World Cup 2022: Germany crash out at group stage for second World Cup running
Victory over Costa Rica wasn't enough to save the Germans, as Japan stunned Spain elsewhere on the final night in Group E
Germany have been knocked out at the group stage for the second World Cup in succession – despite beating Costa Rica 4-2 on a crazy final night in Group E at Qatar 2022.
The four-time world champions came into the game having to win to stand any chance of advancing to the last 16 – but that was always going to depend on results elsewhere.
And with Japan stunningly defeating Spain 2-1 – having given the Germans an uphill task by doing likewise to them in the opening game of the group – nothing the Germans could have done would have been enough.
In fact, they knew their fate before their match had even finished – prompting fans to start leaving in their droves before full-time as news of Japan's shock victory filtered through to the stands.
For a brief time (less than three minutes), Costa Rica were even going through, but they too succumbed to a group stage exit.
After lifting the trophy in 2014, Germany have now fallen at the first hurdle in successive World Cups for the first time ever – having finished bottom of their group at Russia 2018.
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Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...