The Manchester United midfielder played 67 minutes of a game designated his testimonial before leaving the field to a standing ovation after picking up the 121st and last cap of his career.
Max Meyer and a Paulus Arajuuri own goal ensured the final scoreline in front of just over 30,000 fans with the world champions unable to make more of their chances and just going through the motions at times. Finland allowed Germany to play the ball around without letting them make any progress and neither of the two sides seemed particularly keen on playing the three minutes of stoppage time.
The evening had been all about bidding farewell to Schweinsteiger, and Germany did that with a reversal of the 2-0 defeat to Hungary on his debut in June 2004. Schweinsteiger couldn’t hold back the tears as he was introduced to the crowd, presented with flowers and a framed photograph, all while a lengthy highlight video spanning his incredible career played over the big screens.
Someone get these dust mites outta here. pic.twitter.com/hWWtALCX41
— Thomas Hautmann (@ThomasHautmann) August 31, 2016
Schweinsteiger, who announced his international retirement last month, made his national team debut in 2004 friendly against Hungary as a 19-year-old. He featured in the team ever since.
Along with Lukas Podolski, who earned his international debut in the same game, Schweinsteiger quickly became a poster child of a new and exciting Germany, rising to stardom after leading the team to a third-place finish at the 2006 World Cup. The crowning moment came eight years later when Schweinsteiger won the 2014 World Cup for his only major international title, playing an integral role in the final.
