Germany survived some hairy moments at Al Bayt Stadium to hold Spain to a 1-1 draw and throw their stuttering World Cup campaign a lifeline. Despite going winless in both opening Group E matches, Die Mannschaft can still reach the knockout rounds.
Despite taking a 1-0 halftime lead through Ilkay Gundogan’s penalty, Germany suffered a massive upset on day one as Japan came from behind to beat them 2-1. Ominously for Die Mannschaft, their 2018 World Cup campaign in Russia started with defeat and ended already in the group stages.
Keen to avoid back-to-back group-stage eliminations at the World Cup finals for the first time in the country’s history, Germany headed into Sunday proceedings with a purpose. Amends for a humiliating 6-0 defeat in the 2020 UEFA Nations League provided Hansi Flick’s team with a strong motive.
However, it wasn’t an inspiring performance from the Germans by any stretch of the imagination. They fell behind just after the hour mark as Alvaro Morata brought Spain one up before second-half substitute Niclas Fullkrug helped Flick’s men avoid another catastrophe.
Germany will have to beat Costa Rica on the final group-stage matchday to qualify for the round of 16 for the first time since 2014.
Germany (4-2-3-1)
Manuel Neuer – 6.5
Pulled off a miraculous save to thwart Dani Olmo’s outrageous effort in the first half and barely put his foot wrong throughout the game. But there’s a feeling he could’ve done better for Morata’s goals.
David Raum – 6
An assured performance from the RB Leipzig left-back, who had plenty of freedom to push forwards, though a lack of precision cast a shadow on his lively display.
Antonio Rudiger – 7
Unlucky to see his towering header denied by the VAR intervention, but the Real Madrid star made light work of the likes of Ferran Torres and Marco Asensio.
Niklas Sule – 6.5
Much more comfortable at the heart of the backline, unlike last time out when he had to play on the right, Sule made numerous crucial interceptions and was unplayable in the air.
Thilo Kehrer – 5
Put under an awful lot of pressure and struggled to deal with it, Kehrer was too loose with his passing throughout while being caught napping a couple of times.
Joshua Kimmich – 6.5
He won’t get the acclaim for this draw, but Kimmich’s ability to drop into the defensive line was crucial to Germany’s build-up play. Yet, his set-piece delivered often let him down.
Leon Goretzka – 7
By far Germany’s best midfielder tonight, Goretzka essentially had to play every position on the pitch to give his side a foothold in a keenly-contested midfield battle.
Ilkay Gundogan – 5.5
Nowhere to be seen for large spells of the game, the Manchester City playmaker looked tedious, oftentimes failing to cope with the pace imposed by Gavi and Pedri.
Jamal Musiala – 7
Showed off his impressive dribbling ability on a number of occasions, drifting through the lines to hand Germany momentum upfront, yet often lacked the end product.
Serge Gnabry – 5.5
Never managed to influence the contest and can have no complaints about being subbed off. It won’t be a surprise if Leroy Sane takes his place against Costa Rica.
Thomas Muller – 5
Perhaps Germany’s worst player tonight. A player for whom this game just passed them by, the Bayern Munich stalwart was a peripheral figure for 70 minutes!
Read our Player Ratings for Spain