#5 Toni Kroos and Jerome Boateng impress
Whilst Germany fluffed their lines in the final third, they still have their spine in place in the middle. Unlike his compatriots, Toni Kroos looked in command of his game and decisive with both his touches and passing. He was Germany’s main man in the middle, orchestrating the flow of the game with passes, both short and long. It was in fact, a real pity that players like Draxler and Gotze weren’t playing at the same level as their compatriot from Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, at the back Jerome Boateng was immense and a big reason why the game finished goalless. While Mats Hummels might have worn the captain’s armband with Bastian Schweinsteiger on the bench, there was no doubt as to who was leading the Germans from the back. With Hummels not fully match-fit, the new Bayern Munich signing wasn’t able to impose himself on the game as much as he would have liked.
Thankfully for the Germans, Boateng was immense at the back. The much feared Robert Lewandowski was pretty much shadowed and shackled throughout the ninety minutes and when the Polish superstar did get a sniff of scoring, Boateng was there to avert the danger with a brilliantly timed tackle. The 27-year-old former Manchester City man finished the game with 10 interventions involving 3 interceptions, 2 tackles, 2 clearances, 2 blocks and 1 aerial.
Boateng also bagged the man of the match performance for his efforts.
