DFB draw against Chile

Berlin/Kazan – Germany earned a 1-1 draw without Marvin Plattenhardt on Thursday afternoon (22/06/17) in their second game of the group, against Chile. The result means that Germany effectively have one foot in the semi-final. Hertha’s Marvin Plattenhardt watched the game from the bench, as Germany fielded a three-back formation.

Chile started off strong and put the Germans under pressure from early on. Alexis Sanchez capitalised on an errant pass from Shkodran Mustafi to make it 1-0 after just six minutes. Joachim Löw’s team were challenged by Chile’s aggressive and physical style of play, but played better as the game went on. Gladbach’s Lars Stindl equalised with four minutes to go before half-time.

The second half was even. Germany were solid in defence and slowed the pace of the game down, but didn’t create much going forward. Manager Joachim Löw did not use any of his three substitutions and let his starting XI play the entire game. “I’m happy with the result overall. The game was played at a high level and it was a challenge tactically for our young team. Defensively we did well,” said Löw after the game.

Decider against Cameroon

Germany currently sit in second place in Group B with four points, behind Chile (also on four points). The decider to see whether Germany secure themselves a berth in the Confed Cup semi-final comes on Sunday, when Die Mannschaft play Cameroon in the last game of the group stage, who are bottom of the group. A draw will suffice for Germany to earn a place in the final four, and perhaps Plattenhardt will receive some playing time. “It’s conceivable that one or two other players will play against Cameroon who haven’t played yet. Fresh players can be helpful for us,” remarked Löw.

The other game of the group saw Australia and new Hertha signing Mathew Leckie draw 1-1 against Cameroon. With a point each, both teams can still qualify for the semi-final in theory.