Had it not been for the last minute heroics of Toni Kroos, Germany would have nightmares of how agonizingly close Julian Brandt came to scoring in the second minute of stoppage time against Sweden.
Brandt, who plays as a winger for Bayer Leverkusen, entered the game in the 87th minute, and it didn't take long for him to make an impact.
That's not the first time this World Cup that Brandt struck the woodwork with a cracking effort on goal. In fact, his left-footed effort against Sweden came on the heels of a right-footed blast off the post in the 89th minute against Mexico.
Julian Brandt looks like the tournament's most dangerous super sub. In just 18 total minutes of game action, he has come inches away from scoring game-changing goals that would rank right up there with the best goals of the 2018 World Cup.
Joachim Low faced some scrutiny over his decision to include Brandt ahead of Man City winger Leroy Sane in Germany's 23-man roster.
Sane was a key member of Man City's record 100 point season in the Premier League, scoring 10 goals and contributing 15 assists. Many considered him to be a shoe-in for Germany's World Cup team.
Although Brandt hasn't found the back of the net yet, his performances have made crickets out of Low's dissenters.
The 22-year-old Brandt scored 12 goals in 39 matches for Leverkusen during the 2017-18 season, but he's found the back of the net just once in 18 apperances with the national team. If his brief stints as a sub in each of Germany's first two World Cup games are any indication, the goals are coming.
With Kroos breathing a second life into his side, it's entirely imaginable Brandt could have his Mario Gotze moment late in the tournament as the vital difference maker for Germany.
The18 Recommends For You
