Midfield maestro Toni Kroos spared German blushes as his last-gasp winner ensured a 2-1 comeback win for Germany against Sweden. The Swedes opened the scoring with a nifty chipped finish from Ola Toivonen in the 32^nd minute after Toni Kroos gave the ball away cheaply in his own half. The Germans looked out of sort and out of shape in the first half. However, they came out guns blazing in the second after possibly a hair-dryer treatment from Joachim Low at half-time, with Marco Reus scoring the equaliser in the 48^th minute.

The Germans kept pressuring but could not break the Swedish backline and their situation became even more awry after Jerome Boateng got his marching orders for a second yellow. However, Toni Kroos got the utmost redemption in perhaps the last kick of the ball by curling a beautiful free-kick from the right wing. This victory puts qualification in their hands ahead of their last game against South Korea in which they are expected to win. Sweden, however, can still qualify if they defeat Mexico and the result in the game between Germany and South Korea favour them.

Earlier, Belgium trounced African side Tunisia 5-2 thanks to a brace from Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard. Michy Batshuayi added the fifth to cap up an emphatic win that ensured their qualification and eliminated Tunisia. Belgium looked really potent in attack most notably Hazard and Lukaku. However, their defence still seems shaky with two conceded goals from Dylan Bronn and Wahbi Khazri. Belgium have yet to face a tough test and they play England on Thursday in their next game. Tunisia on the other hand have been eliminated after two consecutive defeats to England and Belgium, but their last group game against Panama will be one they will be expecting to win in order to leave the tournament on a high.

Mexico took one step closer to the second round with a 2-1 victory over South Korean. Mexico opened the scoring with a Carlos Vela penalty after Hyun-Soo Jang handled the ball in the box in the 26^th minute. Javier Hernandez added another in the 66^th minute when he pounced on Herving Lozano’s assist to extend the lead. However, Tottenham man Heung-Min Son scored a late consolation goal to make the game 2-1. The result means South Korea have been eliminated and Mexico needs just a draw to qualify for the knockout stage.

African outfit Senegal will battle Japan tomorrow while Poland will face Colombia in a Group H tie. England will also look to ensure second round qualification against World Cup newbies Panama.

Ade Thompson