AL KHOR, Qatar — In some ways, Niclas Füllkrug’s equalizer with seven minutes remaining didn’t change Germany’s chances of making it through to the World Cup’s knockout stage all that much. It still has to beat Costa Rica to make it through, the only difference after a 1–1 draw with Spain being that it is not relying on Luis Enrique’s side to beat Japan. A high-scoring tie in that game could create issues if Germany wins by only one, but, barring something very unexpected, victory over Costa Rica will be enough to make the knockout stage.
But in other ways, this result and performance at Al Bayt Stadium were vital.