It almost seemed like an act of God; Niclas Füllkrug, the striker who scored a year ago in Werder Bremen’s 2-1 loss to Holstein Kiel, beat teammate Jamal Musiala to make it 1-1 against Spain (83rd) at the FIFA World Cup. World Cup ambitions with Costa Rica’s victory over Japan earlier on the same day.
Germany’s 1-1 draw against Spain also underlined the importance of a number nine abroad. Spanish coach Luis Enrique brought in Alvaro Morata in the 54th minute, and the striker gave his team the lead 8 minutes later. Germany coach Hansi Flick responded by bringing in Füllkrug in the 70th minute, and the rest is history.
“That’s why he’s on the pitch,” Flick said after the attack when asked to bring in Füllkrug at halftime. “He scored ten goals in the Bundesliga. La determination with which he finished his chances he was smart and for us today. “
Unlike the attack on Japan, where Flick may have made a mistake in his substitutions, the Bundestrainer drew all the right conclusions against Spain. Germany a faster exit in the lead.
These two adjustments also helped Musiala, who is by far the most productive player on the field. The 19-year-old, in fact, led Germany’s attack but had no outlet to pass the ball; all of that replaced once Flick made his adjustments. But Musiala not only strong in attack, he also held the ball well, giving the Spanish midfielder a non-stop headache.
“We get along well as a team, even if you read other things,” Flick said. “What the team did today was incredible. I’m proud. We played against a team that is perfect in terms of football and played them for us on an equal footing. The mentality of the team was exceptional. “
Perhaps that is the wonderful lesson of this match. When Japan’s result is ignored, Germany can watch the match against Spain with some pride. They faced one of the greats of world football, and with a little more luck, Sané scored the winning goal in his last attack to give Germany the 3 points.
But even with this missed opportunity, Germany is still alive. Next up is Costa Rica, where Die Nationalmannschaft will want a big win to get out of this organization and hope Spain gets at least one point against Japan.
“Surely we were looking to get something out of this game, the point is the feeling, but we were looking to win,” Füllkrug said after the match. “Now we can go through with a good feeling in the last game and hope things go our way. “
Perhaps the big question before the match against Costa Rica is about Füllkrug. Werder’s number nine made his case today. This tournament
Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing podcast and the US Regional Manager. UU. de Transfermarkt. He has also been in The Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth