FULL-TIME: Spain 1 Germany 1
Substitute Fullkrug saves the day for Germany then in a high-quality, frantic game after Morata had given Spain the lead. Lots of pressing and good passing but in the end two centre forwards get the goals off the bench with nice finishes. Germany are still alive and will go through now with a win against Costa Rica, should Spain beat Japan in the final round.
96 mins: Musiala loses the ball and Nico Williams runs at pace but brilliant tackle by Goretzka. Sané runs in behind but tries to round the keeper and fails and almost goes out of play. One last corner by Germany is claimed by Simon.
Spain 1 Germany 1
89 mins: Morata put through on goal by Williams but great tackle by Schlotterbeck. Germany hang on.
Spain 1 Germany 1
83 mins: GOAL FOR GERMANY! Fullkrug with a cracker after the ball broke from Musiala after Sané's pass. Powerful shot from inside the box right into the corner. What Germany needed, old-fashioned centre forward play.
Spain 1 Germany 1
80 mins: Sane weaves through the box and it seemed to have hit Busquets on the hand but no penalty. Fullkrug wins a free-kick just outside the box after he is bodychecked. Kimmich hits straight into the wall.
Spain 1 Germany 0
74 mins: Musiala dribbles past the defenders on the right and a good cross in for Fullkrug but the defence does enough and it goes out. A moment later, Sané plays in Musiala through on goal and Simon saves! Corner from Kimmich is headed over by Fullkrug.
Spain 1 Germany 0
72 mins: Gundogan, Muller and Kehrer off for Fullkrug, Klostermann and Sané. Germany have badly missed Sané, who is carrying an injury. Can he make a difference in the last few minutes?
Spain 1 Germany 0
66 mins: Good counter by Spain as they get several players forward. It falls to Asensio on the edge of the box in an acre of space but he blazes over. Poor shot. Asensio’s last act of the game, as Nico Williams comes on. Gavi also off for Rodri.
Spain 1 Germany 0
69 mins: So to recap, as it stands if Germany lose this game, they will have to beat Costa Rica, Spain have to beat Japan and overcome a two-goal difference deficit against Japan. Very possible but their fate will be out of their hands.
Spain 1 Germany 0
64 mins: Morata is often lambasted for his poor finishing but there was nothing wrong with that one! Germany go on the attack and Goretzka takes a shot but it’s blocked and Spain are safe again for now.
Spain 1 Germany 0
62 mins: GOAL FOR SPAIN! Morata to Asensio who switches it to Dani Olmo but outmuscled by Kehrer. Ball comes to Alba on the wing and he plays a cute low cross into Morata who gets ahead of the defender and flicks it sublimely past Neuer.
Spain 1 Germany 0
60 mins: Olmo takes a long pot shot straight at Neuer. Then a yellow card for Kimmich for catching Olmo on the ankle.
Spain 0 Germany 0
57 mins: Chance. Gundogan plays to Kimmich but good save by Simon, who makes up for giving a careless pass to Pedri on the edge of his box.
Spain 0 Germany 0
55 mins: Alvaro Morata is on for Ferran Torres, an early change for Spain. A few mistakes creeping into the game.
Spain 0 Germany 0
51 mins: Gundogan wins a free-kick, fouled by Busquets. The free-kick doesn’t work as Spain all stand outside the box and play the Germans offside again.
Spain 0 Germany 0
48 mins: Asensio runs down the left wing and plays a good ball but it’s collected by Neuer. Goretzka holds his face after a tackle by Gavi.
Spain 0 Germany 0
HALF-TIME: Spain 0 Germany 0
Great half of football despite no goals. Two evenly matched teams going at it at frantic pace with high technical quality on display. Both teams went close, Spain off the post, Germany with a disallowed goal. Can’t wait for the second half.
45 mins: This time Germany stay onside and Rudiger gets again on the edge of the box, his shot is saved easily by Simon. Two minutes stoppage time. Spain put a ball into the box and it’s pinball but Spain win a corner. Olmo’s corner is headed away.
Spain 0 Germany 0
44 mins: Neuer plays a long ball to Musiala and a fantastic first touch and dribble to turn Busquets, who gets a yellow card for hacking him down.
Spain 0 Germany 0
40 mins: Disallowed goal for Germany! Gnabry wins a foul against Alba. Kimmich puts in a peach of a ball into the box from the free-kick and Rudiger hammers a header into the corner. But he was just offside. Unlucky.
Spain 0 Germany 0
37 mins: Short corner by Spain is played into Torres in the box, but Kehrer makes a great block. Not so good this time by Kehrer after a long ball by Simon, he misjudges the flight slightly and he gets a yellow card for tackling Torres.
Spain 0 Germany 0
34 mins: Dani Olmo runs behind the defence and plays in Torres in front of goal, he’s alone on his own and blazes it over. Turns out it was offside anyway. But threatening play by Spain.
