Germany

Fox Watch: Germany-Sweden Was Almost The Best Broadcast Yet, But Fox Screwed It Up In The End

The Germany vs Sweden match on Saturday was set up to be Fox’s best broadcast of the tournament.

The match came right after Mexico held on to beat South Korea, boosting interest in the game. The defending champion was on the brink of elimination against another recognizable European foe. And it was one of the few matches Fox actually had people in the stadium, with John Strong and Stu Holden calling the match from Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi.

Toni Kroos Sucked On Saturday, Until He Didn’t

Toni Kroos had an awful game for 90 minutes. But holy hell did he come through when his team needed him most. The Kroos goal vs Sweden saved Germany from near certain elimination, shooting from an impossible angle to give Die Mannschaft a 2-1 victory on Saturday. 

World Cup Predictions For Tunisia-Belgium, Mexico-South Korea And Germany-Sweden

OK. Who here thinks Mexico will suffer a hangover after its monumental win over Germany? Group F hangs in the balance as South Korea will try to spoil the El Tri party and Germany looks to get back on track. Sweden is a rock solid team that beat European heavy weights on its way to qualifying for Russia. Then Group G's second round of matches gets underway as Belgium takes on Tunisia.

Mexico’s Attackers Were Sick Against Germany. No Really, They Had The Flu

Remember Michael Jordan’s flu game in the 1997 Finals, when he scored 38 points to will Chicago to a 3-2 series lead over Utah? Well, while Germany left back Jonas Hector stayed home to recover from a cold, Mexico attackers Carlos Vela and Chucky Lozano were slicing through the Die Mannschaft defense while emulating MJ — playing with guts while puking up said guts.

The Hearts And Minds Of The Planet Belong To Mexico Following Upset Of Germany

A massive Mexican contingent of fans at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow (Fox’s Kasey Keller went as far as to say it was 80 percent El Tri fans vs. 20 percent German) was on hand to watch Mexico defeat defending world champions Germany 1-0 thanks to Hirving “Chucky” Lozano’s goal in the 35th minute.

Chucky Lozano’s Price Tag Is Now $100 Trillion Or Something Like That

Time after time, Germany has found itself shook by Mexico’s lightening pace on the break. If not for some more assured decisions in the final third, El Tri could’ve certainly opened the scoring before Hirving “Chucky” Lozano beat Manuel Neuer in the 35th minute.

No matter.

Mexico is playing some lovely stuff with Lozano taking the game to the much-heralded Joshua Kimmich, Hector Herrera hasn’t put a foot wrong in midfield and Chicharito looks sharp up top. 

The opening goal was a microcosm of Mexico’s play on the whole. It’s been simply breathtaking at times.

Here’s The Starting XI For Mexico’s Shock Victory Over Germany

After getting thumped 4-1 by Germany’s B team at the 2017 Confederations Cup, Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio has surprised many by selecting a forward-thinking starting XI against Die Mannschaft to begin El Tri's 2018 World Cup campaign.

A front three of Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and Carlos Vela will look to get after Germany’s vaunted backline of Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels and obvious “weak link” Marvin Plattenhardt. Usual left back Jonas Hector is reportedly sick.   

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