Australia
(1) Mathew Ryan: 6.5 The new Brighton goalkeeper couldn’t do much about either goal. Did well to control his box and stop Germany from getting a second shortly after conceding the first goal, when Germany were piling on the pressure.
(8) Bailey Wright: 6.0 Found in no man’s land for the opener, allowing Stindl plenty of space to get his shot away. Tried to help out offensively near the end of the game, but his delivery was lacking.
(20) Trent Sainsbury: 5.5 He was also at fault for Stindl’s goal, slipping right in front of the goalkeeper and not getting up on time. Then, he was drawn way too high following Stindl, as Goretzka made it 3-1. A game to forget.
(2) Milos Degenek: 6.5 Tried his best to stop Goretzka’s shot, but was far too slow to make that happen. Generally did a decent job to mark Wagner, though the German striker did get a few shots away.
(7) Mathew Leckie: 7.0 Ran tirelessly up and down the pitch, but didn’t have much to show for it. Not convinced that right wing-back is the best position for him.
(5) Mark Milligan: 7.0 Did well to cope with the superior German midfield as the more defensive player in the pivot with Mooy. At times, the individual talent of the German players was too much for him.
(13) Aaron Mooy: 6.5 He saw a lot of the ball in the second half after a quiet first half. Should have done better in tracking Goretzka’s run for Germany’s third.
(16) Aziz Behich: 5.5 Caught out of position and then outpaced by Brandt for Germany’s opener, and provided no challenge as Kimmich played Goretzka in for the third. His deliveries going forward weren’t the best either.
(21) Massimo Luongo: 4.0 Caused Australia a penalty with a stupid challenge on Goretzka. Subbed off at half time after failing to have any positive impact.
(23) Tomas Rogic: 8.0 Australia’s best player on the pitch. Took his goal well with a strong left-footed shot. Tried it again in the second half, but this time he had to settle for his teammate scoring from the rebound. Surprisingly taken off with 20 minutes to go.
(9) Tomi Juric: 7.0 Lucky to not get called for a handball seconds before kicking the ball in from a rebound to make it 2-3. Held up the ball well and gave his opponents plenty to think about.
Subs:
(10) Robbie Kruse: 5.5 Came on after the break for Luongo, but wasn’t that much more dangerous than he. Ran a lot, but that just wasn’t enough.
(14) James Troisi: 6.0 Had 20 minutes to make an impact after coming on for Rogic. He was innovative at times, but not as dangerous as the man he replaced.
(4) Tim Cahill: Not enough playing time/impact for a rating.
Germany
(12) Bernd Leno: 4.0 Didn’t have all that much to do, and he still managed to give his country a scare. Should have done better with Rogic’s shot in the first half, and was completely at fault for Australia’s second, dropping a ball he should have caught. Made a couple of easy saves later on. Don’t be surprised if this was the last you see of him in this tournament.
(18) Joshua Kimmich: 8.0 Continued his run of excellent games for the national team. At times, he held on to the ball for too long, but always found a way out. His assist for Goretzka was nothing short of world class.
(16) Antonio Rüdiger: 7.0 Gave a little too much room to the Australian attack at times. Was otherwise solid, and put in some important interceptions near the end of the game.
(2) Shkodran Mustafi: 7.5 Distributed the ball well and wasn’t afraid to get in front of Australian shots. Could have done a little more to prevent Rogic’s second shot from hitting the target.
(3) Jonas Hector: 6.5 Was not the attacking threat he usually is. Defensively, he did well to deal with Leckie, but allowed Juric to tap the ball in in the second half without even challenging him.
(21) Sebastian Rudy: 6.0 Not his best game. His passing was off at times, which is a shame, since moving the ball around was his main responsibility. There was also often a gap between the midfield and the defense, which he should have covered better.
(8) Leon Goretzka: 8.5 (Man of the Match) Ran the show in the first half, spreading wonderful passes to the wings, and then finding Wagner with a good ball over the top, but the striker couldn’t finish. Won the penalty that gave the Germans the lead, and then took his goal well after a great run early in the second half. Inspiring performance.
(20) Julian Brandt: 7.5 Did very well to outpace everyone in the buildup to the opener, before playing a superb ball to Stindl. His pace and skill were a threat continuously. Subbed off shortly after the hour mark.
(13) Lars Stindl: 7.0 Took his goal very well early on with a classy finish. Played well in the first half, but wasn’t able to do much in the second.
(7) Julian Draxler: 7.5 Gave the ball away in midfield, which led to Rogic’s equalizer. Redeemed himself shortly after with a collected penalty kick. Saw plenty of the ball in the second half, and had fun with it, dribbling three or four players at a time.
(9) Sandro Wagner: 5.0 Wasted a very good chance from a glorious Goretzka ball to make it 2-0. Was unlucky to see his header go out. The effort was there, but he definitely did not do enough to guarantee himself a spot in the starting eleven for the next game.
Subs:
(11) Timo Werner: 7.0 Came on the pitch just before the hour mark and was an obvious improvement on Wagner. Held the ball up well, and was unlucky not to get in the scoresheet, hitting the post with a right-footed shot. Chances are he did enough for a starting spot against Chile.
(17) Niklas Süle: 6.5 Like Kimmich, held the ball too much at times, but nothing too bad came out of it. Had a decisive interception in the last minute.
(14) Emre Can: Not enough playing time/impact for a rating.
*All photos courtesy of FIFA.comI*
The Winning Assist 