WOEFUL HOLDERS CRASH OUT AS CURSE STRIKES

Germany suffer their earliest exit in 80 years

THE ‘curse of the champions’ will haunt Joachim Low for a long, long time after his Germany side sensationally crashed out of Russia 2018 last night.

For the fourth time in five World Cups, the holders have not made it out of the group stages. But who would have expected

these reigning champions — normally so efficient, normally so ruthless — to find themselves bottom of Group F having failed to score in two of three games?

Yesterday they were unable to find the net against an ordinary South Korea side. And they were beaten by two goals in stoppage time as they desperately chased late salvation for the second time in five days.

Goals came... but in the German net. The first by Kim Young-gwon after a tense consultation with the video assistant referee. The second was scored by Tottenham’s Son Heung-min in the 96th minute when there was no one in goal because Manuel Neuer was at the other end of the pitch trying to do what his strikers could not.

South Korea’s celebrations were wild, sweet revenge for a semi-final defeat in 2002 but they, too, head for the exit. Sweden and Mexico qualify for the last 16.

Dejected, the Germans flew back to their base near Moscow where they will try to come to terms with a hitherto unknown taste of failure.

The four-times winners are gone from the World Cup at the group stage for the first time since World Cup group stages were invented. The last time they tumbled at the first opportunity was in a replay against Switzerland in 1938.

Since Low took charge in 2006, they have never failed to reach the last four of any major tournament.

Perhaps he will regret his arrogant comments when asked about the ‘curse of the champions’ after losing to Mexico in the opening game. ‘We will not suffer that fate,’ said the Germany boss. ‘We will make it to the next round. There is no need to break out in panic because we have lost a match.’

The words will haunt him through the post-mortem because the simple truth is they got what they deserved. Germany have been sluggish, untidy in possession and low on creative ideas.

The Toni Kroos free-kick to beat Sweden in stoppage time was meant to revive them. But it served only to restore a complacency that was in evidence when they trudged through warm-up friendlies before losing to Mexico.

Low promised a thorough investigation into what had gone wrong but the public inquest started last week. The choice of team base was criticised. There were allegations of a split in the camp between the Bavarians with Bayern Munich connections and others, including Mesut Ozil who was axed for the Sweden game and recalled against South Korea.

Ozil was peripheral and seems increasingly unable to influence a game. But he was not alone.

As the minutes ticked by, the most creative force in attack was Joshua Kimmich, the right-back, pushed forward like a winger. Thomas Muller, without a goal in the first two games, was dropped and sent on when the panic set in.

They have been vulnerable to pace on the break. It cost them against Mexico and almost again against Sweden. The South Koreans knew how to play against the fading champions. All of which hints at deeper problems.

Neuer, once an irresistible force, fumbled a free-kick driven straight at him in the first half and saved his embarrassment by stopping Son pouncing on the rebound.

As news of Swedish goals filtered into the stadium, the tension increased and chances were snatched and squandered.

Germany would have to score. A point was no good if Sweden were to win. Timo Werner, Mario Gomez, Marco Reus and even Kroos missed the target.

Mats Hummels tried to put his head on a cross and the ball flew out off his shoulder.

Briefly hope flickered when the fourth official promised six minutes of added time but these Germans were not ruthless. They were actually panicked into hasty mistakes. Pouring forward, they exposed their goal. Kroos time? Not this time. It was South Korea time. It was VAR time.

Initially, referee Mark Geiger ruled out Kim’s goal for offside but his video assistants told him the last touch had come from Kroos. Geiger took the advice, checked the replay and reversed his decision. Son added the second. Germany crashed out.