Costa Rica 2-4 Germany: Germans are dumped OUT of the World Cup despite win with Spain losing to Japan... after Central Americans had led and were briefly heading through before Kai Havertzs double
Germany are out of the World Cup for the second tournament in succession despite victory over Costa Rica
Serge Gnabry gave Germany a half-time lead as they dominated the first period of the match
Costa Rica stunned Hansi Flicks side after the break through Yeltsin Tejeda and a Manuel Neuer own goal
But Chelsea forward Kai Havertz came off the bench to net twice and restore the lead for four-time champions
Niclas Fullkrug also struck as a substitute to ensure Germany won their first game of the 2022 World Cup
However, Japans surprise victory over Spain prevented Germany from progressing beyond the group stage
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Published:15:04 GMT, 1 December 2022Updated:08:28 GMT, 2 December 2022
If England were looking for even more schadenfreude today, then it is available in the fact that the German player who can hold his head highest after an elimination for the ages was a former Surrey primary schoolboy.
That wont be necessary. Germany somehow managed to remove themselves from the World Cup by narrowly taking a game which they could and should have won by more Spains 7-0 winning margin against Costa Rica.
As their manager Hansi Flick observed in the aftermath, they should have been 4-0 up at half-time after Jamal Musiala, remembered well by his teachers in New Malden, ran the show. And then the flaws at the heart of the German engine revealed themselves on a night of monumental drama which left this place drowning in permutations and briefly had Costa Rica on course to qualify with Japan and send Spain home.
Germany have been sensationally dumped out of the World Cup group stage despite beating Costa Rica 4-2 on Thursday
Germany players look on from the bench as they learn of their fate following Japans surprise victory over Spain in Group E
Second half goals from subs Kai Havertz (centre) and Niclas Fullkrug (right) could not prevent Germany from slipping out
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Flick managed to park his obvious grief and cite Musiala as a prospect Germany can hold on to. He even mentioned the 19-year-old formative English football education. He is fantastic, his skill in the tackles, the one on ones, he is outstanding, the manager said. Jamal has been trained in England, not Germany.
But in the final reckoning, this is a story of incompetence at the back of pitch and inadequacy when it mattered at the front of it. Those failings brought Germany defeat to Japan and a scrambled point against Spain. When you enter the final match of a World Cup group stage with one point and two goals on the board, you are flirting with disaster.
The inconvenient truth for Germany is that they have lacked a world class full-back since Philipp Lahm retired and have a shortage of top-class centre-backs, Antonio Rudiger apart. Omitting Mats Hummels from their squad has proved a very costly error.
For years we have bene talking about new goalkeepers, new wing-backs, Flick said in the aftermath. What was always good in German football was we were able to defend well. We need the basics. Spain is very good in the defence and they focus on training of young players.
Serge Gnabry headed Germany into a deserved 10th minute lead after a glancing header from a David Raum cross
Gnabrys header was fully deserved for Germany who dominated the first-half against a defensive Costa Rica side
COSTA RICA (3-4-2-1):Navas 8; Duarte 5, Waston 5.5, Vargas 4; Fuller 7 (Bennette 74min, 6), Borges 5.5, Tejeda 6 (Wilson 90), Oviedo 6 (Contreras 90); Aguilera 6.5 (Salas 46, 6) Campbell 6.5; Venegas 5.5 (Matarrita 74, 6).
GERMANY (4-2-3-1):Neuer 8; Kimmich 7, Sule 5 (Ginter 90), Rudiger 5.5, Raum 5 (Gotze 67, 6); Goretzka 6 (Klostermann 46, 6), Gundogan 6 (Fullkrug 55, 8); Sane 6, Musiala 8.5, Gnabry 7; Muller 6 (Havertz 67, 7.5)
Scorers: Gnabry 10, Havertz 73, 85, Fullkrug 89. Manager: Hansi Flick 6.
Referee:Stephanie Frappart (France) 7.
This inadequacy was clear before the roof caved in on Germany. As half-time approached and they swarmed all over Costa Rica, an agricultural ball was humped towards the German box. David Raum and Antonio Rudiger individually tried and individually failed to cope with it.
This sent Costa Rica defender Keysher Fuller running through on goal, staring Manuel Neuer in the white of his eyes. Neuer required all his agility to make the save.
Within moments, Niklas Suele was swinging a wild left foot at a ball from the right and missing it entirely. A competent team would have punished this.
Yeltsin Tejeda though struck a shock equaliser from close range after half-time to stun the four-time world Champions
On a night when Germany had to win, the Costa Rica goal proved a huge setback inside the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor
But Germanys night got even worse when a scramble in the box saw the ball bounce off Manuel Neuer into his own goal
Germany were full value for their victory and three points on the night despite their World Cup exit - graphic from
Uncharacteristic teutonic imprecision, you might think. Not so. The choice of cumbersome centre-back Suele at right-back had already come back to bite Germany, when Japans Takumi Minamino skipped in behind him to score.
It was early in the second half that all hell let loose.
