İlkay Gündoğan's shirt from the dramatic World Cup group-stage match against Sweden – a piece of German football history that shaped the path through the tournament.
On 23 June 2018, Germany already had their backs against the wall at the FIFA World Cup in Russia. After the opening defeat to Mexico, a win against Sweden was essential. At the Olympic Stadium in Sochi, the DFB side first fell behind to Ola Toivonen before Marco Reus equalised shortly after the break.
After Sebastian Rudy was forced off through injury, head coach Joachim Löw brought on İlkay Gündoğan as early as the 31st minute. With his composure on the ball, his passing accuracy and his strategic build-up play, the midfielder stabilised the German centre and helped to steadily increase the pressure on Sweden.
Even after Jérôme Boateng was sent off in the closing stages, Germany remained bold. In the 95th minute, Toni Kroos finally wrote football history when he curled an unstoppable free kick into the top corner for a 2:1 victory. The dramatic success kept the reigning world champions' hopes of reaching the round of 16 alive and made this match one of the most memorable World Cup games for the German national team.
