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With that, it’s time to wrap this up. Over to Brazil v Serbia and Switzerland v Costa Rica. There’s bound to be more preposterous excitement. World Cup 2018, you’re spoiling us. Germany, the holders, have gone out in the first round for the first time since 1938 after losing to South Korea. The world watches on in amazement. Sweden and Mexico have progressed from Group F and nothing makes sense any more. Thanks for reading and emailing. Bye.
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If you want to see pictures of Germany’s exit, get clicking.
I maintain that the quality of football has left something to be desired at times, but this World Cup is providing us with far too many astonishing storylines. Remember when Spain sacked their manager two days before their opening game? Yeah, that happened. Remember when Marcos Rojo rescued Argentina? That was only last night. Remember when France drew 0-0 with Denmark? This is shaping up to be a memorable tournament. Let’s hope the drama doesn’t dip during the knockout stage.
Germany have gone out of the World Cup, so you’re probably feeling full of beans at the moment*. Why not give some of those beans to the Guardian?
*Unless you’re German.
Of course, there could be more drama tonight. Germany are already out of the World Cup, which is enough to handle on its own. But imagine if Brazil go out too. Tite’s side are in action against Serbia this evening. They’ll join Germany on the scrapheap if they lose to Serbia and Switzerland beat Costa Rica in Group E’s other game. Paul Doyle and Rob Smyth have coverage of both games.
Leroy Sane wouldn’t have saved this German side. But what does it say about Germany that they couldn’t find a place for a player of Sane’s talent? What does it say about their style under Joachim Low? Plenty of smug people lined up to say that Low was right to exclude Sane. They don’t look so smart now.
This is how the second is shaping up so far:
- Spain v Russia
- Uruguay v Portugal
- France v Argentina
- Croatia v Denmark
- Sweden v Brazil/Serbia/Switzerland
- Mexico v Brazi/Serbia/Switzerland
Messi winning the second clasico season before last, Madrid winning the league anyway
— Matt (@MattNicolson) June 27, 2018
If I were part of that Swedish bench i’d be in the German hotel for breakfast to express my “sadness”.
— david groom (@groomyd) June 27, 2018
I’ll level with you: as amusing as this all is, I’m a bit annoyed we’ve been denied Brazil v Germany in the last 16. Mind you, Brazil will play Mexico if they win Group E later. That would be a great match.
This is worse than Euro 2000 and Euro 2004. In 2000 Germany were in a group with Portugal, England and Romania. Portugal had their Golden Generation, Romania were decent and England were ... well, maybe that’s stretching a bit. On to 2004, then - and that year Germany were in a group with a good Holland side and Pavel Nedved’s Czech Republic, who really should have won the whole thing. This time they’ve lost to South Korea, who are no great shakes, and finished behind Sweden, who weren’t expected to make much of an impression. Let’s hope my Swedish boss, Marcus Christenson, didn’t read that last comment.
Thomas Muller won’t be troubling the Golden Boot standings this time. Germany scored two goals in three games.
Amy Lawrence was there to see Sweden beat Mexico 3-0.
Altogether now... "Bye bye Germany" as a joint Mexico-Sweden chorus. pic.twitter.com/mSV3ctpUdK
— Amy Lawrence (@amylawrence71) June 27, 2018
“The Germans just seemed spent too me,” Kari Tulinius says. “They’re all key players at their clubs, playing week-in and week-out for the last four years. They didn’t have the sharpness they had four years ago. That also struck me about Spain four years ago and Italy eight years ago.”
Yes, they were very leggy - and this was a tournament too soon for some of their youngsters, particularly Timo Werner, who really struggled to fill the No9 shirt. That said, this was a talented squad. You can’t help but wonder whether the mood in the camp was the right from the outset. There was no real sense of any togetherness, other than when they were down to 10 men against Sweden. Speaking of which, has there ever been a more pointless moment of match-winning genius than Toni Kroos’s goal against Sweden?
