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.
World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings 22 show all World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings 1/22 Cho Hyun-woo - 8/10 Made several fantastic saves, including a diving save early in the second half to deny Goretzka. A deserved clean sheet for him AFP/Getty Images 2/22 Lee Yong - 7/10 Defended very strongly at right back and got forward to on the break to give South Korea’s attack more options. Ran himself into the ground AFP/Getty Images 3/22 Yun Young-sun - 7/10 Outstanding in defence. Germany kept coming at South Korea and, baring a couple of mistakes, Young-sun held his own against the World Cup holders AFP/Getty Images 4/22 Kim Young-gwon - 8/10 Linked well with Yun Young-Sun in defence to stop Germany’s attacks. Got the goal that knocked out the world champions before Son landed the hammer blow. A class performance AFP/Getty Images 5/22 Chul Hong - 7/10 Was put under immense pressure at left-back as Germany pounded the right side but stood strong and kept a clean sheet Getty Images, 6/22 Lee Jae-sung - 7/10 Led the attack out of Korea’s half when they moved onto the counter. Delivered good balls into Son to give Korea their best chances on goal EPA 7/22 Jang Hyun-soo - 6/10 Quick on the counter attack and broke free regularly in the second half. Didn't provide enough service to Son, though AFP/Getty Images 8/22 Jung Woo-young - 7/10 Had a good free kick saved by Neuer. Attacked well on the counter in the second half EPA 9/22 Moon Seon-min - 7/10 Worked like a racehorse down the left, sprinting back and forth all day. His only negative was holding onto the ball too long near Germany's goal AFP/Getty Images 10/22 Son Heung-Min - 7/10 Advanced forward when on the break and created a few half chances. Picked up a yellow card in the second half for diving but finally got his goal in the 96th minute REUTERS 11/22 Koo Ja-cheol - 6/10 Struggled with an injury so couldn’t make enough of his possession when he got into the box AP 12/22 Manuel Neuer - 6/10 Made an error in the first half that almost let Son Heung-Min score the opener, but he recovered well to punch it clear AFP/Getty Images 13/22 Joshua Kimmich - 6/10 He wasn’t challenged a great deal at the back but gave Germany options going forward, including a loopy cross in the second half to set up Goretzka AFP/Getty Images 14/22 Niklas Sule - 6/10 Made some quality passes from the back to launch a rather sluggish German side into attacking positions. Had a 98 per cent pass completion rate in the first half REUTERS 15/22 Mats Hummels - 6/10 Stormed forward in the second half to try and rescue his team, but to no avail. Germany's defence came undone in those chaotic final minutes AFP/Getty Images 16/22 Jonas Hector - 6/10 Went forward with serious gusto and more often than not found himself in front of goal. But that was about it from the player AFP/Getty Images 17/22 Sami Khedira - 6/10 Sluggish in midfield. Saw plenty of the ball but was unable to break down the South Korean defence AFP/Getty Images 18/22 Toni Kroos - 6/10 Didn’t play well enough today. Created some chances for his side but was lacking in urgency and desire Getty Images 19/22 Leon Goretzka - 5/10 Had one of Germany’s best chances in the second half; should have directed his header better but forced Cho into the save AFP/Getty Images 20/22 Mesut Ozil - 5/10 A poor performance. He was slow in midfield while a number of his passes missed their target by some way. He did, however, deliver the ball for Germany’s best chance of the second half AFP/Getty Images 21/22 Marco Reus - 6/10 Tried his best to create chances all over the pitch but came up against a determined South Korean side Getty Images 22/22 Timo Werner - 5/10 Didn’t find enough good positions as the front-line striker. Often drifted to the left which limited his chances on goal AFP/Getty Images 1/22 Cho Hyun-woo - 8/10 Made several fantastic saves, including a diving save early in the second half to deny Goretzka. A deserved clean sheet for him AFP/Getty Images 2/22 Lee Yong - 7/10 Defended very strongly at right back and got forward to on the break to give South Korea’s attack more options. Ran himself into the ground AFP/Getty Images 3/22 Yun Young-sun - 7/10 Outstanding in defence. Germany kept coming at South Korea and, baring a couple of mistakes, Young-sun held his own against the World Cup holders AFP/Getty Images 4/22 Kim Young-gwon - 8/10 Linked well with Yun Young-Sun in defence to stop Germany’s attacks. Got the goal that knocked out the world champions before Son landed the hammer blow. A class performance AFP/Getty Images 5/22 Chul Hong - 7/10 Was put under immense pressure at left-back as Germany pounded the right side but stood strong and kept a clean sheet Getty Images, 6/22 Lee Jae-sung - 7/10 Led the attack out of Korea’s half when they moved onto the counter. Delivered