The midfielder's mistimed pass led to Ola Toivonen's first-half goal for Sweden. However, Germany clawed its way back in Sochi with Marco Reus netting early in the second half before Kroos swung in a free-kick in the fifth minute of added time on Saturday.
Kroos took a thinly veiled dig at the German media and former players who had been sharply critical of the team over the past six days. “We were criticised a lot, justifiably so in part, and a lot of people in Germany would have been pleased if we had gone out today,” said Kroos, who admitted there is still room for improvement. “Overall, we once again had phases where we played really well and didn't use our chances.”
Kroos' winning goal after 94 minutes and 42 seconds was the latest goal scored by Germany in World Cup history (excluding extra-time).
After a foul to the left of the Swedish box, Kroos fired an angled shot beyond the reach of the goalkeeper.
Boateng's overexuberance resulted in a second yellow card but Germany still poured men forward and got the goal it craved at the death — Kroos' boot sparking pandemonium. Germany may have lived to fight another day, but more questions were raised over Low, his tactics and his side.
Kroos went ecstatic after scoring the dying minute winner. In the build up to the vital fixture, Joachim Low insisted Germany had learnt from its mistakes which saw it stunned by Mexico, triggering claims of squad disharmony. Low preached it would be different this time around. He almost guaranteed it. (All photos: Getty Images)
Comments
SHARE