Once more, it took place. Germany is eliminated from the World Cup in Qatar at the first round, less than four years after South Korea knocked them out of Russia 2018 despite a thrilling 4-2 victory over an underdog Costa Rica.
"For me personally, this is an absolute catastrophe,"
Thomas Müller, a 33-year-old forward for Germany, told German broadcaster ARD following the game that he would now like to retire from international football.
"If this was my last game, I want to say a few words to our fans who have supported me for years. I have always tried to leave my heart on the field."
Germany flew out the starting blocks while still remembering Russia. Müller missed a straightforward header opportunity before Serge Gnabry scored on a more challenging header opportunity after 10 minutes.
However, Hansi Flick's team continued to waste opportunities in front of goal and grew slack both on and off the ball as the first half went on, forcing Manuel Neuer to make a superb save just before halftime.
Germany failed to apply what they had learned from their loss to Japan in their tournament opener and was penalized after 58 minutes. Midfield lost control of the ball, Neuer mishandled a header, and Yeltsin Tejeda bundled the ball home from close range.
Japan astounds Spain.
The other Group E game, however, had taken an even more dramatic turn. Ritsu Doan, who also scored against Germany, and Ao Tanaka had erased Alvaro Morata's initial goal, leaving Japan in first place with Germany trailing Spain on goal differential.
However, there were still more surprises in Group E. When the 2014 world champions failed to clear a freekick, Juan Pablo Vargas tapped home a loose ball after Germany hit the post three times in short succession.
Costa Rica and Japan briefly qualified from a group that also included Germany and the 2010 champions Spain. On 73 minutes, though, replacement Kai Havertz dribbled a goal over Keylor Navas, restoring Spain to second place, eliminating Costa Rica, and giving Germany a slim chance.
That margin grew as Havertz scored again to give Germany the lead again in the 85th minute, and Füllkrug added a fourth goal four minutes later. But Spain still needed to score a counterattack.
With little motivation, they were unable to. The initial loss to Japan has finally cost Germany.