Of course, Germany suffered successive group stage exits at Euro 2000 and Euro 2004. But everybody kind of knew those sides were of low quality and little was expected from them. By contrast this team arrived as the world champions. Some of these players might never play international football again. This pre-tournament article from Donald McRae now feels eerily prescient.
France 2002, Italy 2010, Spain 2014: champions who went out in the group stage. Join the club, Germany 2018.
What struck you most? Germany’s lethargy from the start? Their loss of composure as time ran out? Their lack of pace? Their curious tactics? Their inability to defend? There are going to be some very good articles on where it all went wrong in the next few days.
Mexico are the luckiest team in the world at the moment. Losing 3-0 to Sweden means they’d have been out if Germany had won this game. They owe South Korea a huge debt of gratitude.
In the end Sweden have won Group F and Mexico have finished second. South Korea are third and Germany - and you’ll like this - finish bottom.
“Don’t mention the VAR,” is the gag on everyone’s lips. Ho ho ho.
VAR worked perfectly for South Korea’s first goal. Imagine if it hadn’t been given and Germany had gone up the other end and scored, sending Mexico out.
Germany had 28 shots. So what?
Germany become the fourth defending champions to exit at the group stage in the past five World Cups. Moral of the story: don’t win the World Cup. Clever, clever England!
Fair play to South Korea. They played very well and deserved their win. They were always fighting a losing battle in terms of qualification, but this is still a victory for them to savour.
Full-time: South Korea 2-0 Germany
Peep! Peep! Peep! Germany are out of the first round since 1938! They’ve never failed to make it out of a World Cup group before! Sweden and Mexico are through! It’s humiliation for the holders! This is incredible! Who saw this coming at the start of the tournament?
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90 min+10: You can probably write off the Germans now.
90 min+9: Hummels nuts another header over!
90 min+8: On we go! Cho makes a fantastic save from Brandt! Meanwhile it’s finished Sweden 3-0 Mexico!
Ju robbed Neuer inside South Korea’s half. Uh oh! Ju turns and sees Son, who’s inside South Korea’s half. He sets off in pursuit of the pass, reaches it and taps into an empty net! Germany are going out of the World Cup in the first round for the first time since 1938!
GOAL! South Korea 2-0 Germany (Son, 90 min+6)
This is going to VAR as well, but Germany are out of the World Cup whether it stands or not!
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90 min+6: Neuer is up for a corner. Hummels has seen a header go over. Germany are frantically chasing an equaliser, but it doesn’t matter now.
The ball came off a Germany player after a messy scramble, so the goal has to stand! Kroos panicked and played the ball through Sule’s legs and it fell to Kim Young-gwon. He collected it on the edge of the six-yard box and his finish was nerveless!
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GOAL! South Korea 1-0 Germany (Kim Young-gwon, 90 min+4)
The goal is given! Germany are going out of the World Cup!
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VAR CHECK!
90 min+3: The ball came off Toni Kroos! It might yet stand! The referee is going to check the monitor!
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90 min+2: The corner reaches Kim Young-gwon a few yards out. He controls and jabs the ball into the top corner! The flag’s up for offside! It’s been disallowed!
90 min+1: South Korea are down to 10 men. There will be six added minutes. Lee Yong’s back on his feet now. And...
90 min: Kroos - Kroos! - gives the ball away inside Germany’s half. He whacked the ball into Lee Yong’s nether regions. Ouch. Down he goes. Lee Jae-sung makes off with the ball, cuts inside and sees a shot deflected over. Lee Young will live, but he’s still in pain and needs treatment.
88 min: Kroos drives a low shot on target from 20 yards, but Cho springs down to his right to make the save! Heads in hands, etc etc.
87 min: Ozil, who’s done nothing, dips inside from the right, on to his left foot, and curls a cross into the middle. Hummels arrives, unmarked, and bounces the ball off his shoulder and behind for a goal-kick! What a chance! Heads are in hands. There are looks of disbelief. That should have been 1-0!
86 min: Jang wriggles down the left and almost finds Son in the middle. But Sule puts his cross behind for a corner, which isn’t worth describing.
