Fullkrug saves Germany, Hungary snatches lifeline in wild Group A finish

Nicolas Fullkrug saved Germany with an injury-time equalizer that snatched first place in Group A, just when it looked like Switzerland was poised to pull off a monumental upset.

And a final twist also came in the other match in the group, with Hungary, which lost its first two games and was on the very verge of elimination, giving itself a lifeline when Kevin Csoboth scored in the 10th minute of injury-time to beat Scotland 1-0.

In Frankfurt, sub Fullkrug was the man for a crisis, launching his powerful header into the net two minutes into added time as the host nation seemed destined to be pushed into a potentially treacherous round of 16 clash.

A few minutes later, in Stuttgart, Csoboth capitalized on a late breakaway and supplied a cool finish, with Scotland exposed having thrown men forward in search of its own crucial goal.

Julian Nagelsmann's Germany went into its match having won its first two games and with a two-point lead at the top of the group, with qualification secure and needing only a draw to clinch first place.

However, the fluidity and energy present against Scotland and Hungary was missing here, as the lively Swiss worked tirelessly for their lead and even harder to hold onto it.

Dan Ndoye's struck after 29 minutes to temporarily turn Group A on its head. Remo Freuler's neat cross was met with perfect timing, and Ndoye smacked it high into Manuel Neuer's goal.

The significance of topping the group means that Germany will now play the second-place team in Group C, currently Denmark but possibly Slovenia or Serbia, instead of the runner-up in Group B.

That looks most likely to be defending champion Italy or World Cup bronze medalist Croatia, with those two teams meeting each other on Monday. 

Germany