Germany‘s highly-awaited game against Spain delivered as expected through 2 thrilling halves of football, eventually ending in a 1-1 stalemate.
Facing another premature elimination, the Germans were up against the ropes heading into the game, and another defeat would see them bow out after just 2 games.
Spain took to the pitch as strong favourites, especially after their 7-0 drubbing of Costa Rica.
The World Cup so far has produced an unfortunate trend of uneventful first halves, as most games have sprung into action during the second.
Fortunately for fans, the two heavyweights weren’t keen on pulling any punches, and both sides were out of the gates from the first whistle.
With the scores tied after an intense first 45, Luis Enrique rolled in the changes and brought on Alvaro Morata who went on to grab the opener.
The equalizer came through German substitute Niclas Fullkrug, whose powerful drive rocketed past Unai Simon in goal.
Overall, the match made for fantastic viewing, and a few players, in particular, caught the eye of every viewer.
The likes of Illkay Gundogan, Pedri, and Joshua Kimmich were among the standouts alongside the livewire that is Jamal Musiala.
The 19-year-old was at his skilful best during the game and managed to complete 5 out of his 8 attempted dribbles.
That stat is even more impressive when you consider that he was doubled up on almost every occasion.
His mazy dribbles look too hot to handle from afar, but this particular bit of play simply made his markers look rather silly.
It all began after the German drifted in between the lines and received the ball with a perfectly-weighted first touch, drawing in the vastly experienced Jordi Alba.
Musiala breezed past the fallback with a La Croqueta that would make Iniesta proud, before using his frame to manoeuvre the ball beyond the reach of an on-rushing Dani Olmo.
He then aligned his body back towards Alba and used a shove by the Spaniard as a springboard to run past a stationary Olmo.
He even managed to regain his balance and send in a dangerous cross.
The youngster’s movement can only be described as unreal, his feints are clearly too tricky to decipher, and he never shies away when defenders get physical.
To have such mastery in tight spaces at the age of 19 is an accomplishment beyond the reach of many.
And it’s no surprise that fans are left wowed after every display of his sublime skill.
With players such as Pedri, Jamal Musiala, Gavi, and Jude Bellingham, the future of football is in safe hands.
