5 highlights after the life-and-death draw between Germany and Spain

To strengthen the midfield, Hansi Flick used the duo Joshua Kimmich - Leon Goretzka in the central area. Playing just above is Bayern Munich's midfield duo Ilkay Gundogan. However, the German midfielders were not able to do their job well when they let Spain's midfield play to dominate and lose more than the opponent in terms of possession time.

The biggest surprise in Germany's starting lineup was the presence of Thilo Kehrer. The West Ham right-back had a chance to come on after the defeat to Japan, but he failed to contribute anything before being substituted in the second half.

Leaving the most disappointment is certainly Thomas Muller. Responsible for leading Germany's attack, but the striker playing for Bayern Munich barely left any mark on the field before being replaced by Niclas Fullkrug. Dull, slow, old and without creativity - that's all there is to say about the German general's performance.

During the match, the German players had too many inaccurate passing situations. While the defenders mostly focus on clearing the ball, passers like Kimmich or Gundogan also constantly miss. German fans probably just hope the home team will successfully capitalize on a certain set-piece situation.

Germany played with an attacking formation, but they let Spain control the ball better in the first half of the first half with 75% of the time and fell into a difficult defense. Coach Luis Enrique's team attacked aggressively and soon made the opponent's goal wobble. Without sensible changes, Germany absolutely deserves defeat.

The Bulls side played better for most of the game, and they deserved to win against a German team that accepted to play as an underdog. Only in the last 20 minutes did Germany really rise up and get the equalizer. However, this made fans even more suspicious of Hansi Flick's decisions: Why were Niclas Füllkrug and Leroy Sané not in the starting lineup? Thomas Muller is almost harmless when on the field.

Spain's midfield controlled the entire game, but the team's offensive and defensive players did not play well, which opened the door for Germany in the final minutes.

David Raum is one of the best full-backs in the Bundesliga, but in the context of Germany having to prioritize defense, the RB Leipzig player has not had the opportunity to show his ability to support his attack. . Almost, Raum became a criminal for Germany when he let Ferran Torres have 2 shots in the penalty area.

Meanwhile, Thilo Kehrer is one of Germany's worst performers today. He was unable to follow Dani Olmo for most of the game and was most responsible for Germany's goal. Weak in defense, the West Ham defender also did not have any contribution on the attacking front.

Flick's trust in Musiala yielded positive results. Despite missing a delicious opportunity to equalize, the 19-year-old midfielder was a bright spot on the German side and was the only attacking player Flick kept on the field the whole match. Musiala only really exploded after his Bayern teammate Leroy Sane was brought on. These two players worked together, paving the way for Fullkrug to equalize.

Besides the brilliance of Sane and Fullkrug, Lukas Klostermann also brings more peace of mind than Thilo Kehrer. Obviously, this trio of substitutes deserved their place after the substitutes had shown a lackluster performance throughout most of the game.

After all, Germany no longer had the right to self-determination. They must win against Costa Rica and expect Spain to defeat Japan if they want to win the right to the 1/8 round.