Top spot in Group E, 10 goals scored and two wins from three. And yet, an air of disappointment.
While Germany’s 2-1 loss to Ecuador was celebrated raucously in the stands of the New York New Jersey Stadium, it changed little for the four-time World Cup winners, who had wrapped up first place in their group five days earlier. However, as the players wandered around the pitch at full-time, it felt like an admission of defeat in more ways than one.
