Madness, rarely was the word more appropriate than this Thursday. As in Russia four years ago, the German national soccer team fails in the preliminary round. She fails on posts, latte, an outstanding Keylor Navas – and the Spanish embarrassment in the parallel game.
What happened at Al Bayt Stadium?
Up until this Thursday evening, 9.35 p.m. German time, Costa Rica will play 215 terrible World Cup minutes (not including the ludicrous overtime), then the most astonishing transformation in recent football history will succeed. A team, for whose incomprehensible harmlessness there is simply no suitable word, which freezes like a rabbit in front of the snake against the rampant giant Germany, suddenly forces the top favorites into an open exchange of blows. A misunderstanding by David Raum and Antonio Rüdiger is enough to wake the Central American from their desert slumber – in the end Germany somehow wins the game 4-2 – but has to watch idly as Spain embarrass themselves in the parallel game against Japan (1 :2). Means: Out, out, out. Like four years ago, Germany fails in the preliminary round!
Oh, what excited days they were! Soccer giant Germany trembled at soccer dwarf Costa Rica, who had finally beaten Japan. With a chance, with a goal! Crazy. And then there were the Spaniards, the football giant had also trembled before them because conspiracy theories were wafting over from the land of the former Tiki-Taka heroes that second place in the table could be better for the rest of the tournament. Yes and now? Germany’s football is crying, Germany’s footballers are crying. Germany’s football is in ruins. Fire-free. Times will be troubled.
What does that mean now?
Great careers in German football could end this evening. What about Manuel Neuer? What about İlkay Gündoğan, who once had to be persuaded to continue. And what about Thomas Muller? In the ARD he avoided resigning, but in an emotional speech to the nation he thanked him for the common path. He still wanted to think, but that sounded like a farewell speech!
How did the German team fare?
In the 10th minute of a confused game, it still looks as if Germany, who had already celebrated what felt like a premature entry into the round of 16 after beating Spain 1-1, would try to solve the matter on their own. It could have been 3-0, it was 1-0 thanks to Serge Gnabry’s first goal at this World Cup. The FC Bayern professional, who had been so unlucky up to now, headed in, took the ball out of the net with a wildly determined look and made it clear: we need goals and we will score them. They didn’t want to rely on Spain. The DFB team played well, Spain also took the lead in the parallel game, everything went according to plan.
Germany launched attack after attack on goal from a completely overwhelmed Costa Rica, but no further goals were scored. Because the post was in the way, because the goal was wrong, because a Costa Rican’s leg always blocked the way to happiness. Precisely because the German team, like in the first game, lacked efficiency.
And then there was that 42nd minute, when you duped new faith into the hearts of a completely hopeless opponent who managed one (!) shot on goal in the first two games, who had only seen the German goal from afar: David Raum and Antonio Rüdiger invited Keysher Fuller to score the second goal of the tournament, while Manuel Neuer made a sensational save. This was followed by the agitation with which the German team gave up the game against Japan despite having 78 percent of the ball. The consequence: Suddenly the blatant outsider was leading, the German vigor was completely gone. In the end, the team turned the game, at least that. But it was not enough, again. Thomas Müller, who was unable to contribute anything specific to the game during his hour of play, said after the disaster that “it wasn’t done badly”. Not bad but not enough at a World Cup.
The key scene:
Hansi Flick was angry and disappointed, he told his team that at half-time, the national coach, who was visibly in shock, revealed on ARD. They wanted to present themselves powerfully, scoring 3.4 goals in the first half. The chances were there, but “we brought the opponent into play through carelessness”. What Flick meant culminated in the 35th minute: the DFB team led 1-0, they could have led 4-0. They tried hard but were also unlucky, Jamal Musiala dribbled from left to right and back across the box and failed every time.
But it was okay, as Flick said. But a long, desperate blow from Costa Rica, which fell like a stone from the sky above Al Bayt between David Raum and Antonio Rüdiger, was enough to shatter the tender German self-evidence. Raum somehow steered the ball into Keysher Fuller’s path, Antonio Rüdiger wanted to clarify too casually and only made things worse. Only Manuel Neuer’s brilliant act prevented the 1-1, but the missed goal had an effect: A few moments later, central defender Niklas Süle sabered past a cross, the German defense wobbled badly again. Sovereignty never returned. With the well-known, disastrous result.
