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Germany left it late to hold Spain to a 1-1 draw in Group E of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Sunday, November 27.
Substitute Niclas Fullkrug scored in the 83rd minute to cancel out Alvaro Morata's opener for La Roja and hand Die Mannschaft a lifeline.
In a riveting encounter, Spain and Germany went at each other in the opening half but there were no goals as both sides were guilty of fluffling their lines.
The theme continued after the break too with plenty of goal-mouth action at both ends. Morata, who'd only come off the bench minutes earlier, broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute.
Germany, who'd lost 2-1 to Japan on the opening day, were seemingly headed for a second consecutive World Cup loss for the first time in their history, until Fullkrug entered the fray.
The Werder Bremen forward repaid manager Hansi Flick's faith by turning in a wonderful effort into the top corner from close range and forcing a share of the spoils.
The 2014 champions remain the at the bottom of Group E with just one point in the bag, but all's not lost yet. Costa Rica's victory over Japan has thrown it wide open.
La Roja, meanwhile, will be looking to seal top spot in the final group fixture against the Samurai Blue on Thursday. Here are five hits and flops from the match:
Hit: Jamal Musiala (Germany)
Jamal Musiala has been touted as Germany's next big thing, and it's easy to see why. The Bayern Munich prodigy ran the show for his side with his energy, industry, and enterprise.
He never hesitated to make a run inside the box and even forced Unai Simon into a good save in the 74th minute, before bagging an assist for Fullkrug's all-important equalizer.
Musiala's pace is frightening while his first touches are awe-inspiring, and the best part is that, at just 19 years of age, he still has room for improvement.
Flop: Thomas Muller (Germany)
Once a prolific goalscorer for Germany, Thomas Muller's output has steadily declined in recent years and today's performance was a damning indictment of the same.
He started as their striker against Spain and the move spectacularly backfired as Muller was completely isolated upfront. In 70 minutes of action, he completed just eight passes and failed to muster a single shot.
After scoring 10 goals in his first two World Cup tournaments, the Raumdeuter has failed to score in his next two. Luckily for him, Die Mannschaft have one more game left in the group and Muller will be looking to break his scoring duck.
Hit: Jordi Alba (Spain)
Heavily criticized for his inconsistent displays for Barcelona, Jordi Alba turned in a terrific performance for Spain tonight to remind everyone that he's still good on his day.
The full-back was a constant threat to Germany with his incisive runs and devastating link-up plays. He also set up Morata's opener after driving down the flank unchallenged.
Defensively too, Alba was solid, demonstrating great vision and anticipation to read the match brilliantly and time his tackles to perfection. Even at 33, he continues to shine for La Roja.
Flop: Ferran Torres (Spain)
Ferran Torres started the World Cup campaign with a brace in Spain's 7-0 thrashing of Costa Rica but was a pale shadow of himself today against Germany.
The Barcelona winger had a shot blocked early on but then missed a glorious opportunity to score by dragging his effort over the bar, only for the linesman to raise the flag and spare him the blushes.
However, it did little to eclipse a poor outing for Torres, who was hooked off in the 54th minute for Spain's first substitution of the match.
Hit: Alvaro Morata (Spain)
Not all Spanish forwards were disappointing. Just look at Alvaro Morata. The striker came off the bench to replace Torres and just eight minutes later, scored to put Luis Enrique's men in front.
Alba fed him nicely from the right. All Morata had to do was tap it home and that's exactly what the Atletico Madrid striker did. Much like in their Costa Rica thrashing, he once again made an impact off the bench.
With two goals in the campaign now, head coach Enrique has been given enough food for thought and could finally start Morata as Spain's striker in their last group fixture against Japan.
