I thought I was about to witness the unfathomable!
Image from The Sun
Shortly after Germany and Sweden stopped onto the pitch for their clash of the European giants, Sweden stunned the crowd on-hand with a brilliant chipped lob over a hapless goalkeeper.
Sweden 1, Germany 0.
If that result held, Germany would be out of the World Cup!
And what was even more shocking was that Sweden kept pressing, and they had a perfect moment around the 44th or 45th minute, when a Swedish attacker had a goal beckoning.
Image from Deutsche Welle
His first touch was unfortunately poor, and it was always going to be poor.
At that angle, at that speed, and with the overall positioning of the players, the only choice was to blast it in at the first opportunity.
That didn't happen.
But Sweden had another shocker up its sleeve.
The referee had called for 2 minutes of added time in the first half.
Typically, the ref only adds a minute, so this was another chance to spring a surprise. However, both teams appeared content: Germany just wanted to get to the half down by one to regroup and reorganize.
Sweden wanted to keep their momentum alive, and therefore, not do anything stupid.
That said, Germany gave up a poorly-timed foul near the edge of the box. Sweden took a shot, and man o' man, was it close! 😬
The second-half was on like Donkey Kong!
True to their nature, the Germans came out firing on all cylinders.
Where was this during the first half? 😐
A more important question...where the hell was this during the Germany-Mexico game!?!?? 😠
Image from The Mirror
Nevertheless, they looked the better team as they created chance after chance. Sweden on the other hand seemed to just play back, and look for the counterattack.
They would pay for that decision later...
Because of course Germany strikes!
Now, we're dead-even, Germany 1, Sweden 1.
Image from beIN Sports
It's game on!!! 😵😵😵
But the problem is that the clock keeps ticking. While a draw keeps Germany's stay in Russia alive, their fate would not be in their hands.
Since Sweden already won against South Korea, a draw would give Sweden 4 points, and Germany 1 point. Should Sweden get any result against Mexico -- and that's not out of the question if Mexico decides to play a more conservative game -- Germany would crash out no matter if they beat South Korea by a wide margin.
There was no choice -- Germany had to go for the victory and all three points.
And then it happened...
Jerome Boateng got a freakin' red card!
Image from AFP
Boateng was already on a yellow, and he made a foolish tackle on a Swedish player. Plus, he came in from behind and didn't play any part of the ball.
Under any (rational) circumstance, Boateng's foul would have drawn the yellow card.
Therefore, the ref handed his second yellow card, and that was that: Germany is playing with only ten men.
Man, what a time to go out, when everybody was going to press for a desperation-chance.
Of course, the clock kept ticking and ticking, and I was almost sure that Germany's World Cup journey would hang on a delicate thread.
Then, the inexplicable...
Sweden fouled on the edge of the box, near the left corner.
It was deep into added time, and Germany was literally looking at seconds from their World Cup ending in total, unmitigated disaster.
Again, while a draw wouldn't send them home, it would leave them in a cripplingly vulnerable position.
If the magic were to happen, it needed to happen right here, right now!
Toni Kroos stepped up to the world stage...
He struck the ball with ferocity and intent.
I didn't really have time to think. All I could do was stand and watch.
Rarely do people have such "hero" moments, and even rarer do people come through when you need them to.
But this is Germany.
There's a reason why they're World Champions.
Image from SBNation.com
And just like that, Germany 2, Sweden 1 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
What a brilliantly curved strike!
I couldn't imagine a fairy tale like that! Yet here it was, right before my eyes.
Image from The42
For much of the game, Germany just seemed destined to lose this game. That the powers that be had grown tired of the old cycle between European and South American champions.
Perhaps this was the time to upend the old guard, the predictable, and increasingly tiresome hegemony.
But Germany had a word to say about that!
And so it ended.
The ref blew the whistle, and the entire group F dynamic blew up in a blink of an eye.
Germany that was about to get crucified at the most public of events redeemed itself, and sent a powerful reminder that the champions will not go down so easily.
Sweden, poor Sweden, was on the brink to a realistic trip to the Round of 16.
Now, they have some work to do.
But let me remind everyone that Group H is still up for grabs.