Jonathan Liew was in Frankfurt for us – I’ll leave you with his report. Goodnight!

Niclas Fullkrug now has 13 goals in 19 appearances for Germany, only six of which he has started.

Heartbreak, redefined

“‘Germany look a beaten team’,” quotes Charles Antaki. “Very good. Please keep that one ready at hand when England need it. On the other hand, it may simply turn out to be a straightforwardly accurate prediction.”

That was a good game between two accomplished sides. Dan Ndoye’s fine goal seemed to have given Switzerland a deserved victory, only for Niclas Fullkrug to remind everyone us why “never write off the Germans” is such a popular cliche.

The upshot is that Germany will play the runner-up in England’s group, and Switzerland will meet one of Italy, Croatia and Albania.

Niclas Fullkrug, this infectious, irresistible late bloomer, has equalised in stoppage time. Raum arrowed a cross from the left, and Fullkrug strained his neck muscles to force a header back across Sommer.

That’s such a good header, the finish of an expert.

90 min Germany look a beaten team. This must be one of Switzerland’s finest performances of the modern era.

Four added minutes.

88 min: Fine save by Neuer! Vargas pushes the ball back to Xhaka, who slaps an instant curler from 25 yards. Neuer flies to his right to push it round the post. That was a cracking effort from Xhaka, who has been very good again.

86 min Sane goes over in the area, but the referee isn’t interested. If it was a foul, and that’s debatable, it was outside the area.

Meanwhile the automated offside technology shows Vargas was about half a boot offside before he scored.

85 min: Havertz hits the bar! Kroos’s corner hits Havertz on the shoulder and loops onto the top of the bar! That was the best of all Havertz’s headed chances tonight, but he mistimed his header completely.

83 min For the first time all night, Switzerland are struggling to get out. I was going to say they look shattered but the front three should be fresh.

82 min Kroos’s free-kick is punched away by Sommer as far as Sane on the edge of the area. He knocks the ball up and swishes a volley that swerves wider and wider.

80 min Beier has been really lively since coming on. Another substitute, Raum, wins a free-kick on the left wing after being pulled over by Widmer. He’s booked and will miss the last 16 game.

79 min Apologies, I lost myself for a second there. To be honest not much is happening in this game – Germany’s attacking is increasingly desperate, for richer and poorer.

79 min FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE SCOTLAND.

80 min “Puns?” sniffs Mac Millings. “How about my All-time Germany vs. Switzerland 2024 Music XI:

1. Sommer over the Rainbow

2. Fabian Cher

3. Granit Xhaka Khan

4. Dan Ndoye the Silence

5. Toni “Counting” Kroos

6. Ilkay Gundogan More Time

7. Kai Still Havertz Found What I’m

8. Okafor

9. Kwadwo Duah Wanna Know?

10. Deniz Undav Pressure

11. Xherdan Shakira

(By the way, Rob: Havertz and Okafor is two players, but one song. If the punters don’t get it, that’s on them.)

78 min Havertz goes over in the D after a lunging tackle from Xhaka, but replays suggest it was a good tackle – if risky, given he’s on a yellow card.

77 min “Perhaps one of the most surprising things this tournament has shown so far is what a good pundit Joe Hart is turning out to be,” says David Wall. “We all knew Conor Coady was entertaining as he’s been on the radio in that role now and then for a few years now, but Hart was with him on 5Live earlier today, and again here, and they’re quite the double act. Knowledgeable, honest, but also self-deprecating, and funny. Few would have expected that from Hart when he was pulling faces at Pirlo in 2012.”

We all go a little mad sometimes.

76 min: Germany substitutions Switzerland continue to frustrate Germany, who are making two more substitutions. Leroy Sane and Niclas Fullkrug replace Musiala and Wirtz.

75 min “Florian Wirtz played the superb through ball for Musiala!” writes Alex, from Hull, living in Berlin, watching in Valencia.

That’s exactly what I wrote in the 59th-minute entry that I’ve just hastily updated.

72 min That could easily have been a penalty for Germany; Widmer was all over Beier like a cheap cliche.

70 min: Great defending from Akanji! Wirtz beats Aebischer and drives a cross to Kimmich, six yards out at the near post. His shot is brilliantly blocked by the stretching Akanji, and then Beier goes over as he fights for the loose ball with Widmer. There’s a VAR check for a possible penalty which eventually goes against Germany.

70 min The upside for Germany, if it stays like this, is that they couldn’t meet Spain until the final. The downside is they could need to beat Italy, England, France and Spain to win Euro 2024.

68 min Raum’s booming cross is headed over from six yards by the backpedalling Havertz. A tough chance.

68 min “A goal for Scotland means that it could be us who lose 6-1 to Portugal in the last 16 this time, Rob,” weeps Simon McMahon. “One single goal. Is that too much to ask, Scotland? IS IT?”

67 min Xhaka is booked for going over the ball on Musiala. He didn’t make much contact, if any, but that’s not really relevant.

66 min: Germany substitution Max Beier wins only his second cap, replacing Robert Andrich. That means Gundogan will drop deeper.

