Sourav Ganguly exemplifies Germany's football for playing under crunch moments

Toni Kroos' goal in the dying phases of the match saved the day for Germany.

Published - 25 Jun 2018, 13:02 IST | Updated - 25 Jun 2018, 13:02 IST

2 Min Read

Germany have been one of been of the teams to watch out whenever they take the field. The team has always made the big stage their very own and stamped their authority. In 2014, the won the FIFA World Cup with a couple of resounding performances. In the semi-final, they rocked Brazil by 7-1 to storm into the Final of the tournament versus Argentina.

The Germans were held back for a chunk of the match, but Mario Gotze’s goal as late as in the 113th minute saved the day for the currently ranked number one football team. Ahead of this year’s ever, they were touted to be the firm favorites. However, Michael Neuer and his men didn’t have an auspicious start as they were brushed aside by Mexico by 1-0 in their opening match.

Germany live to fight another day

Neuer’s men needed to pull a rabbit out of the hat to keep their hopes alive in the event. Their opponent was Sweden, who romped past South Korea in their first contest. Following the first half, the team well and truly looked down the barrel with a trail of one goal courtesy Ola Toivonen’s masterful effort. However, Marco Reus infused air into the gasping lungs of the Germans in the 48th minute.

He pulled off a goal to help his team draw level. However, the job wasn’t yet done as even a draw wouldn’t have left the German’s in a healthy position. In the 82nd minute, Jerome Boateng was shown the red card and all of a sudden they were down to ten men. Nevertheless, Toni Kroos pulled off an awe-inspiring goal in the 95th minute to help Germany steal victory from the jaws of defeat.

The stupendous victory caught the eye of a number of cricketers, including the likes of Rohit Sharma, who praised the defending champions. Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly, the former Indian batsman, also showered his accolades on Neuer and Co, and the ‘Sniper’, who also plays for Real Madrid for his last minute heroics.

He took to Twitter and wrote, “That’s what is called deliver under pressure ..hall mark of German football”