Swiss expose Germany frailties that could haunt Euro 2024 hosts

De’Aaron Fox

Mark Ogden, Senior Writer, ESPN FCJun 23, 2024, 07:13 PM ET

FRANKFURT, Germany — So now we know that Germany have a Plan B, and it’s called Niclas Füllkrug. After the Borussia Dortmund forward headed home a stoppage time equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw against Switzerland and keep the Euro 2024 hosts in the softer side of the knockout-round bracket, though, the big question about Julian Nagelsmann’s team is whether it can still rely on Plan A.

Füllkrug’s header from David Raum’s cross in the second minute of stoppage time was a case of two substitutes combining to rescue Germany from a defeat that would have seen them lose the top spot in Group A to the Swiss. Had that happened, they would have headed to Berlin for a round-of-16 tie on Saturday, possibly against reigning champions Italy, and then potential meetings with England and France before they could even think about who they might face in the final on July 15.

Going into Euro 2024, Nagelsmann said he had an “emergency plan” ready to use when Germany were in trouble. With the clock ticking, it seemed he had done just that, but the former Bayern Munich boss said Füllkrug merely did what was expected of him.

“I didn’t use this [emergency] plan,” Nagelsmann said in his postmatch news conference. “
Read More