The faces of the commanders of Germany and Spain, who recorded a tight 1-1 draw with a 'luxurious match' worthy of the 2010 World Cup winners, were a bit mixed.
Germany's coach Hansi Flick said at a press conference after the World Cup Group E second leg match against Spain at the Albayte Stadium in Alcor, Qatar, on the 28th (Korean time), "In an equal game, the players showed great performance throughout the 90 minutes. , Mental strength was also good. We saw what we wanted.”
Germany drew 1-1 with Spain on the day, earning one point for the first time in the tournament.
In the 2018 Russia World Cup as the defending champion, following the 'Nightmare of Kazan', which was eliminated by losing 0-2 in the final group stage match against Korea, it was caught 1-2 by Japan in the first match of this tournament, and only Asian teams lost 2 consecutive World Cup finals. It is a draw that was achieved after a hard time.
Germany, which had only one goal from a penalty kick by Ilkay Gündogan in the match against Japan, did not taste a goal until the end of the second half, allowing Alvaro Morata to score the first goal in the 17th minute of the second half. Balanced.
Coach Flick gave meaning, saying, "With today's results, we will be able to raise the team atmosphere and gain confidence."
"Spain is a great team. They have a lot of young talent and are technically sophisticated. They showed a great performance today," he said. "I think we could have scored more goals, but I'm glad we scored and drew."
Ahead of this tournament, Pulkruk, who was selected as a 'surprise card' and scored a decisive goal to save the team, was praised for "showing the decisiveness we needed."
Germany, still bottom of Group E, are looking to turn things around in their final game against Costa Rica.
Costa Rica lost 0-7 to Spain, but held Japan 1-0 in the second leg and continued to compete in the round of 16.
Coach Flick, who evaluated Costa Rica as "a team with good mentality who bounced back after losing 0-7," said, "We have just taken the first step. We want to prepare well for the match against Costa Rica and advance to the round of 16." lost
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It was a draw that could feel like a loss for Spain's coach Luis Enrique.
Coach Enrique said, "It was a strange feeling to have a chance to win against Germany and confirm our advance to the round of 16. It's a pity that we missed it," but "It's a positive thing to be in first place after playing two group matches."
Spain, who scored 7 goals against Costa Rica, did not show the firepower as much as it did back then, suffering from active pressure from Germany.
Coach Enrique recalled, "After Morata's goal, we almost turned Germany's chaos in our favor, but we lacked the precision to lead the game the way we wanted. We also lacked composure."
It must be a favorable situation for Spain, who secured first place in Group E with 1 win and 1 draw, with 4 points, but it did not completely solidify their advance to the round of 16.
Here, the team we will meet in the final match is Japan, who took Germany and caused a surprise in the beginning.
Coach Enrique said, "Today's result is disappointing, but it is positive that we are ranked first in the 'Group of Death'. Japan is a difficult opponent, but our goal is to win."
(Photo = Getty Image Korea)