Gnabry has Germany up on Costa Rica at half
Published
Germany heads into the half with a deserved 1-0 lead over Costa Rica in their Group E finale at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
If the result holds, Germany would head to the Round of 16 while Los Ticos would head home.
Germany dominated from almost the opening whistle.
Keylor Navas was called into action in just the second minute with Jamal Musiala asking the question of the Paris Saint-Germain keeper. Stepping into the area, Musiala's low drive was parried away by Navas for a corner.
Minutes later, a Leroy Sane move forward ended with an offside flag after he had missed from a sharp angle.
As Germany maintained pressure, it was the brilliant Musiala in the spotlight again. In the seventh, Musiala sensationally danced across the Costa Rica box eluding a number of defenders, but unable to manage shot.
In the ninth, Joshua Kimmich caught the Costa Rican backline asleep and found Thomas Müller with a deep cross, but the Bayern Munich man's diving header went wide to spare Los Ticos' blushes.
Gnabry opened the scoring in the 10th with what felt like an inevitability. David Raum found the former West Brom forward with a picture perfect cross to head towards the far post with Navas unable to intervene. It was Gnabry's first headed goal for the national team.
The one-way traffic continued. Kimmich found Leon Goretkza streaking into the area and Navas did well to parry away his header at the near post in the 15th.
Even as Germany enjoyed overwhelming possession in the half, the final ball wasn't there to extend the lead. In the 34th, Kimmich took a pop from distance that Navas did well to stop and prevent a rebound with Muller lurking. Minutes later, Musiala could have made it 2-0, but was tackled by Oscar Duarte in a timely intervention. Gnabry would come close again in the 39th.
With Germany playing looser in the closing minutes of the half, Los Ticos almost found an equalizer in the 42nd when Antonio Rudiger misplayed a long ball allowing Keysher Fuller to get in alone on Manuel Neuer, in his 19th World Cup game setting a new record for goalkeepers, but the Bayern No. 1 smartly poked it over the ball.