Germany 2 Sweden 1: Toni Kroos scores 95th minute winner to rescue defending champions and break Swedish hearts
Ola Toivonen put the Swedes ahead in the first half before Marco Reus and Kroos eventually saved Joachim Low's side
GERMANY were never going to leave the party this early were they?
Did we really think they were going to go away?
Even in injury time here in Sochi with their fate taken out of their own hands did we really think it would happen.
When a free kick was awarded just outside the box you just knew it.
So Toni Kroos touched the ball to Marco Reus who touched it back and Kroos curled a sensational shot into the far top corner.
Heartbreak for Sweden who until that moment were needing only a point against Mexico in their final game to go through.
Now they will have to win, as will Germany against South Korea to be sure.
What a night it was.
It all spilled over at the final whistle too with emotions running high as the two benches clashed.
Sweden feeling the Germans full time celebrations were goading them.
While Germany dominated the second period they still had luck on their side.
Sweden had a clear first half penalty somehow denied despite all technology and could have been three up by half time.
It was just the one through a brilliant chipped finish from Ola Toivonen on 32 minutes which Marcus Reus equalised three minutes after the break.
Having lost their opening game against Mexico, Joachim Low had made four changes to the side with only one enforced. That was Matt Hummels who had a stiff neck and was replaced by Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger.
Elsewhere the eye catching changes saw Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira axed.
It looked like the changes had the desired effect early on too.
To say Germany raced out the blocks would be something of an understatement.
In the first ten minutes they had 122 passes to Sweden’s six.
They also had two great chances through Julian Draxler one of which was blocked in front of the line and the second, a cross shot, skidded just the wrong side of the far post.
Then when Joshua Kimmich fed the ball out wide to Marco Reus his dangerous near post cross was cut out by the outstretched leg of Manchester United’s Victor Lindelof.
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The Swedes held firm and In the 12th minute came the moment VAR was called into question.
How on earth Sweden weren’t awarded a penalty between the referee Syzmon Marciniak and his fully kitted video team is anyone’s guess.
Put clean through by Viktor Claesson and bearing down on goal Marcus Berg was sent to the floor by a combination of a forearm shove and a trip by Antonio Rudiger.
Every Swede in the ground had their arms in the air.
Play went on, the players implored the referee to look at the moment again on the pitchside screen but the VAR team advised him otherwise.
What were they looking at?
It did not knock the Swedes out their stride and in the 32nd minute justice was done as they took the lead.
First Toni Kroos gave the ball away with a loose pass to Berg who spread the ball wide to Claessen.
His through ball was perfectly weighted over the retreating Kroos for Toivonen to first chest forward and while evading the outstretched leg of Rudiger he lifted a delightful chip over Manuel Neuer and into the far side of the goal.
Germany almost equalised when Gundogan’s shot through a crowd from just outside the area was saved at full stretch by Robin Osen and Mikael Lustig just got to the loose ball ahead of Thomas Mueller.
Then Sweden had two great chances to extend their lead.
The first came when Emil Forsberg broke down the left and sent over a deep cross for Claesson.
It was begging for a first time shot but he tried to cut inside Jonas Hector who flicked the ball away.
Right on the stroke of half-time it needed a world class save from Neuer to keep the German’s in touch.
Sebastian Larsson could not have done more with his diving header from Forsberg’s free kick but full length, Neuer clawed the ball away with his finger tips.
Sweden were left to rue those moments within three minutes of the second half as Germany equalised.
Muller supplied the left wing cross and Mario Gomez who had just come on for Draxler inadvertently deflected it into the path of Reus who bundled it home from eight yards out.
Germany were now in the ascendancy and had a great chance on the hour to go ahead but Reus was a bit too clever for his own good.
Kimmich supplied the cross from the right behind the Swedish defence and from six yards out Reus tried to flick it in with the instep of his trailing leg and missed the ball altogether.
Kimmich was the supplier again on 80 minutes when this time Mueller was afforded a free shot which he hooked over.
Gomez had a header three minutes from time superbly saved by Olsen.
By then a second yellow card for Jerome Boateng had seen him get his marching orders.
It was all going against them, then came that moment.
Those moments always come for Germany.
Can they not just share them round a bit.