The signs are pointing to a crash again

NOnce again, Manuel Neuer’s left arm played the leading role. It was the 76th minute of the game at the Khalifa International Stadium and the Germans were still leading 1-0 against Japan. Neuer dived deep to deflect a ball from Takumi Minamino, just as he had done a few minutes earlier, even more spectacularly, against Junya Ito. It was the arm on which Neuer also wore the captain’s armband, about which there had been so much discussion before.

But this time Neuer couldn’t avert the disaster, he couldn’t help but bounce the ball down the middle and this time Ritsu Doan was there, the lead in the opening game of this World Cup was gone and when Takuma Asano went down in the 83rd minute. minute the second Japanese goal was scored and the Germans were on the brink.

In desperation, Neuer rushed into the Japanese penalty area in the final minutes of injury time, he almost got the ball with a good chance, but nothing helped. It remained 1-2, and like four years ago after the 0-1 draw against Mexico, the Germans have their backs to the wall.

Against Spain for all or nothing

The fact that it is all or nothing at this World Cup against Spain on Sunday (8 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the World Cup, on ZDF and on MagentaTV) in al-Khor is a prospect that could hardly be more worrying. Especially since the team didn’t provide evidence on Wednesday to be a candidate for higher goals at this tournament. When the referee blew the whistle, Neuer briefly pulled the bright yellow jersey over his head before getting rid of his gloves in frustration.

According to the first impressions, the signs point to a crash rather than a spectacular turnaround. After an incoherent start, the German players managed to work their way into this game with perseverance and were rewarded in their dominant phase with the lead from a penalty kick by Ilkay Gündogan (33rd). But even with the 1-0 in the back, Hansi Flick’s team gave an enigmatic rather than a determined impression.

After the break, against increasingly brave Japanese, there was still one or the other opportunity for a second goal, which would then almost certainly have led to a success. “It’s a huge disappointment for us,” said Neuer, it was “difficult to understand how we gave it up.” Thomas Müller said: “It’s ludicrous that we’re defeated here.” But it was simply not enough sparking and compelling what they made of their dominance football, and in the end, especially defensively, it was far too vulnerable. “That’s brutally disappointing,” said the national coach. “We missed a lot of chances to score. You just have to say: Japan clearly beat us in terms of efficiency.”

Before kick-off, they had collectively put their hands on their mouths for the team photo – the message was clear: They felt that the International Football Association (FIFA) had silenced their human rights initiative. On the stands, Nancy Faeser carried the object that seven European nations had recently fought with FIFA for. The “One Love” bandage on the arm of the Minister of the Interior spoke for itself.

But what the German team then showed in terms of football should have required explanation for Flick. An unimaginative, slow start, combined with sloppiness in dangerous zones: Gündogan started by losing the ball, promptly the ball was in the German net after nine minutes, but Maeda was offside. After that, Jamal Musiala and Nico Schlotterbeck made similar mistakes. Up front, Musiala was the only one who revived with his technique and speed, and there was little to be seen of his offensive colleagues Kai Havertz, Thomas Müller and Serge Gnabry. It was only after about 20 minutes that momentum and flow of play came up.

Flick had sent his first World Cup team into the race with one major and one minor surprise. The bigger: Niklas Süle played on the right side of defence, Schlotterbeck defended in the centre. The smaller: The national coach relied on Gündogan’s gentle ball skills in the center of midfield instead of Goretzka’s muscular dynamics.

The decisive idea in front of the opening goal then also came from headquarters, but from Joshua Kimmich, who staged David Raum with a diagonal ball. His run one-on-one with goalkeeper Gonda didn’t seem like the best choice, but he managed clumsily enough to knock space down. Gündogan safely converted the penalty kick into the left corner. You can’t necessarily say that that was obvious, but before and after the hit the Germans were now better able to run holes in the Japanese chains. Musiala initiated another brisk attack, at the end of which Havertz put the ball into the net, but again from offside.

During the break, the Japanese must have realized what chance they still had here. After a bold start, they had been surprisingly discouraged, but now they increasingly pressed the Germans to build up. That in turn created space for Musiala, for example, but after his magic solo through the penalty area he aimed too high. A little later Gündogan hit the outer post. After 67 minutes, Jonas Hofmann and Leon Goretzka had another big chance for Müller and Gündogan and the German team, but Flick’s team was no longer in control of the game for a long time.

What could have happened at the beginning came, with goals from Doan and Asano, the two Bundesliga professionals from Freiburg and Bochum. The fact that Flick had brought in Niclas Füllkrug and Mario Götze for Havertz and Musiala in between didn’t help, nor did the use of Youssoufa Moukoko, who came for Gnabry, after the 1: 2. Instead of freeing themselves from the (sports) political entanglements, the Germans got tangled up on the pitch.