Germany hope of sealing a round of 16 ticket vanished on Thursday despite the team’s 4-2 victory over Costa Rica in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The four-time champions beat Costa Rice 4-2 Thursday but it wasn’t enough to advance to the round of 16. Japan’s 2-1 victory over Spain allowed both of those teams to advance instead, with the Japanese team at the top of the group.
Germany were in complete control and in front through Serge Gnabry’s 10th-minute header only for Costa Rica to turn the match on its head to raise the remarkable possibility of Spain also going out.
Yeltsin Tejeda equalised after Germany keeper Manuel Neuer pushed out Kendall Waston’s header in the 58th minute, before Juan Pablo Vargas bundled in a second 12 minutes later.
It would have capped one of the most astonishing nights in World Cup history, but Germany substitute Kai Havertz restored a measure of normality to proceedings with two clinical finishes to extinguish Costa Rica’s hopes of springing a major shock.
Substitute Niclas Fullkrug added a last-minute fourth to confirm victory, but it will be of no consolation as Germany failed to reach the knockout stage of the tournament for the second time in succession.
Meanwhile, Japan and Spain have qualified for the last 16 of the World Cup as Group E winners after a shock 2-1 win over Spain.
Alvaro Morata’s header gave La Roja the lead in the first half, but two quickfire goals from Ritsu Doan and Ao Tanaka after the break were enough for Hajime Moriyasu’s side to seal Japan’s place in the knockout stages.
9 Comments
Empirical evidences of what local coaches can do if giving the right atmosphere , time frame and support like their foreign counterparts continue to unfold day by day.Japan has defeated spain same way the defeated Germany earlier with a local coach.It will therefore be a very big shame and the height of waywardness if the the NFF does not learn and emulate this paradigm.
The latest shocker. GERMANY OUT IN THE FIRST ROUND.
This world cup is arguably the most unpredictable one ever. Lower rated teams are taking the fight to their higher rated opponents. The smaller countries are catching up with the traditional powerhouses.
The football officials of Saudi Arabia, Japan, Morocco, Tunisia, etc are not interested in sharing salary with their coaches, or anyone for that matter. They are working hard behind the scenes to develop their football, and we are seeing the results at the world cup. Even Qatar, who lost all their matches , have done very well, considering their population, and the fact that they are just a baby football nation, so to speak. They have punched much higher than their weight. Again, this is possible because they have competent, focused administration.
While our officials continue to look for coaches they can share salary with, the rest of the world is moving ahead of us. With the performance of other African countries at the last Afcon and at this world cup, it is clear that world cup qualification is not certain for any country anymore. You have to plan for it. You have to fight for it. The people that have been entrusted to run our football need to sit up now!!!
@pompei,
Thanks for your brilliant submission. As you know, good things often come in threes. Permit me to add the 3rd to the tasks FAs/teams must set themselves to qualify:
“. . . You have to plan for it. You have to fight for it. (Add) You have to sweat for it. . . “
The problem is not NFF or Coaches but lack of capacity competent, competitive, determined players at the level we are seeing at the WC, even from the 5 African countries participating.
A change of guard of some and injection of hungrier,determined players particularly in midfield is required
There are numerous Nigerian players who have continued to demonstrate the tenacity and capability to compete at the highest level. There are many nigerian goalkeepers who are better than Uzohobasket and Okoyegoal, there are many defenders who are better than Ekongroad.. There are many midfielders who can alternate with Ndidi, there are strikers who can at least fill the void of Osi9.
But,if there is a match tomorrow, the same set of players who have failed the nation irrespective of club inactivity get selected.
When you keep recycling underperforming players, you get the same result. The reason is that the same circuses have been recycled to leas our FA..
When the head of your FA insist on hiring the least of shortlisted coaches, he gets his share from his salary and dictates who lead the team.
When our FA chairman decdes to hobnob with underperforming players as well as interfering with players selection, players.
The SE needs total overhaul and a change in leadership.
Starting point is a new captain and assistant for the team.
Pesseiro is not the right coach for this team.
@Larry… I love your submission. Nothing more to add.
See the circus that kept happening under Rohr and Eguaveon. John Noble, Mon-playing captain (Ahmed Musa), Going to beg Retirees to come back just for works cup participation frenzy (Ighalo), recycling underperforming bunch of players… the list goes on.
Pinnick himself is a very bad, arrogant and self-servicing dictator of a manager. See how he insisted Etebo be recalled and played against Ghana in the double header even though dude hasn’t played competitive football for over six months due to injury before then.
Awoniyi, Olayinka and Onuachu were not involved in the double header against Ghana… real hungry players. I don’t see how Awoniyi/Onuachu would have played alongside Osimhen and we wouldn’t have scored more than one goal in 180minutes of football.
There were midfielders other than Ndidi/Iwobi that could have done a good job against Ghana but players invitation to Super Eagles is frought with corruption, dubiousness, favoritism and heavy-handedness on the part of NFF officials. Most officials have their player groups who grease their palms to be invited.
If we know the dirtyness and corruption involved in Nigeria’s football administration we will weep.
Hahahaha…Awoniyi played alongside Osimhen VS CAR in Lagos and missed an open goal. Your Olayinka and Dennis and Nwakali and Ndah were in the Super eagles squads that either couldn’t reach the quarter finals of AFCON for the first time in 40 years or got booted out of the world cup by the worst Ghanaian team in 50 years.
You guys should continue hobnobbing from one blame story to another to cover your shame….Rohr was supposed to be the problem of Nigerian football. All these players you are trashing now were supposed to win AFCON in 2 weeks with any other coach remember…..LMAOoo
Continue dropping more names of your “better” players that can win the world cup ehn. They must all be playing out of our sight in your jupiter and not on the surface of this earth….LMAOoo
By the way, “Fifa hates africa”, “refereeing decisions are always deliberately skewed against African teams”….LMAOoo. Are Spain and Germany now part of Africa too….that a goal scored by Japan from a cross behind the goal line was allowed to stand….?
Or is France too now an African country…that a goal scored by griezman from an onside position in the 2nd phase of play will be disallowed, but exact same type of goal scored from an onside position in the 2nd phase of play by Germany’s Fullkurg allowed to stand…?
I’ve been expecting you to go yah yah yah about all these but I’m surprised you kept mum after promising us your fallacy will be proved right as the tournament progresses.
Had any of these decisions gone against an African country….yeparipa….we would have heard thpusands of versions the history of racism and other spiced up skin colour conspiracy theories on this forum….LMAOoo
Where are those screaming about playing in top 5 league? Why didn’t the Germans qualify. I had expected the Spaniards to have defeated them from the last game. Watched the game on a German channel and i can tell you how dejected the fans were on live television.
And Japan & Spain that qualified, I guess their players are playing in Sudanese and Egyptian league right…??? Their players are playing in Czech Republic and Latvian leagues right….???
The 2 Japanese players that sunk Germany both play in the Bundesliga. Was japan able to make any better impact at the world cup when they were dominated by J-league players compared to now when they have players in top European leagues…???
Keep on rigmarolling and mutating all over the place ehn.