Germany entered Thursday needing a couple of things to go its way—including getting help from an adversary—to avoid a second straight World Cup elimination in the group stage. And after a promising start, that extra help didn’t come.
A tournament-opening loss to Japan and draw vs. Spain put the Germans in position where they needed to beat Costa Rica and hope Spain handled Japan in Group E’s simultaneous finale. Early on in the games, that’s what was happening, with Serge Gnabry’s opener against Costa Rica occurring about the same time Álvaro Morata scored for Spain vs. Japan. But it was utter chaos from there, resulting in Japan topping the group, Spain finishing second and Germany going out, despite a 4–2 win over Los Ticos.
Japan scored twice in quick succession at the start of the second half to take the lead on Spain, and Costa Rica then went ahead of the Germans with two second-half goals of its own, which, for a time, sent both Germany and Spain tumbling out of the World Cup. Two Kai Havertz goals and one from Niclas Füllkrug confirmed by VAR restored Germany’s lead, which was enough to save Spain, but not the Germans, who needed the Spaniards to at least pull level with Japan for them to have a chance. That never happened, leaving Die Mannschaft on the outside of the final 16 once again. It’s the first time in Germany’s history that it has gone out in the group stage in back-to-back World Cups.
Before the match kicked off, it became notable for reason that had nothing to do with the two squads. It marked the first men’s World Cup match with an all-female officiating crew.
Germany came out aggressively, with Jamal Musiala drawing a save from Keylor Navas in the second minute, firing a low shot from long range that the Costa Rican goalkeeper forced out for a corner.
The pressure kept coming, and the next great chance came in the ninth minute, when Thomas Müller was free for a wide-open header. He couldn’t direct it on frame, though, a bad miss for the active all-time leading scorer in World Cup history (10 goals, all in 2010 and 2014).
Germany didn’t wind up taking long to make up for that. Left back David Raum sent in a curling cross for Gnabry, whose glancing header tucked inside the far post and beat Navas to make it 1-0 in the 10th minute.
Germany continued to overwhelm the Costa Rican defense, but to the Ticos’ credit, they withstood the onslaught for the rest of the opening half hour. Only one moment away from pulling level, it nearly came in the 29th minute, when Joel Campbell was picked out in the center of the Germany box after a counterattack. He couldn’t quite time his volley well, though, and the ball sailed harmlessly through the area.
Germany seized control back after that, and five minutes later Navas was tested again, with Joshua Kimmich given the time and space to fire from distance. His shot knuckled as it dipped, but Navas parried it to safety.
Costa Rica’s goalscorer against Japan, Keysher Fuller, nearly plucked an equalizer out of nowhere as the first half wound down. Germany’s defense made an absolute mess out of a long ball over the top, allowing Fuller to coast in and fire away. Manuel Neuer swatted it away, though, keeping Germany on top.
The pressure ratcheted up for Germany early in the second half, when, in the other game, Japan scored two rapid-fire goals, rendering the Germans rather helpless and needing more help from Spain.
It got even worse for Germany in the 59th minute, when Yeltsin Tejeda followed up a saved shot with an equalizer, sending the Germans tumbling down the table. Making matters even more wild, if Costa Rica could find a go-ahead goal, it would eliminate Spain, as well.
Germany didn’t go quietly, twice hitting the post after Costa Rica’s answer, and from there, things reached outrageous proportions. Costa Rica did wind up going ahead, as Juan Pablo Vargas claimed a goal after a wild sequence deep in the Germany box, getting the last touch on a bizarre score that, momentarily, had both Spain and Germany heading out.
That fantasy scenario didn’t last long, though. A few minutes later, Havertz pulled Germany even, which didn’t save the Germans but at least gave a lifeline to Spain.
At that point, Germany required one more goal—which would’ve come if not for a spectacular Navas save to rob substitute striker Niclas Füllkrug—and a Spain goal to go through, while another Costa Rican goal would have sent both European powers out of the competition.
Germany got the goal it needed on its half of the equation through Havertz, who volleyed in from close range to restore Germany’s lead, at 3-2.
A fourth came for Germany soon after, with Fullkrüg getting yet another goal at this World Cup, but, like with Havertz’s goal, it was moot unless Spain offered assistance in the other match.
Spain never scored the goal Germany needed, settling for second in the group and setting up a knockout match with Morocco, while Japan topped the group and will face Croatia. Germany, meanwhile, is left disappointed again, booted from the group stage in two straight World Cups.
Here were the lineups for both sides:
Full World Cup squads
Germany
GOALKEEPERS: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-André ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt)
DEFENEDERS: Armel Bella-Kotchap (Southampton), Matthias Ginter (SC Freiburg), Christian Günter (SC Freiburg), Thilo Kehrer (West Ham United), Lukas Klosterman (RB Leipzig), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Niklas Süle (Borussia Dortmund)
MIDFIELDERS: Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Mario Götze (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ilkay Gundoğan (Manchester City), Jonas Hofmann (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
FORWARDS: Karim Adeyemi (Borussia Dortmund), Niclas Füllkrug (Werder Bremen), Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich), Kai Havertz (Chelsea), Youssoufa Moukoko (Borussia Dortmund), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sané (Bayern Munich)
Costa Rica
GOALKEEPERS: Esteban Alvarado (Herediano), Keylor Navas (PSG), Patrick Sequeira (CD Lugo)
DEFENDERS: Francisco Calvo (Konyaspor), Daniel Chacón (Colorado Rapids), Óscar Duarte (Al-Wehda), Keysher Fuller (Herediano), Carlos Martínez (San Carlos), Ronald Matarrita (FC Cincinnati), Bryan Oviedo (Real Salt Lake), Juan Pablo Vargas (Millonarios), Kendall Waston (Saprissa)
MIDFIELDERS: Brandon Aguilera (Nottingham Forest), Jewison Bennette (Sunderland), Celso Borges (Alajuelense), Anthony Hernández (Puntarenas), Douglas López (Herediano), Bryan Ruiz (Alajuelense), Youstin Salas (Saprissa), Yeltsin Tejeda (Herediano), Gerson Torres (Herediano), Roan Wilson (Grecia), Álvaro Zamora (Saprissa)
