Germany 1-1 Spain: 5 talking points as Jose Gaya's late equaliser denies a win for Die Mannschaft | UEFA Nations League 2020-21
Germany hosted Spain at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in what was a brilliant opening game for Group 4 in the UEFA Nations League.
The encounter ended dramatically as José Luis Gayà netted a 96th-minute goal to deny Joachim Löw's men a win. The late goal cancelled out Timo Werner's opener for Die Mannschaft in the 51st minute.
Luis Enrique's men had created enough chances to turn the game on its head in the early minutes of the first and second half. However, things were not clicking for them in the final third. Meanwhile, their opponents spent the majority of the game in their own half, trying to catch their opposition on the break through the likes of Leroy Sane and Werner.
Here are five key talking points from an open game of football which ended fairly for both Germany and Spain.
#5 Thiago Alcantara oozes class
It is safe to say that a midfield-heavy German side had no plans to limit Thiago Alcantara's impact on the game. The Spaniard ran riot in midfield, building play from deep as well as linking up with his forwards in the final third.
Sergio Busquets and the Liverpool-linked midfielder constantly interchanged positions, which made it tougher for İlkay Gündoğan and Julian Draxler to pin them down.
The 29-year-old ended the game with a passing accuracy of 93%, playing a total of 13 long balls and completing 4 dribbles. He was yet again the midfield orchestrator for Spain and the whole world is still stunned at the fact that Bayern Munich are yet to receive official offers for a world-class midfielder like him.
#4 Wasteful day at the office for Germany and Spain
Rodrigo was the man chosen to lead the line for Spain, with Gerard Moreno on the bench for their first game against Germany. Although Rodrigo grew into the game in the second half, the Leeds United centre-forward missed the best chance of the night in the early minutes of the game.
Kevin Trapp was beaten with ease as he failed to read the air ball which fell right on Rodrigo's feet. However, the 20-year-old took more time than he needed to guide the ball into an empty net, giving Trapp a chance to recover the ball.
The two European giants fought tooth and nail to secure the three points but had to settle with one each. Germany would be the one to go home with their heads down, considering they had enough chances to seal the game in the first half. Having said that, Spain wouldn't be too happy with the result either, especially looking back at the goalscoring opportunities they created.