Euro 2024 hosts Germany would have liked to end the group stage with three wins in three matches, but captain Ilkay Gündogan still recognized that the late 1-1 draw with Switzerland was important for the team's morale.
"I don't think it could have gone any better in the end. It was a very, very unpleasant game for us. We were unfortunate to fall behind. We can benefit from the emotions and the significance of this equalizer for the next few games," he said after Sunday's match.
"But it shows that it's definitely not going to get any easier. It was very good for morale and I think you can tell how good the team is," he added.
Germany striker Niclas Füllkrug scored a dramatic goal in the second minute stoppage-time to cancel out Dan Ndoye opener in the 28th minute.
They started the tournament with a 5-1 thrashing of Scotland and a 2-0 win against Hungary - a big difference compared to recent major tournaments, which included early exits at the 2018 and 2022 World Cup after bad starts.
The Germans were already qualified to the last 16, but the point secured they will finish Group A at the top.
"We took a lot of risks to take the point. We had some really good situations. Switzerland were very aggressive, but we put up a good fight," coach Julian Nagelsmann said.
"In the end, we deserved to get the point and deserved to win the group. David (Raum) with a very good cross, Fülle with a very, very good goal," he added.
Midfielder Robert Andrich said the national team reminded him a bit of his Bayer Leverkusen team. The Bundesliga champions scored several decisive late goals on their way to the league and German Cup titles.
"I wasn't on the pitch when the goal was scored. We brought in a bit of Leverkusen mentality today with the late goal," he said.