Teams & Goals
Gates: 0: 1 Gnabry (10th), 1: 1 Y. Tejeda (58th), 2: 1 C. Borges (70th), 2: 2 Havertz (73rd), 2: 3 Havertz (85th), 2nd :4 filling jug (89th, after video evidence)
Costa Rica: K. Navas/Paris Saint-Germain (35 years/109 caps/0 goals) – K. Fuller/CS Herediano (25/32/3) from 74. Bennette/AFC Sunderland (18/10/2), O. Duarte /Al-Wehda (33/73/4), K Waston/Deportivo Saprissa (34/65/9), J Vargas/Millonarios FC (27/13/1), C Borges/LD Alajuelense (34/155 /25) – Y. Tejeda/CS Herediano (30/74/1) from 90.+3 R. Wilson/AD Municipal Grecia (20/4/0), B. Oviedo/Real Salt Lake (32/78/2 ) from 90.+3 Contreras/CS Herediano (22/11/2) – B. Aguilera/AD Guanacasteca (19/8/0), from. 46 Y Salas/Deportivo Saprissa (26/6/0), J Campbell/Club Leon (30/112/23) – Johan Venegas/LD Alajuelense (34/81/11) from 74 Matarrita/FC Cincinnatti ( 28/53/3). – Trainer: suarez
Germany: Neuer/Bayern Munich (36 years/117 internationals/0 goals) – Kimmich/Bayern Munich (27/74/5), Süle/Borussia Dortmund (27/45/1) from 90.+4 Ginter/SC Freiburg (28/ 48/2), Rüdiger/Real Madrid (29/57/2), Raum/RB Leipzig (24/15/0) from 67 minutes Götze (Eintracht Frankfurt/30/65/17) – Gündogan/Manchester City (32 /66/17) from 55. Füllkrug/Werder Bremen (29/4/2) – Sane/Bayern Munich (26/50/11), Goretzka/Bayern Munich (27/48/14) from. 46. Klostermann/RB Leipzig (26/21/0), Musiala/Bayern Munich (19/20/1), Gnabry/Bayern Munich (27/39/21) – Müller/Bayern Munich (33/121/44). 66 minutes Havertz / Chelsea (23/33/10). – Trainer: flick.
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (France)
Viewers: 67,054 (in Al-Khor)
How was the stadium?
Maybe it was because of the few dozen fans who made it difficult for Qatar to enter the Desert World Cup. “Adler Bretten” was there, “Bad Waldsee”, “Ratingen” too and of course “Air Bäron”. But when after Serge Gnabry made it 1-0, the Deutschland-Allesfahrer chanted “get up if you’re German”, nobody got up. Because hardly anyone here is from the catchment area of the DFB. The Al-Bayt is once again a mood grave. Costa Rican fans don’t stand out for their chants either. So it stays with tired “Germany, Germany” calls. When the game robs the spectators of their last oxygen, everyone slowly drifts away, someone starts the wave. Just don’t fall asleep, the drive to Doha will be long enough. A golf cart drives by outside. A Germany flag is blowing in the wind. 23 degrees, 73% humidity. The next game is not at the Al-Bayt. “Germany Germany.”
The game video
votes on the game
Hansi Flick (national coach): “I’m not speechless. I can interpret the game quite well. After the first half I was really angry. How we made our opponents strong. We had endless chances to score three or four goals We made our opponents strong by being frivolous. The end didn’t decide today, it was 20 minutes against Japan. We could have made it 2-1 against Spain too in the end. We weren’t efficient in this tournament. Of course it is The disappointment is huge, we have to process that first.”
Kai Havertz: “We didn’t expect the result that Spain did. But we have to look at ourselves. With quality like that, we can’t lose against Japan. The game against Japan ruined everything I think after the 1-0 we had the feeling that we could do better. But we didn’t make it. Of course, nobody expected it to be so unfortunate. We blamed ourselves, beating Japan two Got goals in 15 minutes that don’t work. German football isn’t second-rate. It was clear that the boys were celebrated as a tournament team after winning the 2014 World Cup. Now we’re knocked out twice in the group phase, so it’s clear that we’re not a tournament team. We had a great team, a great team behind the team. We gave everything. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.”
Thomas Müller: “We put in a lot of effort, we couldn’t keep our positions perfectly. We lost discipline a bit. But we were in the urge phase the whole time. The effort the team put in to win this game “, was huge. It’s incredibly bitter for us that Japan managed to beat Spain. It’s a bit of a faint feeling. We’ve done our homework. The whole tragedy happened with the result against Japan. We can do it Can’t influence Spain’s game. The disappointment is huge. We had a really good feeling after the game against Spain. It’s an absolute disaster. I don’t know how things will continue either.”