0
0
Germany suffered a second time group stage exit at the FIFA World Cup despite claiming a 4-2 win over Costa Rica on Thursday evening.
Germany is out of the World Cup despite a 4-2 victory over Costa Rica
World Cup campaign for Germany came to an end on a night of incredible drama in Group E. Hansi Flick’s group came from behind to defeat Costa Rica 4-2 in their final group stage game. However, Japan’s victory over Spain indicated that the three points were insufficient, and Germany failed to advance to the round of 16 for the second time in a row.
Serge Gnabry’s early header goal put Germany on track for a comfortable three points, but a second-half strike from Yeltsin Tejeda and a Manuel Neuer own goal put Costa Rica in pole position to qualify for the last 16, raising the incredible possibility of both Germany and Spain being eliminated.
Germany knew that advancing to the knockout stages would necessitate a win over Costa Rica and a win over Spain. And they got off to a great start, dominating proceedings from the first whistle.
The drama, however, did not end there. Germany substitute and Chelsea forward Kai Havertz made it 4-2 in the 89th minute with two straight goals. The victory, however, was insufficient as the 2014 tournament winners finished third in Group E, trailing only Spain and Japan.
France’s Stephanie Frappart became the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup match. Neuza Back from Brazil and Karen Diaz Medina from Mexico completed the all-female on-field lineup.
However, Japan’s come-from-behind 2-1 win over Spain in the other Group E match eliminated Germany from the FIFA World Cup for the second time. The 2014 world champions finished the group stage tied for second place with Spain. However, a poor goal difference cost them the game, and they will now be returning home from Qatar much sooner than they had hoped.
