Germany have their backs to the wall after losing their World Cup opener to Japan and cannot afford another slip-up against Spain on Sunday if they are to have any chance of advancing, coach Hansi Flick said.

“We have no free shots any more,” Flick told an online news conference on Thursday.

“We wasted the first one. We now need to work on things and improve them. Now we will go forward and we need to show character to maintain the chance in our last group game.”

Germany’s last game is against Costa Rica on December 1.

“We have faith in the team, we are positive and we want to deal with this match on Sunday positively,” he added.

“It is important to process defeats, clear the heads and focus on the next task. That is our aim. To get the team to a point where they have the belief.”

Date with Cristiano

Calcutta: Watching Cristiano Ronaldo live, that too in a World Cup match, is a dream for most football enthusiasts. And that dream is coming true for two city youngsters.

Nineteen-year-old Akash Dey and 21-year-old Sahil Sardar will be at the 80,000 capacity Lusail Stadium in Doha, on Monday, to watch Portugal take on Uruguay.

The duo will reach Doha on Sunday.

The seed of their dream trip was sown during the Bangla Soccer League, organised by Apollo 24/7 and 360 ESP, in September.

Sahil was the highest scorer of the tournament and Akash won a quiz contest held in conjunction with the meet. The two boys are getting this ultimate prize from the organisers.

OUR BUREAU