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Germany makes it 2 out of 2.
Spain suffered only their second defeat in its last eight games in all competitions (won four, drew two).
90' And that's the win! Germany rides on Dabritz's goal to claim all three points.
We are into stoppage time now. 3 extra minutes.
That missed opportunity for Nahikari Garcia seems like a point of regret, in hindsight. The Spanish women are struggling to equalise.
80' Final changes for Spain and Germany here. Bonmati replaces Putellas. Goessling is replaced by Leupolz.
72' Eight of Spain's 10 starting players have recorded a shot today, with the centre backs the only players yet to do so.
Action from the Stade de Hainaut seems to have flatlined. Germany is on the defensive, keeping an eye out on the goal opportunity here and there. Spain is clearly frustrating itself, trying to get one into the nets. The crowds have gone quiet in bits. Pity.
59' Spain needs to bring out its aces now and it's doing just that. Caldentey makes way for striker Lucia Garcia.
Is Spain slacking? The girls have just handed possession of the ball to the Germans. Pick yourselves up, ladies!
49' CHANCE! Popp is provided with a perfect cross that she heads into the body of Panos.... oh, but the flag has gone up on Buhl in the build up.
Germany means business. Hendrich is replaced by striker Klara Buhhl.
46' And we're back for the second half.
The best chance Spain had was the one-on-one that Garcia had with Schult (14') but the forward failed to finish and the score stayed level. Germany then started to grow into the match a bit more and, while it was still the second-best team on the pitch, managed to take the lead with a scruffy goal from Dabritz on the verge of half-time.
It is easy to ask a trailing team to take heart in their technical brilliance. Spain is going to see strong words in the dressing room at halftime. It has a 258-131 lead on passes so far. It has had a few shots at the goal too. But the women in red have not managed to convert opportunity to result. It will take more than this to trump Germany. Wonder what the second half holds.
42'
GOOOOOOALL for Germany! Popp headed a shot into the chest of Panos that the 'keeper spills and Dabritz beats Torrejon to the rebound and finished into the bottom left corner! That's certainly come against the run of play. Germany 1 - 0 Spain.
HERE COMES THE SUN. NO, not the Beatles song. The actual sun! Rain has eased out in Valenciennes. There's a splash of sunlight on a quarter of the pitch. Very welcome!
I am superstitious to another level. I always believe that the team I support loses and it almost always ends up happening to. Bringing you these updates live is helping me stay unbiased (hence my unnecessary and irrational influence cannot change the course of the game in Valenciennes. Phew).
However, I cannot help but applaud this Spanish side for making Germany look ordinary. The girls in white need to up their game. After last night's 13-0 carnage by USA, every serious title contender will want to look the part too.
27' Popp went down after a collision with her own teammate, but it looks like she will be able to keep playing.
25' After a brief stint on the sidelines, Garcia jogs back on and it looks like she will be able to continue.
24' Garcia is down on the ground after an aerial duel with Hegering and the medical staff are out on the pitch.
Germany is undefeated in their last 17 group stage matches and a victory today will give them a record eighteenth victory. Spain is making sure they slave for it though. We're seeing some great footwork here from Spain. You've got to love some show of strength against a threatening big player! I certainly am.
22' Germany is sorely missing Marozsan in midfield, currrently holding just 32.2 per cent of possession. Two-time champion looks a little wobbly right at the start. They need to regroup, the German women!
Garcia has been a delight to watch so far. Will Spain manage an opener? Will Germany wake up and fight back?
STAT: Spain’s first five Women’s World Cup games have been against nations of a different footballing continent each time – Central America (Costa Rica), South America (Brazil), Asia (Korea Republic), Africa (South Africa) and Europe (Germany). That's quite a collection there!
Spain has been dominant. It's fighting for possession, going for those risky passes and giving Germany no time to slack in the middle. Engaging football this.
8' The rain is pouring down, causing some sloppy play in the early stages here.
You might find me talking about the rain a lot. I remember watching an Arsenal v Southampton game last year in London, where rain belted down on the spectators. I had a front row seat that I was proud of but quickly grew to despise. There was no escaping the cold and the piercing Camden winds. Hang in there fans!
It was raining all morning at Valenciennes today and brought back memories of the torrential downpour that interrupted the Chile vs Sweden game yesterday. We sure hope the weather gods are not planning an encore.
0' KICKOFF. We should be in for a fantastic match today seeing as it’s the first clash between two top-15 nations in the FIFA rankings at this year’s tournament!
Did you know: Spain has won all their qualifying matches in the run up to this World Cup.
The conversation around USA's brilliant 13-0 win over Thailand has not died down. The team has been criticised for its celebration after destroying a hapless Thailand in their opening game of the tournament. We asked fans what they think of the controversy. Have some thoughts? Share it with us below.
Team news is out. Just two changes following Germany’s 1-0 victory against China in their first match at this tournament. Schweers and Goessling both come into the starting XI while Simon and Marozsan drop to the bench.
Marozsan's injury has been a talking point ahead of this game after she picked up an injury during Germanyt's opener against China.
Read all about it here.
Earlier today,
Nigeria handed South Korea its second defeat of the tournament, claiming a comfortable 2-0 victory. The match also saw the second own goal of the match. If you missed the game, my colleague Manasi has got you covered. Read all about the NIGERIA vs KOREA game,
as it happened.
PREVIEW: GER V ESP
Germany and Spain have both enjoyed a winning start to their FIFA Women's World Cup campaigns this year. It goes without saying then that this is a heavyweight encounter.
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