Despite defeating Costa Rica 4-2 on Thursday, Germany was eliminated from the World Cup in the group stage for the second time in a row. The four-time champions were demoted to third place in Group E as a result of Japan’s victory over Spain.
Despite having a five-man backline, Germany still managed to score in the 10th minute thanks to a header from Serge Gnabry after David Raum floated in a cross. Serge Gnabry quickly restarted the game out of concern for goal differential.
However, Germany relaxed after learning that Japan led Spain in the other group match, allowing Costa Rica to score twice, with Yeltsin Tejeda scoring the first and Juan Pablo Vargas adding the second.
After coming on as a substitute, Germany’s Kai Havertz scored twice to secure the victory. Niclas Fuellkrug then added a fourth goal late in the match, but the final score left Japan leading the group and Spain coming in second.
Teams
Costa Rica: Keylor Navas, Juan Pablo Vargas, Keysher Fuller, Oscar Duarte, Bryan Oviedo, Kendall Waston, Celso Borges, Yeltsin Tejeda, Brandon Aguilera, Johan Venegas, Joel Campbell
Germany: Manuel Neuer, David Raum, Antonio Ruediger, Niklas Suele, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Thomas Mueller, Jamal Musiala, Ilkay Guendogan, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry.