good balls into Son to give Korea their best chances on goal EPA 7/22 Jang Hyun-soo - 6/10 Quick on the counter attack and broke free regularly in the second half. Didn't provide enough service to Son, though AFP/Getty Images 8/22 Jung Woo-young - 7/10 Had a good free kick saved by Neuer. Attacked well on the counter in the second half EPA 9/22 Moon Seon-min - 7/10 Worked like a racehorse down the left, sprinting back and forth all day. His only negative was holding onto the ball too long near Germany's goal AFP/Getty Images 10/22 Son Heung-Min - 7/10 Advanced forward when on the break and created a few half chances. Picked up a yellow card in the second half for diving but finally got his goal in the 96th minute REUTERS 11/22 Koo Ja-cheol - 6/10 Struggled with an injury so couldn’t make enough of his possession when he got into the box AP 12/22 Manuel Neuer - 6/10 Made an error in the first half that almost let Son Heung-Min score the opener, but he recovered well to punch it clear AFP/Getty Images 13/22 Joshua Kimmich - 6/10 He wasn’t challenged a great deal at the back but gave Germany options going forward, including a loopy cross in the second half to set up Goretzka AFP/Getty Images 14/22 Niklas Sule - 6/10 Made some quality passes from the back to launch a rather sluggish German side into attacking positions. Had a 98 per cent pass completion rate in the first half REUTERS 15/22 Mats Hummels - 6/10 Stormed forward in the second half to try and rescue his team, but to no avail. Germany's defence came undone in those chaotic final minutes AFP/Getty Images 16/22 Jonas Hector - 6/10 Went forward with serious gusto and more often than not found himself in front of goal. But that was about it from the player AFP/Getty Images 17/22 Sami Khedira - 6/10 Sluggish in midfield. Saw plenty of the ball but was unable to break down the South Korean defence AFP/Getty Images 18/22 Toni Kroos - 6/10 Didn’t play well enough today. Created some chances for his side but was lacking in urgency and desire Getty Images 19/22 Leon Goretzka - 5/10 Had one of Germany’s best chances in the second half; should have directed his header better but forced Cho into the save AFP/Getty Images 20/22 Mesut Ozil - 5/10 A poor performance. He was slow in midfield while a number of his passes missed their target by some way. He did, however, deliver the ball for Germany’s best chance of the second half AFP/Getty Images 21/22 Marco Reus - 6/10 Tried his best to create chances all over the pitch but came up against a determined South Korean side Getty Images 22/22 Timo Werner - 5/10 Didn’t find enough good positions as the front-line striker. Often drifted to the left which limited his chances on goal AFP/Getty Images
The South Korea coach Shin Tae-song has spent his tournament making excuses. Sweden, he said, were too tall. His side lost to Mexico because of some structural issue in the Korean league. Before Wednesday’s game, he seemed mildly irritated that Germany had not won their opening two games, meaning that they ended up going into this game needing a win and so unable to rest players. There simply hadn’t been time, he insisted, to prepare a strategy for such an eventuality.
He gave his team a one per cent chance of progress. Son Heung-min, trying to make the best of a bad situation, observed that while there was a one per cent chance there was hope – and there was. And, frankly, while Germany are as bad as this there was always hope.
Low made five changes to the side that had beaten Sweden, restoring Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira and leaving out Thomas Muller for the first time since the semi-final of Euro 2012. That meant only three German outfielders had started all three group games, a staggering level of uncertainty for a team that had qualified so impressively and won the Confederations Cup. Given that tournament was won with what was essentially a second string, perhaps the issue was a surfeit of options.
Either way, this was a grimly disjointed display from Germany, the only real positive being that South Korea were never able to counter-attack them as Mexico and Sweden had. Not until six minutes before half-timewas there a German chance worthy of the name, Ozil laying in Timo Werner whose shot was deflected over by Kim Young-gwan.
Mats Hummels then turned sharply in the box from the resulting corner, only for Cho Hyeon-woo to smother at his feet. Cho made an even better save three minutes into the second half, leaping to his right to palm away Leon Goretzka’s header.
The Daegu FC keeper, whose flamboyant ginger Neymar-cut has earned him the nickname Dae Hair in Korea (a pun on De Gea, based in the fact “dae” means “great” in Korean), came into the tournament as third-choice, but he seized the opportunity after being selected for the opening game against Sweden because of his height and was arguably his country’s player of the tournament.
