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‘They rubbed our faces in it’: Sweden & Germany in touchline clash after late World Cup drama
Swedish boss Janne Andersson has accused German staff of “rubbing our faces in it” after the teams were involved in a furious touchline confrontation following Germany’s last-gasp World Cup win in Sochi on Saturday night.
Midfielder Toni Kroos grabbed victory for his team with a stunning strike in the 95th minute, handing Germany a 2-1 comeback win and sparking wild celebrations from the German players and touchline staff.
READ MORE: Germany salvage World Cup hopes with late winner against Sweden in Sochi
But the goal also prompted a furious reaction from the Swedes, who felt their German counterparts were taunting them after claiming the win to salvage their World Cup hopes.
Swedish coach Janne Andersson could be seen clashing with German staff at the final whistle, after one appeared to goad the Swedes over Kroos’ late winner.
A member of the Swedish backroom staff was seen racing over and shoving the perpetrator as players waded in and tensions boiled over.
After the game, Swedish boss Andersson accused the Germans of “rubbing our faces in it.”
“That got me really annoyed and angry,” the 55-year-old said, according to the Mail Online. “Some of the group leaders of their team celebrated by running in our direction, rubbing it in our faces by making gestures”
In a thrilling game, Sweden appeared to be denied a clear early penalty when Marcus Berg was shoved over by Jerome Boateng in the box, only for referee Syzmon Marciniak to wave play on, with no intervention from the VAR team - a decision which continued to irk Andersson.
Ola Toivonen did subsequently give Sweden the lead in the 32nd minute, meaning the reigning champions Germany were staring a second defeat in the face after their shock opening game loss against Mexico in Moscow.
Marco Reus equalized early in the second half to give them hope, but their task appeared to get harder when defender Jerome Boateng was sent off for a second bookable offence on 82 minutes.
Then came the late drama as Real Madrid man Kroos curled home from a well-worked free-kick deep into injury time, sparking celebrations as well as the furious confrontation on the sidelines.
The Germans play South Korea in their final group stage game in Russia, and could still face an early exit depending on the result of Mexico versus Sweden in the other Group F game.