84 min: Ozil passes up a chance to shoot on the edge of the area. Kroos shows more conviction, but his 20-yarder flies over.
83 min: Reus floats a dipping shot wide from 20 yards. We are edging closer and closer towards history.
82 min: In comes another cross from Kimmich; Muller’s flick drifts wide.
81 min: Werner speeds down the left but his touch is heavy and the ball runs out for a goal-kick. Germany’s desperation increases.
80 min: South Korea have wasted so many promising breaks. Sule halts another one. Son was free in the middle.
79 min: Kimmich checks back on to his left foot and curls a cross into the middle. It fools everyone and almost drifts in, only for Cho to react smartly and block with his knees! Hwang, meanwhile, has been replaced Go Yo-han.
78 min: Reus and Werner combine to win a corner. Julian Brandt replaces Jonas Hector. That’s Germany’s final change. Similar bravery paid off against Sweden. At the moment, though, they look uninspired. Cho claims Kroos’s corner and South Korea counter, the move ending with Son drilling a shot wide from 18 yards.
77 min: Kimmich races across to cover after a poor header from Hummels almost lets in Son. Germany are getting ready to bring on Julian Brandt.
75 min: Ju sends a ball over the top, piercing Germany’s offside trap, but Neuer sweeps up before Son can reach the pass.
74 min: Hummels swings a dangerous ball towards Muller. Kim denies him and collapses in apparent agony. Muller’s frustrated, claiming the defender’s wasting time. Meanwhile Sweden have gone 3-0 up against Mexico! A Germany goal sends Mexico out!
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73 min: Germany have set up camp in South Korea’s half. Who’s their Marcos Rojo? “In terms of incompetence Moon has almost been eclipsed by Son,” Ian Copestake says.
72 min: Reus crosses from the right. Gomez can’t get in front of his man at the near post.
71 min: Germany haven’t exited a World Cup at this stage since 1938!
70 min: Kroos balloons a shot over from 25 yards. Germany look miserable. But they also looked miserable against Sweden. Don’t. Write. Them. Off.
69 min: Ju Se-jong replaces Moon, who ruined his hard work with wasteful play in the final third.
68 min: From Kimmich’s cross, Gomez heads straight at Cho.
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67 min: As it stands a Germany goal would put Mexico, one of the teams of the tournament, out.
66 min: South Korea counter. Son dribbles into the area and finds Moon, who has a clear sight of goal. He wants too much time! He cuts inside Sule. Still he won’t shoot. You aren’t Hirving Lozano! Sule tackles him and the chance is lost! Moon is so frustrating.
65 min: Miroslav Klose looks glum in the stands. But I look forward to seeing him flip the bird at somebody when Germany score. Meanwhile South Korea are on the front foot. Son wriggles through before being barged over by Reus on the edge of the area. He’s booked for diving, which seems harsh.
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64 min: Werner wins a corner on the right. Kroos’s corner causes a few problems in the middle and reaches Werner on the left. He controls before bobbling a shot wide. “We all know Germany will score,” Greg Phillip says. “Of course they will score. They will not go out with a goalless draw against South Korea. Will they? No, they won’t. They might. But they can’t. Can they?”
63 min: Thomas Muller replaces the disappointing Leon Goretzka. Can he rescue Germany? He’s had a poor tournament, but he knows how to steal an ugly goal.
PERMUTATION ALERT
62 min: It’s Mexico 0-2 Sweden! Andreas Granqvist has tucked away a penalty!
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61 min: Werner powers down the right and outmuscles Hong. The forward knocks a pass inside to Ozil, who drops a shoulder before teeing up Kroos. Is this the moment that Germany have been waiting for? No, Kroos’s effort’s deflected wide!
60 min: It’s so quiet in the Kazan Arena. Can Germany hire Diego Maradona as a motivational cheerleader?
58 min: Moon, who has been absolutely useless, ruins another counterattack with a poor pass. South Korea had two men over. Up the other end, Ozil’s lazy pass goes behind Reus, who ends up giving away a free-kick. That’s the cue for Germany to replace Sami Khedira with Mario Gomez, whose physicality could make the difference.
