Spain exhaustively dismantled a Costa Rica side which recovered to beat the very same Japan who overcame Germany. The eight-goal disparity between the two teams after the opening fixtures certainly hinted at something altogether different. There was an energy and a level as yet unmatched in this tournament, two teams running and pressing and problem-solving in the moment like a high-end Champions League knockout tie. There were periods during which neither Spain nor Germany enjoyed much success in putting moves together, but that was the consequence of wonderful work from both sides out of possession. What came before and after those two goals marked this out as the match of the tournament so far, despite the best attempts of those steering us through in the commentary booth to denigrate it as scrappy and tetchy. Nearly a quarter of an hour after coming on as part of a triple substitution roll of the German dice in response, Niclas Fullkrug collected Jamal Musiala’s clever touch, propelled any and all in his gravitational field – including his excellent teammate – and promptly attempted to remove Unai Simon’s left hand with a thunderous strike. Within eight minutes of his introduction for Ferran Torres, Alvaro Morata finished a low Jordi Alba cross with a sumptuous outside-of-the-boot finish to give Spain the lead. The meeting of the two best coaches at the 2022 World Cup, with their intricate systems, unique methods and staggering achievements, almost had to be settled by two centre-forwards at slightly different ends of the sophistication scale. Spain and Germany played out a game of flawless imperfection as Luis Enrique and Hansi Flick proved they are the best World Cup coaches.
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