Löw had said he would make sure he was kept updated about the progress of the other game and, as Sweden scored, meaning Germany had to win, he threw on Mario Gomez and Müller. That perhaps did enhance the attacking treat offered by Germany, but it also recreated the issues in stifling counter-attacks that had dogged them against Mexico and, to a lesser extent, Sweden. A better side than South Korea would surely have taken advantage but, too often, there was a reluctance to shoot, an insistence on taking the extra touch that allowed Germany to recover.
But Germany, listless and disjointed as they had been at times in the early stages of the last World Cup but with no Miroslav Klose to save them, could not take advantage. Slowly, the castle subsided and a fourth of the last five world champions slipped out on the group stage. None, though, went with such a sense of surprise as this.
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The Germany manager Joachim Löw admitted that arrogance had played its part as Germany went out of the World Cup in the first round since 1938. He refused to confirm, meanwhile, whether he would still be in charge of Germany for the European Championship campaign that begins in the autumn.
The problem, Löw insisted, had not been against Sweden or even here, where Germany were undone as they were forced to chase the game. What had undone them was the 1-0 defeat to Mexico. “We had a good training camp,” Löw said. “The team worked well, players were training really well. But the two friendly matches, against Austria and Saudi Arabia, were not good. Maybe we thought at the push of a button we could shift gears, but we lost against Mexico. If we had taken a point it would have been different. We couldn’t flip that switch. We were convinced once tournament started we would be able to play well but it didn’t happen.”
World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings 22 show all World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings 1/22 Cho Hyun-woo - 8/10 Made several fantastic saves, including a diving save early in the second half to deny Goretzka. A deserved clean sheet for him AFP/Getty Images 2/22 Lee Yong - 7/10 Defended very strongly at right back and got forward to on the break to give South Korea’s attack more options. Ran himself into the ground AFP/Getty Images 3/22 Yun Young-sun - 7/10 Outstanding in defence. Germany kept coming at South Korea and, baring a couple of mistakes, Young-sun held his own against the World Cup holders AFP/Getty Images 4/22 Kim Young-gwon - 8/10 Linked well with Yun Young-Sun in defence to stop Germany’s attacks. Got the goal that knocked out the world champions before Son landed the hammer blow. A class performance AFP/Getty Images 5/22 Chul Hong - 7/10 Was put under immense pressure at left-back as Germany pounded the right side but stood strong and kept a clean sheet Getty Images, 6/22 Lee Jae-sung - 7/10 Led the attack out of Korea’s half when they moved onto the counter. Delivered good balls into Son to give Korea their best chances on goal EPA 7/22 Jang Hyun-soo - 6/10 Quick on the counter attack and broke free regularly in the second half. Didn't provide enough service to Son, though AFP/Getty Images 8/22 Jung Woo-young - 7/10 Had a good free kick saved by Neuer. Attacked well on the counter in the second half EPA 9/22 Moon Seon-min - 7/10 Worked like a racehorse down the left, sprinting back and forth all day. His only negative was holding onto the ball too long near Germany's goal AFP/Getty Images 10/22 Son Heung-Min - 7/10 Advanced forward when on the break and created a few half chances. Picked up a yellow card in the second half for diving but finally got his goal in the 96th minute REUTERS 11/22 Koo Ja-cheol - 6/10 Struggled with an injury so couldn’t make enough of his possession when he got into the box AP 12/22 Manuel Neuer - 6/10 Made an error in the first half that almost let Son Heung-Min score the opener, but he recovered well to punch it clear AFP/Getty Images 13/22 Joshua Kimmich - 6/10 He wasn’t challenged a great deal at the back but gave Germany options going forward, including a loopy cross in the second half to set up Goretzka AFP/Getty Images 14/22 Niklas Sule - 6/10 Made some quality passes from the back to launch a rather sluggish German side into attacking positions. Had a 98 per cent pass completion rate in the first half REUTERS 15/22 Mats Hummels - 6/10 Stormed forward in the second half to try and rescue his team, but to no avail. Germany's defence came undone in those chaotic final minutes AFP/Getty Images 16/22 Jonas Hector - 6/10 Went forward with serious gusto and more often than not found himself in front of goal. But that was about it from the player AFP/Getty Images 17/22 Sami Khedira - 6/10 Sluggish in midfield. Saw plenty of the ball but was unable to break down the South Korean defence AFP/Getty Images 18/22 Toni Kroos - 6/10 Didn’t play well enough today. Created some chances for his side but was lacking in urgency and desire Getty Images 19/22 Leon Goretzka - 5/10 Had one of Germany’s best chances in the second half; should have directed his header better