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55 min: Koo is down after twisting his ankle. His afternoon’s over. On comes Hwang Hee-chan.
55 min: Activate Thomas Muller. Or Mario Gomez.
54 min: Kimmich and Khedira both see shots blocked. Cho claims the loose ball.
52 min: As ... it ... stands ... Germany ... are ... going ... out ... of ... the ... World ... Cup.
You need to say it slowly.
51 min: Germany probably don’t know they’re heading out at the moment. But momentum almost swings their way immediately. They attack down the left and Hector reaches the byline. He chips a cross back to Werner, who blasts a simple volley wide! What a miss!
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PERMUTATION ALERT!
50 min: It’s Mexico 0-1 Sweden in Group F’s other game! As it stands Germany are finishing third!
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49 min: Kroos slams a shot wide from 25 yards. Not this time, Toni.
48 min: This is better from Germany, an attack with more urgency. The ball’s played out to Kimmich on the right. He hangs an inviting ball into the middle and the unmarked Goretzka glances a header towards the far corner, only for Cho to claw it out! Great save. South Korea counter and Son finds Moon on the left. He cuts inside but he takes too long to shoot, loses the ball and fouls Kroos. For his incompetence, he earns a yellow card.
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46 min: South Korea get the second half underway. Let’s hope both teams have been given a bloody good telling off during the interval! That first half really was a load of tosh. Here’s an encouraging sign already, Jung having a pop from long range. Neuer makes a simple save.
South Korea 0-0 Germany HT
— Archie Rhind-Tutt (@archiert1) June 27, 2018
- Goretzka wide right 😳
- Özil’s touch 😳
- Khedira 😳
- Germany 😳
Half-time: South Korea 0-0 Germany
Peep! Peep! Yawn! Germany are going through as it stands, on account of their head-to-head record against Sweden but they haven’t been good. This won’t be enough if Sweden beat Mexico – that game remains goalless.
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45 min+3: Kimmich sends a cross out for a goal-kick. He frowns. Germany are doing a lot of frowning. This is such a slog. Up the other end Son collects a long ball, flicks it up for a shot and fires wide from 20 yards.
45 min+1: There will be three more minutes of this nonsense.
45 min: Son tries to beat Khedira on the right of the Germany area, but he can’t sort his feet out. He collapses and appeals for a penalty. Nope.
44 min: This game could do with a VAR controversy.
43 min: Werner clatters a shot against the post, but the whistle’s already gone for a foul by Hector.
40 min: Lee Jae-sung turns his ankle and goes down. Another delay.
39 min: A mistake in the middle from Kim gifts Germany an opportunity. The ball’s worked out to Werner, who sees his shot deflected over. From the resulting corner, the ball reaches Werner on the left. He pulls it back into the six-yard box and Hummels gathers possession. He manages to turn and shake off his marker, but Cho smothers his shot.
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38 min: This is abysmal!
35 min: Are South Korea good enough to capitalise on this increasingly lethargic German performance?
33 min: Goretzka turns a clever pass round the corner to Reus, who scoots towards the area before letting fly. Yun blocks the shot and the ball rebounds against Reus’s arm, prompting the referee to give South Korea a generous free-kick.
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31 min: Goretzka clips an easy pass behind for a goal-kick. This is unravelling.
30 min: South Korea have to defend the corner from Kroos with 10 men, Yun still off the pitch. But they do so easily enough. You fear for Germany if Sweden take the lead against Mexico.
28 min: Werner, who looks at his best running at defenders on the left, does precisely that and slams a hard cross into the middle. Yun heads it behind. He’ll need some treatment. That hurt.
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25 min: South Korea patiently probe down the right. A long diagonal ball finds Lee Yong on the right. He plays it back to Jung, who swings a cross into the middle. Several players go for the ball and a defensive header sends the ball looping to Son, who blazes a volley high and wide from a decent position! That was an excellent chance and the Tottenham striker knows he should have done better.
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23 min: Lee Jae-sung earns a booking for persistent fouling, an admirable achievement at this early stage.
