Germany 1 - 1 Spain: German media player ratings

Germany and Spain met in a heavyweight clash befitting each side’s credentials — and matching the intensity of the Champions League clashes between the Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona stars adorning these rosters.

It was a top display of football at this year’s Men’s World Cup, and honors even go the spoils. In a tournament not lacking for unfolding drama and entertaining group stage results, Group E is shaking up to be one of the most compelling.

Here’s how German media outlets Sport Bild and kicker graded the action:

• Bild gave the referee a ‘2’, which is going to mystify the BFW commenting crowd, at least in the first half. In the second half I thought he made decisions that seemed fair, but...can we talk about that handball? No call, no VAR flag, no review, really?!
• Big discrepancy in David Raum’s rating across the outlets here. Raum was dogged for his showing here in the comments, and Bild seems to agree — but kicker was more even-handed.
• Another notable delta: ratings for Manuel Neuer. The sweeper-keeper OG had a befuddling moment passing out from the back but also made one of the saves of the tournament off this lethal early strike from RB Leipzig’s Dani Olmo:

• How good was Jamal Musiala’s drawn foul on Sergio Busquets, which resulted in a yellow for the Spanish maestro?
• Gavi-Pedri-Busi might be the most talented midfield Germany face all tournament, and not because they’re about to go out. Er, hopefully not, anyway!
• Leroy Sané, Niclas Füllkrug, and Lukas Klostermann all earned solid marks off the bench. Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck had less time to make his influence felt, but put in a crucial tackle inside his own box on Álvaro Morata late.
• Real Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger. Phew. How important is he to this Germany back-line?

What did you think of these ratings? Let us know in the comments below!

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.

As always, we appreciate all the support!