Germany fell hard in the World Cup opener, as they were defeated against a strong Mexico side. The Germans will now look to get their heads back together when they clash against Sweden on Saturday. Sweden did well to defeat South Korea by a slim 0-1 in the first match and are now sitting at the top of the group along with Mexico. Sweden will look for a draw in their most challenging game of the group, as Mexico is coming right after. Germany will only settle for a win here, as any other result could be catastrophic for their qualifying hopes.
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Germany was one of the favorites to win the competition, but they looked far from it in their opener. They looked stunned when Mexico made a really powerful first half. Germany was unable to take control of that match, as Mexico was creating one scoring chance after another. Mexico eventually took the lead at the 35th minute with Lozano, and coach Lowe knew it was time to make changes. He subbed in Reus and Gomez in an attempt to give an offensive spark to his team, and it partially worked. However, the opposing goalkeeper blocked six shots in the second half alone, as Mexico went on to record a massive upset. Germany will now have to win both remaining matches to have the best chances.
On the other hand, Sweden did not have to put in a lot of work in the first match against South Korea. They were creating a lot of chances throughout the whole game, but they had trouble in converting them to goals. The opposing goalkeeper was pretty decent and blocked numerous shots, especially in the second half. However, Sweden was awarded a penalty kick at the 65th minute, and captain Granqvist didn’t fail to convert. With three points in the bag, Sweden will have to get more to have qualifying chances. A draw here would be great for Sweden, who would have significant opportunities to qualify. However, Sweden will have to play much better than they did against South Korea, as Germany can easily devour them.
Get more details: Germany vs Sweden World Cup Match-Up