wins his team a corner. Top stuff from the youngster. Kaiserslautern make a change as Durm makes way for Neal Gibs.
MIN 82 – Poor decision-making from Tony Springett who was moving up the pitch nicely. He then opted to try and get the ball in behind for Hernandez but gets it all wrong.
MIN 84 – Yet again it’s Opuku causing the danger for the hosts. He’s been excellent. Nicks the ball off Sam McCallum but the Norwich fullback does enough to wrestle it back and give away a throw instead of allowing him to move forward.
MIN 86 – Opoku looks to cut it back for Zimmer. Gibson blocks the effort. Corner.
MIN 87 – Richmond Tachie drags his effort wide as Kaiserslautern make a change replacing Tomiak with Aaron Basenach.
Embed from Getty ImagesMIN 90 – Tzolis gets in a footrace with Julian Krahl but the Kaiserslautern keeper gets there first.
MIN 90 – Sorensen curls a cross into the box for Barnes who slices his effort off target. The offside flag is up anyway.
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And that concludes this pre-season friendly here in Kaiserslautern! It ends as a stalemate as neither team could find a breakthrough.
The Canaries will now travel to the Netherlands to continue the rest of their pre-season games on Wednesday evening when they are hosted by Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar at the Sportpark vv Dirkshorn.
I’ve been Freddie Humphry-Wakefield and I’ll see you next time!
