Down 4-0 at the 60-minute mark, Sweden stormed back in the final 30 minutes with four goals to earn a miraculous 4-4 draw in Berlin on Tuesday. The comeback ruined Miroslav Klose's big day as his early brace moved him within one goal of the all-time Germany scoring record held by Gerd Müller.
Germany vs. Sweden: Final score 4-4, Sweden stun Germans with a 4-goal comeback
Trailing 4-0 early in the second half, Sweden roared back with four goals in the second half, including the equalizer in the stoppage time to earn a 4-4 draw.
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The Germans dominated possession from the opening whistle and were rewarded with the opening goal in the 8th minute. Klose got things started with a lovely sliding finish of a Marco Reus pass in to the Sweden box to put Germany up 1-0. Seven minutes later, Reus again fed Flose after a ridiculous bit of passing to open up the Swedish defense. Klose’s initial shot was blocked, but he put the rebound past Andreas Isaksson to make it 2-0.
Germany added a third goal just before halftime as Per Mertesacker finished a great headed cross from the end-line by Thomas Müller.
Thomas Müller tallied his second assist in the 55th minute, finding Mesut Özil with a cross box pass. Özil kicked the ball down in to the turf hard, bouncing it to the far corner of the Swedish goal to put Germany ahead 4-0 with 30 minutes left to play.
Then the comeback started.
The fourth German goal clearly angered Zlatan Imbrahimovic who decided that there would at least not be a clean sheet for Manuel Neuer. Zlatan split the German defense and cleverly headed a long pass from Kim Kallstrom past a fully extended Neuer to make it 4-1 in the 62nd minute. Four minutes alter Kallstrom fed Mikael Lustig who buried a low shot to the corner from about 6 yards out, cutting Germany's advantage to two goals.
In the 76th minute Alexander Kacaniklic found Johan Elmander in the box and Elmander beat Neuer with a great left-footed shot in to the corner. Sweden had a glorious chance to equalize in the 85th minute after Neuer spilled the ball right on to the foot of Elmander, who quickly passed to a trailing Tobias Sana at the edge of the box. Instead of moving the ball to Zlatan off to his left, Sana shot at the the open net and skied the shot over the goal. It was the kind of miss you have nightmares about, only this time it will go down as a mere footnote.
Sweden’s Rasmus Elm equalized on nearly the final kick of the match in stoppage time to complete the comeback, beating Neuer to the lower left corner.
Germany’s players were left standing in disbelief after the final whistle as boos rained down from their supporters.
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