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Spain and Germany treat fans to one of the best 1-1 draws ever

  • by Sebastian Oliveira
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Spain and Germany traded second half goals to split points in one of the most important and entertaining matches in the group stage so far.

 

This matchup delivered exactly what it promised to be straight from the jump. Two of the top teams in this tournament sought to make a statement not just by getting this result but by fielding a performance that instills fear across the rest of the field of teams.

 

The first half hour featured quality passing and attacking movements that matched the pedigree of each roster, with both teams finding pockets of space in and around each other’s back line trying to find a hit to the other’s battleship.

 

Spain produced the first mass gasp from the crowd seven minutes in when Dani Olmo’s right footed rocket was punched up onto the crossbar by an aging but agile Manuel Neuer.

The rest of the first half put the strength of both sides on display. The Spanish press found success in maintaining focus on keeping possession, and in doing so looked to still be sorting out the balance between switching the ball from side to side and slicing through the tight spaces between the German midfield and back line.

 

On the contrary, Germany seemed more than happy to sit back and absorb, keeping as much of La Furia Roja in front of them and taking advantage of opportunities to spring counter attacks. The midfield duo of Leon Goretzka and Ilkay Gündogan combined on a number of occasions with the not so subtle intentions of unlocking a footrace between Serge Gnabry and the Spanish backline.

 

A first half full of tidy passing and clinical runs of play was almost defined by a simple set piece. Antonio Rüdiger was half a yard too eager in latching onto a Joshua Kimmich free kick, burying the header past Unai Simon that was ultimately called off by VAR for offsides.

Spain had their own flurry of set piece based attacking pressure in stoppage time of the first half, sparking decent momentum heading into the break.

 

The scripts were flipped to begin the second half. The Germans cranked up the pressure to max straight out of the gates, forcing Spain into uncharacteristic mistakes and disrupting any semblance of rhythm in their buildup.

 

Spain didn’t take long to respond, however. Less than ten minutes into the second half Luis Enrique yanked Ferran Torres for Álvaro Morata, hoping that throwing in a more traditional, target man forward could help subdue this high German press. It did just that, and more.

 

The strong central presence of Morata opened up space on the wings to send in a plethora of dangerous crosses into the Germany penalty area. The killer cross came in the 62’ minute, as Jordi Alba’s low driven cross found Morata in stride. Still with much to do, the Atletico Madrid forward steered a quick first time finish into the top corner of the near post, flashing by a reaching Neuer to open the scoring.

Spain continued to be proactive, exposing the discomfort in the German defense by either looking to send Morata through over the top or continuing to fly down the wings.

 

Germany were not unaware of the desperation of their situation, and immediately took a page out of their opponents page by making a triple sub minutes after the goal. The fresh legs inspired a spirited response from Die Mannschaft, specifically Bayern Munich youngster Jamal Musiala. The 19 year-old nearly helped find the equalizer twice, once with a brilliantly worked cross and again minutes later with an open shot from 12 yards out that many would have expected a better result from.

Germany continued to press the issue, knowing that anything less than a point is devastating to their qualification chances. The urgency in play led to a general decrease in the quality of the build up of their attacks, but Spanish nerves helped Germany to find just enough space to carve out opportunities.

 

The bending Spanish backline finally cracked in the 83rd minute, when another tidy touch from Musiala opened up space for Werder Bremen’s Niclas Füllkrug to fire a first time finish into the top left corner, setting up a tantalizing finish to an already immensely engaging match.

The intensity of the match was visibly taking its toll once the score hit 1-1. Both sides still showed plenty of willingness and pride to press for a late winner, but neither had the acuity to find the final pass.

 

Six minutes of stoppage time was bookended by Leroy Sané breaking through the Spanish defense only to hold onto the ball three touches too long. One of the best matches of the group stages so far ended in a well deserved draw, a result that sets up yet another mouthwatering finish to a group later this week.

 

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Sebastian Oliveira