Hansi Flick hugs Niclas Füllkrug after his goal Photo: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS | Matthew Schrader
From BZ/dpa
The joker stung. Niclas Füllkrug saved Germany from a second World Cup setback. With Bremen’s late goal in the 83rd minute, the DFB team just barely passed the character test against their feared opponents Spain.
With combined forces, the national football team wrestled their bogeyman after Álvaro Morata’s goal (61st) to make it 1-1 (0-0). But the trembling is far from over for Hansi Flick. After the hard-earned draw in the Bedouin stadium in Al-Khour, the first win in Qatar is now essential for a place in the round of 16 against Costa Rica on Thursday. Otherwise the embarrassing second World Cup knockout in the group phase will still be a bitter reality for the four-time champion.
Manuel Neuer saves a shot on goal Photo: picture alliance/dpa
With just one point, Germany is still last in Group E after the worst start in long World Cup history. With the unexpected help of Costa Rica’s win against Japan a few hours before the ex-world champions’ intense showdown, the DFB-Elf has the fate of the tournament in their own hands again – even if Spain simply haven’t been beaten in a competitive game for 34 years now .
For a long time, it was clear to the teams what was at stake for them – the Spaniards should have planned for the round of 16 with a second win after the 7-0 offensive whirlwind against Costa Rica thanks to an outstanding goal difference.
Germany’s Thomas Müller in a duel with Spain’s Rodri Photo: picture alliance
However, the 29-year-old Werder Bremen jug continued his incredible story in just his third international match with the second goal in the national jersey.