Bahrain’s Al Khor – Germany defeated Costa Rica in a thrilling game, but they were unable to go into the Round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar since Japan upset Spain in the other Group E match.
Despite finishing third in their group and exiting the group stage for the second tournament in a row, four-time champions Germany overcame Costa Rica 4-2 on Thursday at Al Bayt Stadium.
Both of those teams advanced at the cost of Germany and Costa Rica thanks to Japan’s surprising 2-1 victory over Spain in a concurrent match at Khalifa International Stadium.
The game got off to a slow start with Costa Rica struggling to get out of their end, and an early goal by German forward Serge Gnabry did little to boost that momentum. However, a fast-paced second half in which the lead was exchanged between the teams sparked the hopes of Costa Rican supporters—until Kai Havertz’s hat-trick and Niclas Fullkrug’s goal with seconds remaining in normal time dashed those aspirations.
Notably, Stephane Frappart, a French referee, became the first woman to officiate a men’s World Cup match in this contest.
