Who is Niclas Fullkrug? Goal hero vs Spain is Germany's oldest debutant in 20 years

Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug may not be a household name outside his homeland, but the Werder Bremen centre-forward was the hero for Hansi Flick's side with a late equaliser against Spain on Sunday night.

Fullkrug saved the day for Germany with a ferocious finish after 83 minutes to cancel out Alvaro Morata's strike for Spain and earning the four-time winners their first point at this World Cup following a shock defeat to Japan in their opening game in Qatar.

The 29-year-old started his career at Werder Bremen and is now back at the green and whites following spells at Nurnberg and Hannover.

He featured in Germany's youth teams at Under-18, U-19 and U20 level, but only made his first full appearance for the national team ahead of this World Cup in a friendly against Oman and is their oldest debutant in 20 years.

His first Germany game came at the age of 29 years and 280 days, making him the oldest debutant since Martin Max made his maiden appearance for the side at 33 in 2022.

Germany will not care about his age, though, following a vital goal which will give them confidence ahead of a crucial clash with Costa Rica in their final group match next week.

And if they are looking for omens, he is Germany's first substitute to score a World Cup goal since Mario Gotze came off the bench to net the winner against Argentina in the 2014 final.