65 min: Switzerland substitutions Zeki Amdouni, Kwadwo Duah and Ruben Vargas replace the front three of Dan Ndoye, Breel Embolo and Fabian Rieder.

64 min Kroos’s corner is headed over by Havertz, another very difficult chance, if it was a chance at all.

63 min The substitute Raum swishes over the bar from 25 yards. Sweetly struck but too high.

62 min “Surely,” says Richard Hirst, “the appropriate procedure for international tournaments is to blame Gareth Southgate?”

It is now!

61 min: Germany substitutions David Raum and Nico Schlotterbeck replace Jonathan Tah and Maximilian Mittelstadt.

59 min “That through ball for Musiala might not be Pass of the Tournament, but it was certainly one of the most aesthetically pleasing,” says Matt Dony. “A thing of beauty. Angles manipulated like a crack chiropractor. It deserved a goal. Of course, a Swiss victory is objectively a lot funnier than a German one, so I’m kind of glad it came to nothing. Shame, though. I’ll just watch the pass a few dozen times, and ignore what happened after.”

Yes very nice, very nice, very nice, but who the hell played it? I’ve got facts I need to get right here!

58 min Akanji makes an excellent tackle on Havertz right on the edge of the area, then Xhaka deflects Kimmich’s cross for a corner.

57 min Switzerland take a bit of time out in the Germany half, and then a bit more when Tah fouls Embolo. They’ve been really impressive.

55 min Musiala moves inside from the left and finds Andrich, who tees up Kroos 25 yards out. He tries to cut across a drive but mistimes the connection and belts the ball miles wide.

54 min At one end or another, a goal is coming. Germany are essentially playing 2-3-5 when they have the ball.

50 min: Chance for Germany! Musiala runs onto a superb through pass from Wirtz and fires a shot from the edge of the area that is pushed away by Sommer. The rebound arrives awkwardly at Gundogan, whose follow-up shot goes well wide.

Musiala’s was the better chance but he shot too close to Sommer.

50 min “Is it a Uefa thing for teams to wear single colour kits rather than with contrasting shorts?” asks Andy Wood. “It’s strange seeing teams like Scotland or Germany without their contrasting shorts.”

I think the procedure is to blame Pep Guardiola. (I assume it’s a Uefa regulation but I don’t know for sure.)

48 min Moments later Embolo, who looks really good, moves dangerously into the area before being crowded out by three defenders.

48 min Embolo fires a killer ball to Widmer, who slips when through on goal. Ah, no matter: the flag went up once the ball ran through to Neuer.

47 min “If Germany manage to lose,” begins Ian Copestake, “I think the procedure is to blame Pep Guardiola.”

46 min Switzerland, currently top of Group A, get the second half underway.

Half-time reading

45 min “This is currently the one time living in NYC has been beneficial to watching football and cricket,” writes Rachel Clifton. “Amazing. Watched the incredible Afghanistan victory last night and have Copa America after this too.”

I imagine the rest of the time it’s a nightmare to live in NYC.

44 min Germany don’t want the half-time whistle because they’ve found their rhythm in the last five minutes.

42 min Germany are starting to stir. Musiala collects a loose ball 40 yards from goal, runs to the edge of the area and pokes the ball outside towards Havertz. It bounces awkwardly and Havertz belts his shot over the bar.

41 min Kroos takes a short corner, then crosses beyond the far post, where Rudiger heads wide. A difficult chance.

40 min “Switzerland has been one of the more impressive sides so far in this tournament,” writes Kári Tulinius. “I hesitate to suggest they’re dark horses, because experience suggests that they will go out in the round of 16, but if their levels don’t drop, they’ll give any team a game.”

I agree with every word. SO HOW DID THEY LOSE 6-1 TO PORTUGAL. I was MBMing that game and I was certain it would go to penalties after a hard-fought 1-1 draw.

38 min Tah is booked for an absurd high challenge on Embolo, which means he will miss Germany’s last 16 match.

Germany haven’t responded well to going behind; at the moment Switzerland look more likely to get the next goal.

37 min “I’m almost certainly missing something, but Musiala’s challenge wasn’t all that different from Ryan Porteous’s the other day, and Porteous got sent off,” says Mac Millings. “Are the rules that different for defenders and attackers? And if so, should they be?”

Why are you sending me grown-up emails, Millings? Give me shopping lists, puns, nostalgia, Watford.

(Erm, I’d like to see a few more replays but I suspect the two main differences are the level of force and whereabouts on the foot he caught him.)

35 min “At the risk of stating the obvious,” says Peter Oh, “the last few minutes have been exceedingly Ndoyeable to watch!”

34 min A long-range shot from Andrich deflects behind off his club team-mate Xhaka. The corner comes to nothing.

33 min As it stands Switzerland are top of the group, and Germany could be heading for a humdinger against Italy in the last 16.

31 min Ndoye almost gets his second, rifling just wide from the edge of the area! It was a brilliant effort, driven across goal with his left foot, and it rolled agonisingly wide.

Musiala, who is having a bad night, lost the ball in his own half and Switzerland broke. Rieder played a give-and-go on the edge of the area, then pushed the ball into Freuler on the left. He shaped a fine cross to the near post, where Ndoye stretched to volley expertly into the roof of the net. It’s his first goal for Switzerland.

