Costa Rica 2-4 Germany: Initial reactions and observations from a World Cup exit

Initial reactions and observations

• Honestly what was the point of that? Another tournament where Germany are out in the group stages. A lot of this is on Hansi Flick and his terrible selections, but you have to just blame the whole team. This bunch is unrecognizable from 2014.
• Bayern Munich fans can rest easy now, most of the squad now gets two months of rest before the Bundesliga resumes. If only Morocco, France, and the Netherlands could also see exits soon ...
• So many German players are wasting their prime years on these failed tournaments. Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane ... all of these guys will be in their thirties when the next WC rolls around. It’s sad to see. At least Jamal Musiala is young, but who else is around?

If you haven’t, check out our BFW postgame coverage. From Match Observations and Awards to a special edition postgame + weekend warm up podcast, we’ve got you covered! Listen below or on Spotify.

As always, we appreciate all your support!

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Full time: Germany are out of the World Cup.

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90’ — GOAL! Fullkrug makes it 4-2, but it doesn’t really matter.

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84’ — GOAL! Kai Havertz makes it 3-2! But Spain still need goals!

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72’ — GOAL! Kai Havertz makes it 2-2!

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69’ — Goal. Costa Rica make it 2-1!

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66’ — Subs: Thomas Muller and David Raum off for Gotzke and Havertz. Flick is desperate.

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58’ — Goal. Hey take that Spain, we’ll take you down with us.

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54’ — Sub: Niclas Fullkrug comes on, Flick is panicking.

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45’ — The second half kicks off! Klostermann has come on for Goretzka.

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Halftime observations and analysis

• Germany have been dominant in possession, but aside from the first 15 minutes, the team have lacked incisiveness. Going into half time with just a 1-0 lead is a poor showing.
• Jamal Musiala has had a great game so far, but simply been unable to get on target this World Cup.
• The defense is just ... the less said about it the better. No wonder the forwards can’t score, if this is what they practice against every day.

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Halftime: Germany lead 1-0.

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42’ — Mistakes by both Raum and Rudiger let Fuller through on goal. But Neuer was there to save.

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9’ — GOOOOAL! Serge Gnabry makes it 1-0 to Germany!

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Kickoff: We’re underway!

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One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! WHY HANSI WHY? Germany start with Niclas Fullkrug benched, and Thomas Muller up top. But the strangeness doesn’t end there. Joshua Kimmich has been moved to right-back, and Ilkay Gundogan and Leon Goretzka pair up in midfield. Meanwhile, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, and Jamal Musiala all start in attack.

At least this is the largest density of Bayern Munich players we’ll get in this World Cup.

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Okay, this is it. If there was ever a time for Germany to start winning games, this would be it. Hansi Flick won a sextuple with Bayern Munich — in comparison, a World Cup group stage game vs Costa Rica should be a walk in the park, right? Well ...

Germany have not been good in this tournament. A combination of bad lineup selection, poor performances, and boneheaded mistakes have all contributed to the team’s embarrassing position in the group table. Luckily, Japan lost their second game, so the Germans have a chance at redemption against Costa Rica. Can they make it count? Or will this be a repeat of 2018?

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While you’re waiting for the game, why not check out our podcast? We analyze the Spain game, and talk about what changes Hansi Flick should make to beat Costa Rica. Listen to it below or on Spotify.

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Match Info

Location: Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar

Time: 10:00 pm local time, 2:00 pm EST

TV/streaming: Fox Sports, Find Your Country

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