Germany knew that a Japan victory would have left them, at best, level on points with Spain and needing to overhaul the seven-goal win over the Central Americans that they had achieved at the start of the tournament.
And before setting about that task, they calmly proceeded to ship two goals to this generally hapless opposition.
Kai Havertz was brought on during the second half and immediately brought Germany level with a neat finish inside the box
The Chelsea forward then restored Germanys lead after expertly steering home a Gnabry cross for Hansi Flicks side
Niclas Fullkrug also came off the bench to add a fourth goal a minute from time to seal the three points for Germany
It capped a second goal of the tournament for Fullkrug but it was not enough to take Germany through to the last-16
Fuller - who, with respect, no one would have predicted having the Indian sign on the four times world champions - advanced easily down the right and crossed. Neuer saved the first header. Yeltsin Tejeda dealt emphatically with the rebound. Juan Pablo Vargas bundled the ball home in off Neuers legs to score again, after another ball into the box had induced blind panic.
Another of themes of these wretched few weeks for Germany has been their struggle to identify a main striker. The one they have stumbled on is Niclas Fullkrug, a German Rickie Lambert, whose last three seasons in the German top flight had produced a collective 12 goals.
He arrived from the bench after 55 minutes, followed by Kai Havertz for the ineffectual Muller just after the hour and together they set about the improbable mission of scoring a further five goals in the 20 minutes of full-time available.
Havertz lifted a shot over Keylor Navas and converted a cross from Serge Gnabry to get Germany ahead. Leroy Sane supplied Fllkrug to score the fourth. Had Germany not conceded those two goals, the cricket score they needed might still have been on. They hit the post twice in the second half - Musiala twice.
But the game had gone. If you look at the defence there were a few things that didnt go as planned, the traumatised Flick reflected as he surveyed the wreckage of all this. I am a very critical person. We will assess everything.
Japans victory over Spain meant Germany were dumped out of the tournament as a dejected Thomas Muller looks on
Referee Stephanie Frappart and assistant referees Neuza Back and Karen Diaz became the first all-female team of officials to take charge of a mens World Cup match
PRE-MATCH:Spain 4pts, Japan 3pts, Costa Rica 3pts, Germany 1pt
Spain 5pts, Germany 4pts, Japan 4pts, C Rica 3pts
Serge Gnabry puts Germany in a strong position with the first goal of the night.
Spain 7pts, Germany 4pts, Japan 3pts, C Rica 3pts
Alvaro Morata cements Spains position at the top and Japan need two goals.
Spain 5pts, Japan 4pts, Germany 4pts, C Rica 3pts
Ritsu Doan levels for Japan and they leapfrog Germany by dint of their 2-1 win over them, as they are level on goal difference and goals scored.
Japan 6pts, Spain 4pts, Germany 4pts, C Rica 3pts
Ao Tanaka bundles in and after a long check to see whether the ball had gone out of play before the cross, Japan go top.
Japan 6pts, Spain 4pts, C Rica 4pts, Germany 2pts
Yeltsin Tejedas equaliser sends Germany bottom and puts Costa Rica a goal away from the last 16.
Japan 6pts, C Rica 6pts, Spain 4pts, Germany 1pt
Its bedlam as Juan Pablo Vargas scuffs the ball in to put Germany and Spain on the verge of going out.
Japan 6pts, Spain 4pts, C Rica 4pts, Germany 2pts
Kai Havertz equalises - but its only good news for Spain, with Germany still going out.
Japan 6pts, Spain 4pts, Germany 4pts, C Rica 3pts
Havertz knocks in his second but Germany still need a Spain equaliser.
Japan 6pts, Spain 4pts, Germany 4pts, C Rica 3pts
Niclas Fullkrug adds another after a VAR check but its still not enough as their goal difference is six goals worse than Spain.
FULLTIME: JAPAN 2 SPAIN 1, COSTA RICA 2 GERMANY 4
The whistle goes and Germany are out in the group stages for the second World Cup in a row.
Follow Sportsmails live blog for the World Cup Group E clash between Costa Rica and Germany.
Costa Rica and Germany are out of the World Cup finals
90+7min:Germany are OUT of the World Cup. Its happened for the second World Cup in a row too!
Japan have defeated Spain 2-1 and that means they top the group in front of Spain, who can now only go out if Costa Rica score three times.
Germany fans are leaving in their droves as news filters through here.
90+1min:It matters not in this game though. Germany are helpless here as long as Japan keep winning.
Seven minutes added on there, and we are into the fourth minute as Japan lead Spain 2-1.
89min:Niclas Fullkrugs effort has in fact been given as a goal - with a late VAR check coming after the communication with the referees broke. Some more tech gear being given to our match with 10 minutes added on.
As Niclas Fullkrug heads home, he is denied a goal as he is flagged offisde. Here is how the table stands...
85min:Germany are back in front, and super sub Kai Havertz is at it again prodding home an excellent ball in from Gnabry.
Yet Germany are STILL heading out as long as Japan are leading Spain - and that remains the case.