Rohit Sharma hails Toni Kroos’ piece of sheer brilliance

Kroos helped his team snatch a 2-1 victory from the jaws of defeat.

Published - 24 Jun 2018, 11:26 IST | Updated - 24 Jun 2018, 11:26 IST

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Germany entered the 2018 FIFA World Cup as the number one ranked team in the world. Moreover, they are the defending champions having won the title in 2014, beating Argentina in the final. Their campaign this year didn’t start on an auspicious note as Mexico pinned them in their opening match 1-0, which somewhat put the skids under Manuel Neuer and Co.

Last night, they locked horns with Sweden and found themselves in all sorts of trouble following the first-half as Ola Toivonen’s goal in the 32nd minute pushed them on the back-foot. More importantly, a defeat could’ve made it difficult for the Germans to qualify even for the round of 16. However, Marcus Reus pulled things back with a stupendous goal in the 48th minute.

The last few minutes of the game were no less than dramatic. For Germany, a draw would’ve meant that they needed favours from other teams to move into the next round. Robin Oldsen, the Mexican goalkeeper, dived full length and parried the ball over the bar to deny their opponent a lead. To add to their agony, Jerome Boateng was slapped with a red card and the Germans were down to 10 players.

Kroos’ masterclass saves the day for Germany

In the 95th minute, Toni Kroos, popularly referred to as the Sniper by his supporters, pulled a rabbit out of the hat and scored the match-winning goal. It was produced from a free kick that he took just outside the penalty box. It was also the latest goal by Germany (94 minutes and 42 seconds) in the history of the World Cup (excluding extra time) as they snatched victory by 2-1 from the jaws of defeat to stay alive in the event.

Rohit Sharma, the Indian batsman, was awestruck by the display of temperament from Kroos, who also plays for Real Madrid. Sharma will next represent India in the T20I series versus Ireland, which gets underway from June 27 at The Village in Dublin. Meanwhile, he took to Twitter and wrote “Great composure under pressure by the Deutschland. Brave finish by @ToniKroos #Madridista”