GERMANY STAY ALIVE
Late Kroos winner puts reigning champions back in last-16 contention
GERMANY coach Joachim Loew said his team were rewarded for not losing their nerve at the most critical moment as a 95th-minute free-kick from Toni Kroos secured a 2-1 win over Sweden on Saturday that brought the World Cup holders back from the brink.
The 10-man reigning champions were in deep trouble when Kroos stepped up to steer in his dramatic winner in the final minute of added time at Sochi’s Fisht Stadium.
Before that, a Kroos error had led to Ola Toivonen giving Sweden a 32nd-minute lead and even a Marco Reus equaliser early in the second half appeared to be only a temporary stay of execution for Loew’s men.
But the rescue act from Kroos is a huge lift to a side who saw Jerome Boateng sent off late on. They now have qualification for the last 16 back in their own hands ahead of their final Group F game against South Korea on Wednesday.
“We never lost hope. I think there was a bit of luck there with the goal scored in stoppage time, but it was a result of our belief in ourselves,” said Loew. “Despite the adversity, the team kept their cool and turned it around.”
There is still no guarantee that they will avoid the fate of the last two World Cup holders, with Spain four years ago and Italy in 2010 both being knocked out in the group stage.
Not since 1938 have Germany been eliminated in the first round. However, this result will provide an almighty boost to them and is a hammer blow to Sweden, who will face Mexico in their last match with all still to play for.
Mexico’s 2-1 win over South Korea earlier Saturday had ensured Germany would be out in the event of a defeat, with a draw little better.
The late goal was especially sweet for Kroos, who was among the players to come in for stiff criticism in the wake of recent performances.
Kroos blamed the media for not giving the team enough support in Russia.
“We don’t get any help. No one is going to write the title our way, we have to do it ourselves, it has to come from us,” he said.
“We know we have a lot of fans, but we won’t get any more help other than that.”
Reus, who was named man-ofthe-match, echoed Kroos’s comments.
“I agree with Toni that many in Germany wanted us to go out in the first round,” said Reus. “But the game showed that we always believed in ourselves.”
The four-time world champions must win by a margin of two goals against South Korea to be absolutely sure of progressing. Failure to do so would mean relying on the outcome of the other match between Mexico and Sweden.
Loew made changes following the 1-0 loss at the hands of Mexico, with Reus among the players coming in. But Germany soon found themselves up against it.
Sweden should have had an early penalty when Marcus Berg was released on goal and, at the point of shooting, was fouled by Boateng.
Berg’s effort was saved by Manuel Neuer. Boateng played the man and not the ball, but there was no penalty given and no recourse to the Video Assistant Referee by Polish official Szymon Marciniak.
“If we have the system it’s very unfortunate that he doesn’t feel he can go and have a look. If that’s his decision we have to live with it,” said Sweden coach Janne Andersson.
Meanwhile, Gary Lineker updated his famous quote about the Germans always winning after Germany kept their dreams alive in Russia.
“Football is a simple game, 22 men chase the ball for 82 minutes and the Germans get a player sent off so 21 men chase the ball for 13 minutes and at the end the Germans somehow... win,” the former England captain wrote on Twitter.
Lineker, 57, once famously said: “Football is a simple game — 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.”
The rueful comment came after England lost on penalties to Germany in the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup.