Germany’s Bayern Munich midfield of Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka reflect on Spain draw

When Germany lost to Japan in their opener at the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup, one could be forgiven for having doubts about what kind of team would show up against Spain. As it turned out? One ready to go toe-to-toe with one of the tournament’s elite. In the end, it was the Spanish who might have felt more fortunate to escape with a draw.

“We knew that we’d have to run a lot, that we’d also suffer because they simply have great positional play,” said Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich (via @iMiaSanMia). “We still felt that we had the better chances. We felt that with a bit of luck we could even have won this game, but in the end I think the draw is okay.”

Kimmich’s midfield partner for club and country, Leon Goretzka, concurred.

“It was a big fight. We knew that we had to run after the ball and suffer at times,” Goretzka explained (via @iMiaSanMia). “We’re actually not used to that, but we accepted it. There were eleven players on the pitch ready to tear themselves up. We still had chances to win it. Overall a good performance.”

Thanks to the result, Germany have a spring in their step again. We’ll find out soon if that’s enough to buoy Hansi Flick’s side into the Knockouts. Germany play Costa Rica at 2PM EST on Thursday.

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!