This is how fine the margins can be: As the first bout between heavyweights of this World Cup ticked into injury time on Sunday, Álvaro Morata of Spain found himself cantering into the penalty area, the ball at his feet, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s net looming ever larger in his vision. Behind him, Nico Schlotterbeck of Germany was straining to close ground.
There were, at that point, two possible outcomes for Germany. They were separated at the moment only by a heartbeat, a blink of an eye, a blade of grass. But they carried with them two destinies that were not just distinct, but worlds apart. It was not just Germany’s hope of reaching the knockout rounds that hung in the balance, but estimations of its soccer culture, the international careers of its players, and possibly the continuing employment of its manager.
In one outcome, Schlotterbeck would not make it back. Having already scored for Spain, Morata would take a touch to set himself, then send another shot careening past Neuer. Germany would lose its first two games in this tournament. The grumbling since Germany’s 2-1 loss to Japan on Wednesday would resume.
Germany Coach Hansi Flick’s team would head into its final match on Thursday, against Costa Rica, knowing its fate was not in its own hands, aware that it was flirting with the humiliation of being eliminated from the World Cup at the first hurdle for a second consecutive tournament. The players involved would carry the stigma with them for some time. Several international careers would end in ignominy. Flick could lose his job.