Manchester City: Ilkay Gundogan praised after Germany’s draw vs Spain

James Thompson 28 November 2022, 12:04 2 minutes read

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Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group E - Spain v Germany - Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar - November 27, 2022 Germany's Ilkay Gundogan in action with Spain's Sergio Busquets REUTERS/Molly Darlington

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has been praised for his latest World Cup display for Germany in their 1-1 draw against Spain.

The Lowdown: Germany seal late point

Spain took the lead with 62 minutes on the clock through Alvaro Morata, not long after he replaced Ferran Torres who started the game.

The Germans then managed to score an equaliser through one of their own substitutes as Niclas Fullkrug fired past Unai Simon to make it 1-1 in the 83rd minute.

With the two countries sharing a point, it was Gundogan who found himself on the end of some heavy praise on Twitter.

The Latest: Praise for Gundogan

During the game, football writer Umir, who works with The Athletic, had this to say in a post about the City midfielder and his efforts against Spain.

“Gundogan is so, so, so good.”

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In another post, he said:

“Single pivot, double pivot, 8, playing 10 today. Can do it all.”

The Verdict: A strong display from Gundogan

Taking a deeper look at the 32-year-old’s display against Luis Enrique’s side, Gundogan made one key pass and was able to successfully complete the one dribble he attempted.

However, it was the defensive side of his game that made the City star shine in this game as he won all five of the ground duels he was involved in, while winning three tackles and making one interception.

Is Ilkay Gundogan underrated?

Yes

No

This performance earned the German an overall match rating of 7.1/10 from SofaScore, leaving only three players in Hansi Flick’s starting XI with a higher rating.

While the veteran and his manager may have hoped he’d have been more of an attacking presence, it could be said that his defensive attributes certainly helped Germany from conceding while he was on the pitch.

Moving forward, with Germany set to take on Costa Rica in their final group game of the tournament on Thursday, Gundogan will undeniably be hoping that he can help his country secure a victory this time around.