Germany wrestles a 1-1 draw from Spain. Substitutes Alvaro Morata and Niclas Füllkrug scored the goals in a thrilling match that saw both teams open-minded. The German team was much more compact and now has a chance of reaching the round of 16. Goals: 1: 0 Morata (62nd) 1: 1 Füllkrug (83rd)
Everyone who supports the DFB team couldn’t be really optimistic before the game. While Spain looked like a well-oiled machine in the 7-0 gala against Costa Rica, Germany drew attention to themselves in the opening defeat against Spain with a lack of passion, determination and coordination. The DFB was in the do-or-die against Spain -Elf therefore named as a clear underdog. Before kick-off, gallows humor prevailed on the net.
The course of the game was then also characterized accordingly: Spain showed really inspiring football again, Germany remembered more about a compact defensive. That actually worked much better than against Japan. When playing with the ball, Hansi Flick’s team seemed rather overwhelmed.
Nevertheless, it was Germany who took the lead. After a free kick, Rüdiger nodded off to make it 1-0; the hit was rightly withdrawn due to an offside position.
Then Spain took over again, who controlled the game as far as possible. However, Luis Enrique’s team also struggled against Germany. Flick’s team defended much more diligently and cleverly than they did against Japan, keeping the game open. On the other hand, the DFB-Elf was less successful offensively.
Substitute Alvaro Morata finally caused the big shocker: Morata converted a flat cross from Jordi Alba in the 62nd minute to give the Spanish team a well-deserved lead.
After conceding the goal, Germany seemed bewildered and unimaginative; at times it seemed as if Hansi Flick’s team would surrender to their fate.
Musiala still had the best chance, but he missed a very good opportunity. Instead of putting the ball across, he tried it himself from an acute angle and failed with his half-baked shot by Simon.
But there was at least a little happy ending from a German point of view. After the ball was somehow poked through by Musiala in the 83rd minute, the substitute Füllkrug took aim from the inside right and nailed the ball into the left corner. An outstanding hit!
In the final phase, Germany was the optically more compelling team in what was still an open exchange of blows and seemed to want the win more; but there was no longer a great chance of making it 2:1. So the bottom line was that the 1:1 was deserved. This means that Germany is still not in the best starting position. Against Costa Rica, the Flick-Elf not only has to do their homework, but also work on the goal difference. Germany are the only team without a win in the group going into the last matchday; Spain is almost through with four points and a goal difference of 8:1.
This article was originally published on 90min.de as Lücke keeps the dream of the round of 16 alive – The network reactions to the 1-1 draw against Spain.
