Spain 1-1 Germany: Initial reactions and observations from a tight game

Initial reactions and observations

• Germany were floundering but the substitutions of Leroy Sane and Niclas Fullkrug made all the difference. Once they came on the team started finding splitting passes and Spain had no real answers. If only Flick had made the changes sooner.
• Thomas Muller was wasted in his pseudo-Werner role. Why not play him in his natural position?
• David Raum and Thilo Kehrer were garbage. These two should not start another game.
• The referee was almost as bad. Both of Germany’s midfielders were booked for soft challenges. Spain got away with fouling Musiala dozens of times.
• Germany could have won this if not for the heroics of Unai Simon. His saves weren’t flashy but they were important.

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Interested in a VERY in-depth review of Germany’s 1-1 draw with Spain? Then why not check out the latest episode of our podcast? We talk about everything from lineups, tactics, and individual performances, to a discussion about Bayern Munich at the World Cup overall. Listen to it below or on Spotify.

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Full time: Germany draw Spain 1-1.

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82’ — GOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Fullkrug makes it 1-1!

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69’ — Subs: Leroy Sane, Niclas Fullkrug, and Lukas Klostermann come on for Ilkay Gundogan, Thomas Muller, and Thilo Kehrer.

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62’ — Goal. Alvaro Morata makes it 1-0.

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56’ — Unai Simon saves a shot from Kimmich! Probably Germany’s best chance so far.

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45’ — The second half is underway!

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Halftime observations and analysis

• Germany enter the halftime break hanging on for dear life. Spain have been dominant but failed to create many chances out side of Olmo’s crossbar hit. But if this dominance continues, the Germans won’t be able to hold out much longer.
• Germany are not pressing at all. Weird for a Flick team.
• Niklas Sule has been saving Thilo Kehrer some blushes on his side of the pitch.
• David Raum has been an abject disaster so far.
• Thomas Muller is playing the extremely running-intensive role that Timo Werner usually plays for Germany, chasing down the ball all the way to the keeper. It’s not paid dividends yet, outside of one forced throw-in.

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Halftime: Spain 0-0 Germany.

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39’ — NOOOOOOOO. Antonio Rudiger was offside on the header, so no goal.

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36’ — Thilo Kehrer gets a yellow for a challenge on Ferran Torres.

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6’ — Spain have Germany reeling. Crossbar hit already. Zero possession for the Germans.

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Kickoff: We’re underway!

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One hour until kickoff: We have our lineups! Hansi Flick fields Germany in what looks like a 4-3-3 with Ilkay Gundogan joining Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich in midfield. Thomas Muller starts up top with Serge Gnabry and Jamal Musiala, but Leroy Sane remains unable to play. Meanwhile Thilo Kehrer is added to the lineup in place of Nico Schlotterbeck.

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Barely a week into the World Cup and Germany are already on the brink. Losing to Japan has damaged the team’s credibility, and Hansi Flick needs a win against Spain to keep knockout hopes alive.

Leroy Sane returned to team training before the game, so if he’s fit that gives the coach one more Bayern Munich player as an option for the game. He’ll likely be needed, as the German offense failed to score a single goal from open play over 90 minutes against Japan. Other expected changes include maybe the addition of Niclas Fullkrug as striker, and maybe a reshuffle at the back.

Whatever happens, Germany need this win. If they can’t beat Spain, it’s all over at this World Cup.

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While you’re waiting for the game, why not check out our Weekend Warm-up podcast? Listen to it below or at this link.

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Match Info

Location: Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar

Time: 10:00 pm local time, 2:00 pm EST

TV/streaming: Fox Sports, Find Your Country

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