Germany overcome complacency to top group with late Füllkrug strike

Group A: Germany 1 Switzerland 1

An injury-time header from Niclas Füllkrug saved Germany from a shock defeat to Switzerland in Frankfurt and ensured the hosts progressed to the second round by topping Group A. Switzerland, who had frustrated Julian Nagelsmann’s best-laid plans and outplayed the hosts for long stretches, were forced to settle for second place after being stung at the end by a simple centre-forward’s goal.

Germany have now faced Switzerland 54 times in international football, more than they have played any other opponent. They had won 36 of the previous 53. Maybe it is too much to say that familiarity bred contempt, but there was something that felt a little like complacency in the warm Frankfurt air.

The pregame atmosphere was almost comically sedate, as prosperous-looking Germans and Swiss milled contentedly through the grounds of the sprawling sports campus in the forest southwest of Frankfurt. In contrast to the wild scenes further south in Stuttgart where Scotland fans flooded Stuttgart, you could walk around the stadium without hearing so much as a song.

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Over the first two games, Germany passed the ball faster and challenged more intensely than any other team. The challenge was to keep up that hectic tempo in this less than hectic atmosphere.

Some 16 minutes in they seemed to have scored their usual early goal, Robert Andrich’s shot from distance surprising Yann Sommer at his near post. It was ruled out because Jamal Musiala had fouled Michel Aebischer in the build-up. Musiala’s foul was quite similar to Kevin De Bruyne’s follow-through on the Romanian keeper, Florin Nitu, in the act of scoring Belgium’s second goal on Saturday night: different VAR officials have different interpretations.

Only 12 minutes later, Switzerland took the lead with their first meaningful attack. Musiala gave it away, the Swiss reacted with a flowing move that outflanked Germany down the left and Freuler’s whipped cross was met by the lunging Dan Ndoye, who buried an agile volley at the near post.

There was another check – this time for offside – but no reprieve for Germany. They nearly conceded again in the first play after the restart as Ndoye, apparently electrified by the experience of scoring his first international goal, burned Rüdiger for pace and sent a low diagonal shot just wide of Neuer’s far post.

Now, for the first time, a real test for Germany. This result would rudely reschedule their plans – instead of a stately progress to a Dortmund second-round match against whoever finishes second in England’s group, they would face a trip to Berlin to face, most likely, Italy.

The rapid passing combinations that had shredded Scotland and dominated Hungary were not coming off against this compact and disciplined Swiss defence. The hosts were not helping themselves with some unforced errors – left-back Max Mittelstadt guilty on a couple of occasions of wasting good positions with bad control.

On 37 minutes Jonathan Tah produced a ridiculous foul on Breel Embolo, jumping for the ball in such a way as to bring the back of his leg down on Embolo’s head, earning a booking which meant he would be suspended for the second round match.

There were signs of Germany beginning to find some rhythm towards the end of the half, which is maybe why Julian Nagelsmann decided not to change the approach for the end of the second half. Germany again made a slow start through, with Switzerland capitalising on errors to have two early chances.

Florian Wirtz provided at least one moment of inspiration when he turned and played a through-ball that took out four Swiss defenders, but Musiala’s fierce shot was saved by Sommer.

Just after the hour Nagelsmann made his first substitutions, bringing on a centre-back and a left-back in Nico Schlotterbeck and David Raum for Tah and the misfiring Mittelstadt. Five minutes later a change of shape: off went the defensive midfielder Andrich and on came Max Beier, the fast young forward from Hoffenheim.

On the Swiss bench Murat Yakin was also reacting – taking off Embolo, Ndoye and Rieder – the front three that had started the match and looked so dangerous.

If the stage seemed set for a German siege against a massed Swiss defence, that is not how it worked out. Switzerland not only retained their counter-attacking threat but started to play in Germany’s half, and the new German midfield partnership of Gundogan (33) and Kroos (34) was struggling to win the ball back.

Wirtz created a chance for Kimmich, who was denied by Manuel Akanji’s superb tackle, before Nagelsmann’s last throw of the dice: big Niclas Füllkrug for Musiala, Leroy Sané for Wirtz. Sané hit one speculative volley wide and later fell hoping to get a penalty.

But it was Switzerland who were next to get the ball in the net, Ruben Vargas tearing away down the left and shooting low past Neuer into the far corner, only for the celebrations to be cut short by an offside flag. On 88 minutes solid Swiss defending levelled Havertz and created another counter that culminated in a Xhaka shot tipped around the post by Neuer.

All, frankly, looked lost for Germany but salvation came in a back-to-basics goal from Füllkrug. Raum slung in the cross from the left and Füllkrug leapt to float a header back across goal and into the top corner.

Germany will go to Füllkrug’s home ground at Dortmund, as planned, for the second round, while Switzerland will play in Berlin.

On this evidence, Switzerland will be difficult opponents for anybody. Looking back, their 6-1 defeat to Portugal in the second round in Qatar is one of the weirdest international results in many years.

They have become an impressively consistent tournament side. The challenge for them now must be to emulate the likes of Portugal and Croatia and go all the way to the final. If you are good enough to knock out France, as they did in 2021, and almost beat Germany in Germany, then why not?