Spain 0 Germany 0
31 mins: Sule crosses to Muller but well headed away by Rodri. Rudiger takes a shot from 40 yards and it could be out of the stadium. Way over. More frantic pressing from both teams. Not a moments space and high technical ability on display.
Spain 0 Germany 0
29 mins: Bad touch by Gnabry and Spain counter but Rudiger hoofs it clear. Frantic pace to this with high pressing from both sides.
Spain 0 Germany 0
27 mins: Neuer gives away the ball this time badly straight to Spain. But Torres takes a slow touch and it’s blocked down by Raum.
Spain 0 Germany 0
25 mins: Spain keeper Simon gives the ball away twice, once out for a throw-in, another time straight to Gnabry on the edge of the box. Gnabry tries to curl in on his weak foot but it goes wide. More life from the Germans.
Spain 0 Germany 0
22 mins: Nice interplay as Pedri floats into the box and falls to Gavi but they get closed out. Ball comes out at Busquets plays to Alba on the wing who runs in and hits from distance on his weaker right foot, just wide.
Spain 0 Germany 0
18 mins: Spain keep the ball beautifully at the back under intense pressure. They’ve dominated possession so far but Germany have competed well.
Spain 0 Germany 0
13 mins: Really high quality start to this game. Germany showed the dangers of Spain’s high press there leaving them open but Spain continue to do their thing. Dani Olmo dives just outside the box but the referee doesn’t give the foul.
Spain 0 Germany 0
10 mins: Chance for Germany. Germany play through the press brilliantly and Goretzka drives through the middle and through ball to Gnabry, but keeper Simon makes a good save.
Spain 0 Germany 0
8 mins: Off the post! Some possession for Spain as they probe Pedri to Gavi plays to Olmo and it’s a blistering shot from the edge of the box heading for the top of the goal, but it’s a fantastic save by Neuer onto the post. Close.
Spain 0 Germany 0
5 mins: Germany try to put Muller in behind but he doesn’t have the pace. Carvajal wins the ball just outside the box with very high pressing. Ball falls to Asensio on the edge of the box but he miscontrols it.
Spain 0 Germany 0
2 mins: Spain press Germany’s Musiala like mad, three around him just outside his own box. Giving Germany a taste of what they’ll get today.
Spain 0 Germany 0
All-time Germany marginally lead the head-to-head with nine wins to Spain’s eight with the sides playing out eight draws. But Germany have only beaten Spain once since 2000, losing four times, most painfully 6-0 in the Nations League in November 2020. Spain are clear favourites here, but Hansi Flick has packed the midfield with Goretzka and will hope for a change in fortunes.
World Cup history suggests Germany can recover from their bad start. Past winners have proven that early shocks do not necessarily doom a team; the trick is to know whether to change. Spain’s triumph at the World Cup in 2010 may provide the most solace. Vicente del Bosque’s side arrived at the World Cup in South Africa on the back of a fearsome run of form, having won Euro 2008 two years earlier. So their 1-0 defeat in the opening game to Switzerland rocked the tournament. They went on to be victorious.
[ World Cup history suggests Argentina and Germany can recover from bad startsOpens in new window ]
Luis Enrique warned Spain should not to underestimate Germany in crucial World Cup clash. “We are facing an opponent against which we cannot be overconfident otherwise they will hammer us,” he said.
[ Luis Enrique warns Spain not to underestimate Germany in crucial World Cup clashOpens in new window ]
The teams for today’s match. Carvajal in for Azpilicueta for Spain. For Germany, Thilo Kehrer comes in for Nico Schlotterbeck and Leon Goretzka comes in for Kai Havertz. Leroy Sané still on the bench then.
Spain: Unai Simon, Dani Carvajal, Aymeric Laporte, Rodri Hernandez, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Gavi, Pedri Gonzalez, Ferran Torres, Marco Asensio, Dani Olmo
Germany: Manuel Neuer, David Raum, Antonio Ruediger, Thilo Kehrer, Niklas Suele, Joshua Kimmich, Ilkay Guendogan, Jamal Musiala, Thomas Mueller, Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry.
As mentioned, Costa Rica stunned Japan this morning with a late Keysher Fuller winner. It was Costa Rica’s first shot on target in the whole tournament and damaged Japan’s chances of progression. It was also an important result for Germany. Credit to Costa Rica for turning it around after the humiliating defeat in the first game. It leaves the group wide open.
[ Costa Rica stun Japan with late Keysher Fuller winnerOpens in new window ]
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Spain against Germany in Group E of the World Cup at Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar. Germany were shocked in their first game against Japan, but have been let off the hook by Japan losing to Costa Rica in the earlier match. Before, a win would have been needed to stay in contention in the group. Now, it is not essential, but still important to excise the demons of the Japan embarrassment. Spain meanwhile started their tournament with a flawless 7-0 win. Can they match that level of performance today against Germany?
