Germany 2-1 Sweden: World Cup highlights and recap

Germany beat Sweden 2-1 in the World Cup on Saturday, June 23. Here are all the highlights from the match.

Germany kept their hopes of defending the World Cup title alive on Saturday with a stunning late win against Sweden.

Joachim Low made four changes to the side that started against Mexico, with Jonas Hector, Antonio Rudiger, Sebastian Rudy and Marco Reus all coming into the starting XI. The changes seemed to make an impact early on. Reus was heavily involved as Germany went close in the opening 10 minutes.

As the half wore on, however, Sweden got to grips with the German attack. Their game plan was similar to Mexico’s in the first game, and while they barely had a touch of the ball, their counter-attack looked dangerous. Marcus Berg probably should have had a penalty in the 14th minute, but the referee saw nothing wrong with Jerome Boateng’s challenge.

The opening goal came only 20 minutes later, Ola Toivonen chipping over an on-rushing Manuel Neuer after Toni Kroos gave the ball away in midfield. The error, from the robotically consistent Kroos, summed up Germany’s World Cup, sloppy with the ball and unwilling to do the necessary work without it.

Low brought on Mario Gomez for Julian Draxler at halftime, and immediately the Germans got back in it, Reus bundling in after Gomez had redirected Timo Werner’s cross. The goal changed the complexion of the game, with Germany passing with a speed and intensity they had lacked at 1-0 down.

As inevitable as the winner felt after Reus’s equalizer, Die Mannschaft had to wait until the very last minute of 95 to ensure they held their fate in their hands going into the final group game. And it was Kroos who provided the moment of magic, curling a powerful shot into the top corner to give Germany the win.

Next: The best player on every team at the World Cup

Highlights

In the final game of the group stage, Germany play South Korea and Sweden play Mexico.