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ITV's pundits have been commenting on Liverpool target Yan Diomande's performance against Germany, claiming that the winger “lived up to the hype” in his first half.
Germany headed into the break 1-0 down to the Ivory Coast , with Julian Nagelsmann's men struggling to break down Les Elephantes.
The other two teams in Group E – Ecuador and Curacao – face one another tonight at 1pm, UK time.
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Just as in his first game, Yan Diomande has stolen all the attention.
The RB Leipzig man is heavily linked with a Premier League transfer and after ripping through Arsenal's Piero Hincapie last week, the Ivorian has been a nightmare for Kimmich to defend, too – with Gary Neville and Ian Wright commenting on his performance.
“He's one of the most experienced right-backs in the world, and he's toiling in this first half,” Neville said.
“He looks afraid of [Yan Diomande]. He is, and look, he's a 19-year-old kid. They've had 56 per cent of their attacks down that side, which is massive.
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“I've been there as an ageing right-back when you've got a young kid who's fearless, and it's not pleasant.”
“You know what? He's definitely lived up to the hype,” Wright added. I know we're talking a lot about the hydration break, but after that, they just took over. In particular, Diomande has just gone to another level in this game; he’s completely lived up to the hype.
“His pressing is brilliant, his taking players on is brilliant, he's just absolutely tearing them to pieces.”
“When you've got someone who's skilful, can go both ways, and is quick, you need support,” Neville said.
“They're trying to get over now; you look at the three or four German players trying to get over near Diomande, but even then, he's still trying to take them on. They've got to deal with that in the second half, whether they bring Sané back to support... You look at Sané trying to get back now and support Kimmich, that's a problem for Germany. I
“I mean, they've got another problem – they can't break this Ivory Coast defence down– but they can't keep leaving this guy one-on-one, or else they'll concede again.”
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