22 min: Kimmich lifts a cross into the middle, but it’s at a nice height for Cho to claim. Germany are huffing and puffing to little effect up front.
20 min: The resulting corner from Son comes to nothing. But South Korea will have noticed Germany’s frailties. Neuer’s attempt to save Jung’s effort was so unconvincing.
19 min: Jung takes a long run-up. He moves towards the ball and hits a swerving strike towards goal. It wobbles in the air and Neuer attempts to catch it, only to fail to read the flight of the ball, spilling it in the six-yard box! Ever the poacher, Son tries to slam home the rebound, but Neuer reacts quickly and the ball’s bundled behind for a corner. What a let-off for the Germany goalkeeper!
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18 min: Cho sends a long ball forward. Hummels wins the first header, but Khedira concedes a free-kick in a dangerous position with a high boot. This is a chance for South Korea to load the box. Or to have a shot. The ball’s around 30 yards from goal.
17 min: Koo’s fine to continue.
16 min: Kroos and Reus stand over the corner. What are they up to this time? They take it short and work the ball back to Ozil. He crosses to the far post. Sule heads it down but Cho gathers the loose ball. South Korea look to launch a quick counter, but play has to be stopped, Koo in need of treatment after a heavy fall.
15 min: Reus slips a pass to Hector, who wins a corner. It’s all Germany at the moment.
14 min: Germany hunt in packs and win the ball high. South Korea have completely lost their stubborn shape now! Reus scampers off with the ball and he should release Werner to his left. Instead he plays it right to Goretzka, whose cross is deflected behind for a corner, which comes to nothing.
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13 min: This has been quite a drab start from both sides. South Korea aren’t playing with much belief in attack. They’re sitting back and challenging Germany to break them down.
11 min: Kimmich moves down the right and wins a free-kick off Moon, who looks frustrated. Kroos and Ozil stand over the ball. The former’s cross is headed away.
8 min: Jung charges towards Ozil and slides in an attempt to win the ball. It’s a heavy, aggressive challenge and although he makes contact with the ball, Jung also sends Ozil flying. Nope. Can’t do that. It’s a booking for Jung, who’ll be suspended if South Korea somehow reach the second round.
7 min: Ozil sprays a pass down the left, looking for Hector, but it runs through to Cho.
6 min: Sule lollops forward from the back and lifts a ball from right to left towards Reus, who volleys a cross out for a goal-kick.
4 min: Ozil’s annoyed after having his heels rapped in midfield. His boot’s even come off. He glares down at his feet and looks for the person responsible. Don’t make Mesut angry. You won’t like him when he’s angry.
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2 min: South Korea press on the right, winning a throw near the corner flag. It’s a positive start from the underdogs. Soon Lee Jae-sung is wriggling into the Germany area. He pulls the ball back towards Son, but it’s cut out before it reaches the forward.
Peep! Germany, in green shirts and white shorts, kick off from right to left. South Korea are in red shirts and black shorts. It’s another hot day in Kazan.
We’ve had the handshakes, we’ve had the anthems. It’s almost time for more football.
Here come the teams, making their entrance at a sunny Kazan Arena. Remember, you can follow Mexico v Sweden with Barry Glendenning here.
For all that it remains tough to see this unconvincing Germany side going all the way, especially if they come up against Brazil in the second round, it’s worth pointing out that plenty of recent world champions have had their what-if moments. France had a couple in 1998 - they needed a golden goal from Laurent Blanc to beat Paraguay in the second round and were losing their semi-final against Croatia before Lilian Thuram scored his only goals for Les Bleus. In 2002 Brazil’s quarter-final win over England hinged on Rivaldo’s equaliser on the stroke of half-time.
Four years later Italy won their second-round match against Australia with a last-minute penalty, won an extraordinary semi-final against Germany in extra-time and beat France on penalties after Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt. Then in 2010 Spain could have gone out after losing their opening game to Switzerland, needed Iker Casillas to save a Paraguay penalty when it was still goalless in their quarter-final and also needed their goalkeeper to perform heroics to deny Arjen Robben in the final against Holland.
