Germans flop in ‘horror movie’
European heavyweights left in shock after failing to make knockout stages again despite 4-2 victory over Costa Rica
Germany forward Thomas Mueller said his country’s second successive first-round exit from the World Cup was an “absolute catastrophe”, which teammate Kai Havertz likened to “watching a horror movie”.
The Germans beat Costa Rica 4-2 but Spain slumped to a 2-1 defeat by Japan that meant Germany finished third in Group E behind Spain, with the teams equal on four points and the positions decided only by goal difference.
“It is unbelievably bitter for us because our result would have been enough. It’s a feeling of powerlessness.” Mueller said.
He was part of the 2014 World Cupwinning team and was also in the side that were eliminated four years ago in Russia.
Havertz said the fact Germany only discovered their fate when the result of the game between Japan and Spain was displayed on the stadium’s big screen made it even more difficult. “When it happens this way, it feels like watching a horror movie,” Havertz, who scored two goals after coming off the bench, said.
“We learned during the match that Japan were leading, and then the group standings were displayed in the stadium. We still had a little hope that Spain would score. But then we noticed that the Japan match was over.”
After Serge Gnabry’s opener for the Germans, Costa Rica levelled through Yeltsin Tejeda and went ahead in a scramble given as a Manuel Neuer own goal. Havertz then scored twice and Niclas Fuellkrug got Germany’s fourth.
It added up to another World Cup flop for Germany, and no one had any real answers to the team’s problems.
“There are 25 experts standing together here. You can all advise each other and then agree on a few details,” Mueller said.
Germany coach Hansi Flick said of relying on Spain: “I never look at another team, it’s up to us. I think ultimately the sum of everything contributed to us being eliminated. We had enough chances, whether in the first half or the first 60 minutes of the game against Japan, or even at the end against Spain, when we had another huge opportunity. You really have to take those chances.”
What Flick failed to mention is that Spain also missed a host of chances to put the game against Germany out of reach before Fuellkrug’s late equaliser.
That goal proved to be the highlight for Germany though it proved to be of little worth in yet another disappointing bigstage performance.
“We haven’t been able to live up to expectations at the tournaments in recent years, because as a team I would say we don’t really have specialists running around everywhere. We have a lot of players who are very talented. Yes,” Mueller said before trailing off.
Before the 2018 World Cup, Germany had reached at least the semi-finals of every big competition they entered since the 2006 World Cup, which they hosted.
“I joined the team in 2016. Germany was always in the semi-final before that,” midfielder Joshua Kimmich said.
“Then I come in and we’re out [of the World Cup] in the first stage and last year in the second round [of the European Championship] – it’s hard to take.”