Germany out of WC after 2-0 loss to South Korea

Sports Desk: In the past 16 World Cups, Germany have never failed to make it to the last eight. They came to Russia as World and Confederations Cup champions, as a nation that had industrialised youth development, that seemed to have effectively eliminated the possibility of failure.

But football has a strange way of making a mockery of the most well-grounded predictions and they went home after losing to a South Korea side that had already lost to Sweden and Mexico.

What was baffling here was how limp Germany were. There was no cavalry charge, no siege laid to the Korean goal. There was a passivity, a meek acceptance of fact. As news of Sweden’s goals broke, Jogi Low hurled on Mario Gomez and Thomas Muller, and it made not a scrap of difference.

The knife, in the end, was lunged in by VAR, which showed Toni Kroos prodding back the ball that Kim Young-gwon lashed home from a late corner, overturning an offside call.

And then, as though the gods had decided thoroughly to mock Germany, Manuel Neuer, whose peregrinations form his goal have been such an asset for Germany, was caught in possession high up field by Ju Se-jng.

He whacked a long ball into the Germany half and Son Heng-min chased on to rolled the ball into an empty net. It was Sweden and Mexico going through the round of last 16.

Source: Agencies

risingbd/Dhaka/June 27, 2018/A K Azad