There’s a VAR check for offside but the goal stands.

25 min Ndoye is booked for Rudigering Rudiger.

23 min I won’t tell you the score in the Scotland game, because you’re already following it. You probably won’t even read this. But if you do, and you want to know what’s happening in Stuttgart, here’s the link.

23 min Switzerland have defended quite well so far, restricting Germany to precisely no clear chances. They’re an awkward, streetwise opponent; I still can’t quite believe they were thrashed 6-1 by Portugal at the last World Cup.

21 min “Well,” says Norrie Hernon, “at least this way you get to see whether you actually could start an argument in an empty room. You’re the Aldous Huxley to JFK’s, erm, JFK.”

I thought I was Dennis Wise.

VAR check The referee is going to the monitor to look at that Musiala challenge on Aebischer.

Mittelstadt’s cross was cleared by Aebischer, who was caught by Musiala in the process. Andrich collected the loose ball 25 yards out and whipped an early shot that bounced through the hands of Sommer at the near post. The bounce was awkward but he should still have saved it.

15 min Lots of controlled, rhythmic possession for Germany. They’re really patient when they have the ball.

13 min That was a really clumsy challenge from Schar you know. I’d like to see it again but I’m surprised there weren’t stronger appeals for a penalty.

12 min Mittelstadt’s early low cross is met at the near post by Havertz, whose shot is blocked at source by the sliding Rodriguez. Havertz falls over, gets up and then falls over again after a slightly overzealous challenge from Schar. Probably not strong enough for a penalty, but he took a risk.

11 min Andrich’s chipped pass is cushioned neatly by Musiala to Gundogan, 25 yards from goal. His first-time shot is blocked on the edge of the area.

10 min Havertz seems to be tripped but the referee allows play to continue. Ndoye collects the loose ball, cuts inside Rudiger and tries to thread a pass that is cut out on the edge of the area by Kroos.

9 min “Bit harsh they have you on bee duty tonight Rob,” says Niall Mullen.

Even I would have kicked off had they not given the Scotland game to Scott.

8 min Musiala and Wirtz are wandering wherever the mood takes them. Musiala, in particular, looks really sharp.

4 min It’s been an excellent start to the game, with both teams going for it. Cracking atmosphere too.

3 min Kroos’s clipped corner is headed straight at Sommer by Havertz. It was a decent effort as there was no pace on the ball.

3 min Musiala spins Freueler beautifully, surges over the halfway line and cracks an angled through pass. His first touch is slightly heavy – it wasn’t an easy ball to control – and Schar gets back to concede a corner.

1 min Peep peep! Germany kick off from right to left as we watch.

“Good to see the value placed on the square shoulders of Xherdan Shaqiri by resting him,” interprets Ian Copestake. “We will see his short-striding bustle again soon.”

As the players take the field, here’s a quick reminder of the teams.

Switzerland (3-4-1-2) Sommer; Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Widmer, Freuler, Xhaka, Aebischer; Rieder; Embolo, Ndoye.
Substitutes: Stergiou, Elvedi, Zakaria, Okafor, Steffen, Mvogo, Zuber, Zesiger, Sierro, Vargas, Duah, Kobel, Shaqiri, Jashari, Amdouni.

Germany (4-2-3-1) Neuer; Kimmich, Rudiger, Tah, Mittelstadt; Andrich, Kroos; Musiala, Gundogan, Wirtz; Havertz.
Substitutes: Raum, Gross, Fullkrug, Fuhrich, Baumann, Muller, Beier, Schlotterbeck, Anton, Sane, Henrichs, ter Stegen, Koch, Can, Undav.

Referee Daniele Orsato (Italy)

“‘Germany’s brilliant young attackers,’” begins Matt Dony. “And Thomas Muller. He’s still there, drifting around, investigating spaces. What a man. What a curious player. What a servant. How long ago was it Jogi Low tried to phase him out? Didn’t quite work…”

The really big game tonight, at least for this newspaper, is in Stuttgart. No better man to document Scotland’s attempt to make history than Scott Murray.

“Schrödinger’s rubber” is the subject of Grant Tennille’s email. “On this evidence, probably best for me to keep the realms of quantum mechanics and tournament permutations clearly delineated, tempting as it is to conflate them.”

Tonight’s game is in Frankfurt, where England lost 1-1 to Denmark on Thursday. The pitch was in a bit of a state for that match; we’ll keep an eye on what it’s like tonight.

Seven of the starting players are on a yellow card and will miss the next game if they’re booked tonight.

Switzerland Silvan Widmer, Remo Freuler, Ricardo Rodriguez.

Germany Antonio Rudiger, Jonathan Tah, Maximilian Mittelstadt, Robert Andrich.

“I take it you are aware how big this game is for Switzerland, particularly the Schweizerdeutsch-speaking majority,” writes Geoff. “Think Stockport County vs Manchester City, but on an international scale.”

Philipp Lahm, my friend and colleague, pays tribute to Germany’s brilliant young attackers.

Read Jonathan Liew’s match preview