Germany vs. Spain in #WePlayAtHome FIFA 20 challenge
Germany played Spain in an international friendly with a difference on Monday night (6:30pm CEST/5:30pm BST/12:30pm ET), with EA SPORTS' FIFA 20 ensuring a fixture originally scheduled to take place in the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid last Thursday became a home game for everybody.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the consequent pause in football being played across the continent, last Thursday's key warm-up fixture for both nations in view of UEFA Euro 2020 – which has also been postponed until 2021 – was called off.
Keen to keep spirits high amid unprecedented restrictions and social distancing, the German and Spanish Football Federations agreed that instead of postponing the game, it should be taken indoors and online.
In four head-to-head matches on the PlayStation 4, eSport world champion Mohammed Harkous, Germany Women's U19 international Vanessa Fudalla, Freiburg's Germany U21 international Nico Schlotterbeck and Arsenal and Germany goalkeeper Bernd Leno faced Spain's eSport national team star Javier Romero Alarcon, Spain Women's international Sheila Garcia, Barcelona and Spain U21 forward Abel Ruiz and Real Madrid and Spain midfielder Marco Asensio.
Three points were awarded for a win, with a point each for a draw. All the points were tallied to determine the winner of the #WePlayAtHome international, which was broadcast live on the eFootball website of the German FA (DFB) and Twitch.tv.
In an even contest, Spain edged it with a win in the final game, Leno going down 3-2 to Asensio.
Last week, the DFL – Deutsche Fußball Liga – launched the Bundesliga Home Challenge eFootball tournament, with 26 clubs from the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 filling the void left by the coronavirus outbreak, with online fixtures staged over consecutive weekends.
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