Of course, none of this means that Germany are going to mount a successful defence of their title. Yet momentum matters so much in tournament football - and Toni Kroos’s free-kick against Sweden could yet prove to be a sliding doors moment.
Pre-match reading
Here’s today’s World Cup Fiver.
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South Korea make four changes to the team that lost to Mexico. Out go Min-Woo Kim, Ki Sung-yeung, Hwang Hee-chan and Ju Se-Jong, in come Yun Young-sun, Hong Chul, Koo Ja-cheol and Jung Woo-young.
Germany make five changes to the team that beat Sweden. Mats Hummels replaces the suspended Franz Beckenbaeur Jerome Boateng and Niklas Sule will partner him in central defence after replacing Antonio Rudiger. In midfield Sami Khedira returns for the injured Sebastian Rudy, Leon Goretzka replaces the struggling Thomas Muller and in attack Mesut Ozil comes back for the flimsy Julian Draxler.
Team news
South Korea: Cho; Yong Lee, Yun, Kim Young-gwon, Hong; Lee Jae-sung, Jang, Jung, Moon; Koo, Son.
Germany: Neuer; Kimmich, Hummels, Sule, Hector; Khedira, Kroos; Goretzka, Ozil, Reus; Werner.
Referee: Mark Geiger (USA).
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My colleague Martin Belam has worked out the Group F permutations:
- The most straightforward bit is Mexico will qualify with a draw. They also qualify if Germany fail to beat South Korea.
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Sweden qualify if they get a better result than Germany. Germany qualify if they beat South Korea by two goals or more.
- If Germany and Sweden both draw their games, then the team involved with the higher-scoring draw will go through, alongside Mexico.
- Despite starting the day on zero points, South Korea can still go through if they win heavily and Mexico also win.
Preamble
An alternate universe exists in which Toni Kroos sent that free-kick miles over the bar, sealing his fate as the No1 villain of Germany’s disastrous World Cup campaign, compounding his shame after the part he played in Sweden’s goal. Oh Toni! Or, to give him his new full name, oh Toni Klown! Why didn’t you just stick the ball into the middle like a sensible chap? Why were you so selfish? Oh Toni, look what you’ve gone and done. What a fine mess you’ve made.
But we don’t live in that reality. We live in the one where Kroos tapped the ball to Marco Reus before curling a stunning winning goal into the top corner in the 95th minute, breathing fresh life into Germany’s hitherto wobbly campaign. There’s a line between the sublime and the ridiculous in those moments and Kroos negotiated it with splendid cool. If he’d put that free-kick over the bar or into the wall, the likelihood is that we’d be about to witness Germany’s first exit in the first round of a World Cup since 1938. Nobody would be talking about Joachim Lowe’s brave decision to introduce Julian Brandt when the holders went down to 10 men against Sweden; they’d just be calling him a bogey-eating fraud (Is that better than being a bald fraud? Let me know). Instead Germany, the four-times champions, face a mundane South Korea team knowing that they will reach the second round as long as they match Sweden’s result against Mexico in Group F’s other game.
That sounds simple enough. While South Korea are still in with a shout despite losing their first two games, they don’t sound too confident about their chances of troubling Germany. It’s difficult not to feel that Germany have been let off the hook. They were on the floor and Sweden made the mistake of letting them get up. Mercy equals weakness at this level, that’s the credo, and the fear for everyone else must be that Germany’s tournament starts here, that their flirtation with humiliation will give them the carefree attitude of a team that dodged the executioner’s blade. They were gripped by crisis after losing their opener to Mexico. They have a porous defence, they’re vulnerable to the counterattack, their midfield is slow, their attack doesn’t convince and there are rumours of a split in the camp. That proud 80-year run remains under threat. Yet the danger isn’t as high as when Germany were 1-0 down to Sweden, who were 45 minutes away from causing one of the great World Cup shocks. This could have been a wake. Not in this reality, though. Not yet - although that could still change in the next few hours.
Kick-off: 1pm BST, 3pm in Kazan.
