Germany’s World Cup campaign started with a lackluster performance against Japan where they lost 2–1 after breaking the initial deadlock with a penalty scored by Ilkay Gündogan. A ground-out draw against Spain kept them in the tournament, and a shock Costa Rica victory over Japan marked the group’s hierarchy, and who advanced to the next round came down to the final game.
Image summed up the deflated mood after the final whistle over Germany’s hard-fought but ultimately futile victory, stating it was unbelievable that after Russia 2018 “things are getting worse”.
“The football world used to tremble for us,” they continued. “We were hailed as a ‘tournament team’.
“Now Germany is just a football dwarf.”
Instead of blaming the decision of the Var officials, the German press praised Japan despite their role in knocking out the national team. The mirror praising “Japanese pranksters” who “turned the game”.