Germans experienced a night of painful disappointment at Al-Chaur, and it seemed like deja vu all over again. The team departed the field following the final group game with sadness and dismay written all over their faces, as was the case in Russia 2018TM.
History repeated itself in Qatar four years after dying Mannschaft abruptly and unnecessarily exited the FIFA World Cup after the group stage.
One of the players, Thomas Muller, who had already experienced it all in 2018, tried to express the emptiness that the team was feeling, comparing it to “drifting out of awareness.” We had such high hopes following the Spain match, so there is a great sense of disappointment. We believed that we had developed a rhythm at the competition and were now in a position to make significant strides, yet here we are returning home.
Germans finished the group stage with a 4-2 victory over Costa Rica after putting forth a strong effort in the 1-1 draw with Spain on Matchday 2. However, Japan’s victory over Spain at the same time meant that Germany finished third in the group, trailing the Spanish on goal differential, shattering their World Cup illusions, and forcing them to pack their bags and depart.
Teammates of Havertz undoubtedly concurred with his statement. Niclas Fullkrug, who scored against Costa Rica, stated, “We just weren’t on the ball in that first encounter, and when you’ve only got three games, you can’t afford for that to happen.” As a player, I believe that, despite the fact that we may not have been fully prepared, we came together nicely as a team.