World Cup 2022: 'Germany exit as a fallen giant of world football'

"Football is simply a elemental game. Twenty-two men pursuit a shot for 90 minutes and, astatine the end, the Germans ever win."

Germany, erstwhile regarded arsenic nailed-on certainties to spell heavy into large tournaments, bowed retired of the World Cup connected extremity quality contempt a chaotic 4-2 triumph against Costa Rica, with Japan's triumph implicit Spain proving terminal to their hopes.

This is the 2nd World Cup successful succession that Germany person failed to get retired of their group, suffering the aforesaid destiny successful Russia successful 2018.

It had not happened successful 16 erstwhile tournaments earlier then.

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Given that record, Germany present find themselves dangerously adjacent to slipping into football's 'B List'.

The show of Germany's players gazing astatine a slope of bare reddish seats was the grim decision to a achy campaign, their destiny already known earlier the last whistle and prompting galore of their fans to vacate the premises.

It came astatine the extremity of a nighttime that promised - for a fewer minutes astatine slightest - to beryllium 1 of the astir momentous successful World Cup history, Costa Rica overturning Germany's aboriginal pb acknowledgment to goals by Yeltsin Tejeda and Juan Pablo Vargas.

This meant, for 3 heady minutes, that Costa Rica were going done alongside Japan.

Incredibly, Germany and Spain were heading towards the exit. What were the likelihood connected that earlier a shot was kicked?

But it didn't last. Kai Havertz scored doubly to reconstruct immoderate semblance of order, with Niclas Fullkrug's 4th of nary consolation whatsoever.

Germany had the triumph they needed to springiness them immoderate accidental of endurance - but it was to nary avail. Japan's triumph implicit Spain made definite of that.

Germany caput manager Hansi Flick looked devastated astatine last whistle, defender Antonio Rudiger slumped and seasoned goalkeeper Manuel Neuer stared blankly - disbelievingly - into the distance.

Germany person been knocked retired of the World Cup astatine the archetypal hurdle doubly successful succession

Germany's elimination stands arsenic a shock, based connected estimation and past past alone, but they tin person nary complaints, conscionable arsenic they could person nary complaints successful Russia erstwhile they finished bottommost of a radical that was topped by Sweden, losing to Mexico and South Korea.

So possibly this latest disappointment for a state with specified a arrogant and affluent past should not travel arsenic that overmuch of a surprise.

Recent past has chipped distant astatine their erstwhile impregnable reputation, which saw them bushed Argentina to triumph the trophy successful 2014, but saw the archetypal signs of the armour being dented conscionable 4 years later.

Germany were mean successful Euro 2020, going retired to England successful the past 16 aft an undistinguished tournament, and each the grounds points to determination being nary of the aged fearfulness origin associated with the celebrated achromatic shirt.

Flick took implicit from Joachim Low successful 2021 but the antheral who won the Champions League astatine Bayern Munich inherited a large rebuilding job.

They started severely successful Qatar with a nonaccomplishment to Japan. This near them susceptible and truthful it proved contempt a hard-earned constituent against Spain and this triumph against Costa Rica.

Such is the request for occurrence - so the anticipation of occurrence - successful Germany that this latest setback is definite to spark a lengthy inquest into however it went incorrect and what is needed to enactment it right. This volition beryllium a daze to their system.

Germany person an outstanding young endowment successful 19-year-old Jamal Musiala and Chelsea's Havertz is inactive lone 23, but determination are signs that the aged defender who person sustained them done truthful galore successes is conscionable starting to fray astatine the edges.

Neuer is 36 and surely playing his past World Cup. Thomas Muller is present 33 and was taken disconnected here, his main publication missing an casual headed accidental aboriginal on. Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan is 32.

Fullkrug, Flick's World Cup wildcard, scored against Spain and Costa Rica but helium is 29 and lone recovered his mode into the squad due to the fact that of injuries to RB Leipzig's Timo Werner and Wolfsburg's Lukas Nmecha.

Joshua Kimmich, astatine 27, volition beryllium captious successful the adjacent signifier of Germany's improvement but determination is definite to beryllium immoderate hard talking erstwhile they instrumentality location and retrieve from the nonaccomplishment successful Qatar.

Flick said: "We person conscionable been eliminated. We tin get up rapidly and recover. We volition spot what the aboriginal looks similar and however we tin instrumentality our ideas.

"We request to measure our World Cup and caput successful a antithetic direction. This is the adjacent measurement we volition instrumentality and we volition bash it precise soon. We request the basics again.

"I americium a precise captious idiosyncratic and we volition measure everything."

The bottommost enactment is that passim this tourney Germany person displayed nary of their acquainted solidity successful defence and were complacent whenever they went ahead. It is simply a deadly operation successful tourney football.

Germany's aerial of invincibility has agelong since gone and these past mates of weeks were possibly the last confirmation of that fact.

They alert retired of Qatar arsenic a fallen elephantine of satellite football.

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