Germany stay alive with hard-fought draw with Spain

Substitutes stole the show as Germany snatched a 1-1 draw with Spain in Group E of the World Cup, just about keeping alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages.

Both teams had chances to score early on in an open-ended start, but the first half quickly settled into a rhythm of Spain dominating possession and Germany picking their presses carefully. Spain did look vulnerable on occasion when taking too much time on the ball at the back and were caught out by it, but an offside flag from a free-kick ensured they went into half-time level.

Die Mannschaft had Spain figured out in the early stages of the second half, but Luis Enrique called on his bench to give La Roja more attacking thrust. That worked in their favour as they took the lead and regained control of the game. Germany answered with their own substitutions, and it was unlikely hero Niclas Fullkrug to fire them level and earn them a potentially vital point.

A high-octane start saw Manuel Neuer tip a powerful shot from Dani Olmo onto the crossbar after just seven minutes. Germany then went down the other end and forced Unai Simon into action, smothering a 1v1 vs Serge Gnabry which was eventually flagged for offside.

Patterns then began to emerge in a midfield-themed game of chess. Spain would dominate the ball, but Germany would maintain a disciplined shape and press effectively, before trying to play quickly along the floor themselves. Luis Enrique's side had joy when switching the play and coming back into the half space, but looked equally vulnerable when falling into the trap of Hansi Flick's false nine system.

Antonio Rudiger headed Germany in front from a free-kick after 40 minutes, but saw his goal flagged for offside; a warning for Spain, who were caught out by a foul and poor marking. That opened up what remained of the first half, but neither side could pull ahead.

Simon was sometimes too keen to play short to his defenders and almost gifted Germany a opening just before the hour mark, when his pass into Pedri was swallowed by the opposition press. Ilkay Gundogan laid it off into Joshua Kimmich, but his first time effort was saved.

Minutes later, substitute Alvaro Morata made a brilliant run across the front of the box to smartly poke a low cross beyond Manuel Neuer, giving Spain a 1-0 lead that they for the most part deserved.

Germany were now in trouble, staring elimination right in the face. Flick finally called on his bench as the clock ticked down which put them back on the front foot. With under 10 minutes to play, Jamal Musiala burst towards goal and had the ball taken off him by Fullkrug, who smashed into the roof of the net for 1-1.

One point still isn't ideal and leaves Die Mannschaft needing Spain to beat Japan in matchday three should they beat Costa Rica, but it's a lot more positive than the prospect of heading into the final round on zero points.