Days after the 1-1 draw between Spain and Germany, the goal scorers Álvaro Morata and Niclas Füllkrug are logically in the spotlight. Although Spain has the eighth finals within reach, there is some disappointment in the Spanish media because of the late German equalizer. The media at our eastern neighbors thank striker Füllkrug and are full of praise for referee Danny Makkelie.
Brand the light shines on striker Morata, who put the 1-0 on the board as a substitute. He is the first player for Spain, and the sixth ever, to score as a substitute in two consecutive World Cup matches. “Morata no longer gets frustrated when he starts on the bench. His experience and the input of Luis Enrique have taught him that you can be just as important in ten minutes as you are in ninety minutes, as proved against Germany.” The newspaper also points out that he is often criticized. “When he puts on the shirt of Spain, he gives his life and he is always there.” Brand is full of praise for how national coach Luis Enrique lets his team play, but does make a comment. “Spain is like a tightrope walker without a net. Germany almost embarrassed us. Fortunately, Leroy Sané failed. But Spain is a team that always attacks and never speculates.”
Also AS enjoyed the game of the Spaniards, yet Spain took ‘a hard blow, full on the chin’ just before time. It led to a bad feeling that the game should have been closed earlier. “It leaves Spain with a sense of half done and an obligation to draw against Japan to stay in Qatar. Nobody said the World Cup would be easy. We wanted excitement, right? We will get it on Thursday, we need a hearty breakfast,” the newspaper wrote referring to the meeting with Japan.
Bee The country were they happy with the game shown and even with the point. There was a lot of respect for it the team. “Spain knows how to compete,” the newspaper headlined. “The Red responded to a demanding Germany and thanks to a draw we are one step away from the eighth finals. We could even achieve this with a defeat against Japan.” The newspaper praised the tactics of the Germans. “Germany came up with a very tight plan for Spain. For example, Sergio Busquets, Pedri and Gavi were closely shadowed by Ilkay Gündogan, Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka.” It was ‘a high-level match’. “A challenging match of great class between two formations with the same goal: to spoil the ball.”
In Germany, people are licking their wounds after the late equalizer. “What a relief! We take our first point in the second World Cup match after the 2-1 draw against Japan: now we can go into the round of 16 with a win against Costa Rica and at the same time we have to hope for help from the Spaniards against Japan,” he wrote. BILD. “National coach Hansi Flick wanted to give the ball-loving Spaniards as little possession as possible, but that did not work. In addition, our attack was again not good against Spain,” he said critically. The newspaper does have a tip for Flick, who should line up the accurate substitute: “Hey Hansi, now Füllkrug has to shoot us to the eighth finals against Costa Rica!” In the newspaper’s player report, referee Makkelie surprisingly received a high score with a 2. In Germany, a 1 is the highest attainable.
Bee Sky Germany the two substitute ‘jokers’ Füllkrug and Sané were put in the spotlight and one star from Bayern Munich had to pay the price. The former both received a 2, the highest score of all players. “Füllkrug did what a goalscorer should do. He was in the right place at the right time and had no hesitation. His equalizer ensured that reaching the eighth finals remained realistic.” There were also nice words for Sané. “He immediately showed why he is so important to the DFB-Elf. He revived the attack and with his great pass he created a situation that led to the equalizer. His input was just as important as the winning goal.” Serge Gnabry didn’t do so well, he got the lowest mark with a 5. “The Bayern star did not stand out and played too inconspicuously for a man of his class,” was the harsh verdict.
