Football News: The fall of the once mighty German football team

Germany defeated Costa Rica 4-2, but Spain lost 2-1 to Japan on Thursday, which eventually caused Germany's downfall, and they finished third in Group E. 

Both Germany and Japan were equal on four points, but the Europeans had a poorer goal difference. "It is unbelievably bitter for us because our result would have been enough," Thomas Muller stated.

"It's a feeling of powerlessness."

Muller was a part of the 2014 World Cup-winning squad and the side that crashed out in the group stage four years ago in Russia.

Kai Havertz scored two goals after emerging from the bench, saying, "When it happens this way, it feels like watching a horror movie."

Coach Hansi Flick, whose contract runs till Euro 2024, admitted that he isn't planning to step down but that his future is not in his hands. "From my side, there is no reason not to continue," he revealed. "I enjoy it; we have good players coming through."

He also shared his opinion on the team. "I believe that for the future of German football, we need to do things differently in training," added Flick. "It will be very important to focus on the new footballers.

What went wrong for the German team 

Germany performed poorly at the UEFA Nations League. Still, Manuel Neuer and his squad dominated the UEFA zone qualifiers as toppers of Group J with nine wins and a single loss. 

They also beat Liechtenstein 9-0 in the qualifying campaign, which became their biggest win in 15 years. Likewise, Germany were expected to advance to the knockouts with ease. 

They were drawn into Group E with Spain, Costa Rica and Japan. Germany were headed for their first win when Ilkay Gundogan scored a penalty against Japan. 

However, substitute Ritsu Doan levelled for Japan, and Takuma Asano netted eight minutes later to carve out a stellar victory for Japan. The Germans, desperate for a comeback, faced Spain, who had reduced Costa Rica to a 7-0 defeat in their opener. 

Germany were held to a 1-1 draw in their second match as Spain pressed hard. Because of Costa Rica's unexpected win against Japan, Germany got another chance to keep its campaign afloat. 

They needed to win their third match and hope Japan would lose to Spain in the last round of the group stage. A draw between Spain and Japan would bring goal difference into the picture to decide who would advance as the second-ranked team behind Spain. 

If Japan won, Germany and Spain would be tied on four points, but the latter would proceed because of a higher goal difference. When both matches kicked off, Germany took an early lead against Costa Rica through a Serge Gnabry goal.

At the same time, Spain scored through Alvaro Morata, one of the joint top scorers in the ongoing tournament. However, things took a sharp turn after half-time as two goals by Ritsu Doan and Ao Tanaka gave Japan a 2-1 lead. 

Costa Rica then resurfaced with a Yeltsin Tejeda equaliser followed by a Neuer own goal. If the scores had stayed the same after, Japan and Costa Rica would have advanced to the next round. 

However, Germany responded with a Kai Havertz brace, while another late goal by Niclas Fullkrug led the four-time World Cup titlists to a 4-2 win. Their victory didn't bear results as Japan retained their 2-1 lead against Spain to emerge as the toppers of the group with six points.

The results meant Germany and Spain were levels on four points, but the latter advanced due to a massive goal difference (+6 for Spain and +1 for Germany) as the second-placed team.