Report: Downs hits first-half winner in Braunschweig
Damion Downs scored the only goal of the game on his return to Germany as Southampton made it two wins out of two at the start of pre-season.
Hosts Eintracht Braunschweig pushed a Saints side who flew out to Lower Saxony on matchday to begin a week-long training camp in Tonda Eckert’s homeland, where Downs’ composed finish 10 minutes before the interval proved decisive.
Eckert changed his entire line-up at the break, but it was not a second period littered with goalmouth action, as Saints added to their 3-1 victory at Eastleigh with another fairly routine win.
The tourists were sporting their new retro-inspired third kit for the first time, a striking ivory design inspired by the Bargate, while the German second-tier side wore yellow shirts paired with blue shorts.
It was a bit of a slow burner at a sparsely populated Eintracht-Stadion, with Downs seeing an early shot blocked before Braunschweig’s Mehmet-Can Aydin tried his luck from the best part of 40 yards with a shot that was speculative to say the least.
Saints line up for the first friendly of a week-long German training camp
Saints began to assert themselves midway through the first half, with Downs drifting out to the left and sending in a dangerous cross before shooting wide from the edge of the penalty area.
The USA international, who would have been disappointed to miss out on the World Cup squad, got the goal his promising start merited 10 minutes before half time.
Summer signing Lewis Dobbin, who scored on his debut at Eastleigh last time out, added an assist to his name when he slipped a pass in behind the defence for the striker, who smartly rounded the keeper and then jinked inside the covering defender, showing tremendous composure to walk the ball into the net.
Damion Downs keeps his cool after rounding the Braunschweig keeper
Enjoying a welcome injection of confidence, Downs lashed another shot into the sidenetting, but Braunschweig finished the half with their best spell of the game.
Kevin Ehlers should have hit the target when he rose to meet a left-wing corner, before Max Marie clipped the top of the crossbar with a fierce drive.
There were two contrasting approaches at the interval, as the hosts remained unchanged while Saints fielded a whole new XI for the second period.
Leo Scienza wore the famous Saints No. 7 shirt for the first time
One of those to be introduced, youngster Romeo Akachukwu, was threatening a second goal in two games when his curling effort was touched over by goalkeeper Ron-Thorben Hofmann.
Some neat footwork from Cameron Archer threatened to create a second goal, shortly before Nick Oyekunle sent Hofmann stooping to his right to make a comfortable save, but Downs’ first-half strike would prove to be enough to decide the contest.
Eintracht Braunschweig: Hofmann (c), Aydin (Ba 73), Ehlers (Breunig 81), Flick, Hoti (Frenkert 61), Sanchez, Zé (Gomez 78), Benedetto (Heuẞer 61), Sturm (Sané 78), Marie (Raebiger 61), Urbich (Mijatovic 61).
Subs not used: Uphoff, Wagner, Alonso, Kovacevic, Kiveta.
Southampton (first half): Peretz, Roerslev, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens (c), Welington, Downes, Bragg, Brereton Díaz, Dobbin, Scienza, Downs.
Southampton (second half): Long, Bree, Wood, Quarshie, Manning (c), Charles, Matsuki, Fellows, Archer, Akachukwu, Oyekunle.
Subs not used: Kayi Sanda, Dobson-Ventura, O’Brien-Whitmarsh, Robinson.
Goal: Downs (35’).
Booked: Manning.
Attendance: 5,803.
