And in the end, it is therefore not Germany who wins.
Not always anyway, and not for a while, in truth.
World champions in 2014, the Germans, unfortunate semi-finalists of Euro 2016 in stride, were again eliminated from the World Cup in the group stage despite their victory against Costa Rica (4-2) and have since continued 2018 the underperformance at the international level.
What the sports magazine
Kicker
did not fail to note : "The debacle is perfect: for the third time in a row, Germany left a major tournament prematurely on Thursday evening", writes journalist Matthias Dersch, referring to the elimination in the group stage in Russia and in the round of 16, against England, at Euro 2021.
The German press is, of course, not kind to its champions.
"German football must stop lying to itself," writes journalist Julien Wolff in a salty editorial for
Die Welt
.
"With all due respect to the opponents: to be eliminated from the group made up of Spain, Japan and Costa Rica is a disgrace".
For the very serious
Zeit
, “Germany had plans, but no plan”.
For Sport Bild, the reference sports media across the Rhine, this elimination quite simply sounds "the end of a great football nation".
"Four times world champion, three times European champion - that's a thing of the past!" writes Matthias Brügelmann in his editorial.
Germany, football dwarf!
»
"The end of the great nation of football" @bild pic.twitter.com/ABPijBprUU
— Pascal Thibaut (@pthibaut) December 2, 2022
On the home pages of German news sites, images of upset
Mannschaft
players follow one another.
"These scenes really hurt," comments Bild.
But also those of this ball on the second Japanese goal.
Has he crossed the line?
The scenario of the evening makes an even more bitter taste to elimination.
"All of Germany is talking about THIS goal", still assures Bild, image of the Japanese ball in support.
It was an "absurd evening", comments the
Zeit
, for a Germany which "won, but still lost".
The most realistic analysis finally comes from
Kicker
: with the victory of Japan, “only a 10-2 would have helped”.
Unattainable for this Germany.
For its part, the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
notes a beautiful irony:
Doan and Ao Tanaka, the two Japanese strikers, play… in Germany.
And now ?
The German media are asking themselves the question.
Part of the executives of this team will stop.
Live on television after the match, Thomas Müller spoke of the possibility that this match would be the last of his international career.
But the evil seems deeper.
Many, like
Zeit
, point to "the persistent weakness of the DFB", the German federation and its president, Oliver Bierhoff.
“The DFB is wrecked at all levels, punishes Kicker.
It shouldn't continue like this."