DRAW WITH SPAIN COULD BE SPARK GERMANY NEEDS IN QATAR
AL KHOR, ny’s late equalizer in their 1-1 draw with Spain in the World Cup on Sunday could turn out to be the spark the Germans need to qualify for the knockout stage and turn things around, coach Hansi Flick said.
Substitute Niclas Füllkrug thundered in an 83rd minute goal to cancel out Spain’s lead and earn the four-time world champions their first point from two matches following a shock opening loss to Japan.
That goal kept their hopes of advancing ahead of Thursalive day’s final Group E match against Costa Rica, which they must win.
“We knew what was at stake. Spain played good football, but the teams were level and we had a huge chance in the end to win it, but these things happen,” Flick told reporters.
“Things come to you when you start winning. Maybe it is the spark we need.”
Germany’s Leroy Sane missed a golden opportunity in the box minutes from the end, but Flick said he was satisfied with his team’s performance.
“The team fought hard and I am very satisfied with their mentality. These are the things we want and we know that we did take the first step.
“We want to have the conditions against Costa Rica to reach the knockout phase,” said Flick.
Germany was teetering on the brink of elimination in the group stage for the second World Cup in a row, but their draw combined with Japan’s surprise loss to Costa Rica now moves the Germans posiinto territive tory.
“Costa Rica showed good mentality to come back from a 7-0 loss to Spain [and beat Japan],” Flick said. “Football is like that. Sometimes it’s not those with the most chances that win. We experienced that against Japan.”
Meanwhile, police used water cannons and teargas after coming under attack from football supporters who brought havoc to the center of Brussels on Sunday following Morocco’s shock 2-0 World Cup win over Belgium.