but forced Cho into the save AFP/Getty Images 20/22 Mesut Ozil - 5/10 A poor performance. He was slow in midfield while a number of his passes missed their target by some way. He did, however, deliver the ball for Germany’s best chance of the second half AFP/Getty Images 21/22 Marco Reus - 6/10 Tried his best to create chances all over the pitch but came up against a determined South Korean side Getty Images 22/22 Timo Werner - 5/10 Didn’t find enough good positions as the front-line striker. Often drifted to the left which limited his chances on goal AFP/Getty Images 1/22 Cho Hyun-woo - 8/10 Made several fantastic saves, including a diving save early in the second half to deny Goretzka. A deserved clean sheet for him AFP/Getty Images 2/22 Lee Yong - 7/10 Defended very strongly at right back and got forward to on the break to give South Korea’s attack more options. Ran himself into the ground AFP/Getty Images 3/22 Yun Young-sun - 7/10 Outstanding in defence. Germany kept coming at South Korea and, baring a couple of mistakes, Young-sun held his own against the World Cup holders AFP/Getty Images 4/22 Kim Young-gwon - 8/10 Linked well with Yun Young-Sun in defence to stop Germany’s attacks. Got the goal that knocked out the world champions before Son landed the hammer blow. A class performance AFP/Getty Images 5/22 Chul Hong - 7/10 Was put under immense pressure at left-back as Germany pounded the right side but stood strong and kept a clean sheet Getty Images, 6/22 Lee Jae-sung - 7/10 Led the attack out of Korea’s half when they moved onto the counter. Delivered good balls into Son to give Korea their best chances on goal EPA 7/22 Jang Hyun-soo - 6/10 Quick on the counter attack and broke free regularly in the second half. Didn't provide enough service to Son, though AFP/Getty Images 8/22 Jung Woo-young - 7/10 Had a good free kick saved by Neuer. Attacked well on the counter in the second half EPA 9/22 Moon Seon-min - 7/10 Worked like a racehorse down the left, sprinting back and forth all day. His only negative was holding onto the ball too long near Germany's goal AFP/Getty Images 10/22 Son Heung-Min - 7/10 Advanced forward when on the break and created a few half chances. Picked up a yellow card in the second half for diving but finally got his goal in the 96th minute REUTERS 11/22 Koo Ja-cheol - 6/10 Struggled with an injury so couldn’t make enough of his possession when he got into the box AP 12/22 Manuel Neuer - 6/10 Made an error in the first half that almost let Son Heung-Min score the opener, but he recovered well to punch it clear AFP/Getty Images 13/22 Joshua Kimmich - 6/10 He wasn’t challenged a great deal at the back but gave Germany options going forward, including a loopy cross in the second half to set up Goretzka AFP/Getty Images 14/22 Niklas Sule - 6/10 Made some quality passes from the back to launch a rather sluggish German side into attacking positions. Had a 98 per cent pass completion rate in the first half REUTERS 15/22 Mats Hummels - 6/10 Stormed forward in the second half to try and rescue his team, but to no avail. Germany's defence came undone in those chaotic final minutes AFP/Getty Images 16/22 Jonas Hector - 6/10 Went forward with serious gusto and more often than not found himself in front of goal. But that was about it from the player AFP/Getty Images 17/22 Sami Khedira - 6/10 Sluggish in midfield. Saw plenty of the ball but was unable to break down the South Korean defence AFP/Getty Images 18/22 Toni Kroos - 6/10 Didn’t play well enough today. Created some chances for his side but was lacking in urgency and desire Getty Images 19/22 Leon Goretzka - 5/10 Had one of Germany’s best chances in the second half; should have directed his header better but forced Cho into the save AFP/Getty Images 20/22 Mesut Ozil - 5/10 A poor performance. He was slow in midfield while a number of his passes missed their target by some way. He did, however, deliver the ball for Germany’s best chance of the second half AFP/Getty Images 21/22 Marco Reus - 6/10 Tried his best to create chances all over the pitch but came up against a determined South Korean side Getty Images 22/22 Timo Werner - 5/10 Didn’t find enough good positions as the front-line striker. Often drifted to the left which limited his chances on goal AFP/Getty Images
Marco Reus said even after that game that he was being rested for “more important” matches, while Germany were almost recklessly attacking, pushing forward from full-back on both flanks, leaving only Sami Khedira to protect the defence. The chaotic nature of that defeat led to a major rethink, such that only Mathias Ginter of the 20 outfield players in the squad remained unused.
“Because of a number of bans and injuries we had to make some changes to the line-up,” he said, “and back in 2014 that was the case as well. A team will only begin to gel in the later stages, so it makes sense to bring players in and take others out. It was not just Mesut Ozil today who was not displaying the performance he usually would. In that sense I bear responsibility and I stand up to that.”
Low signed a contract extension in May to extend his time in charge of the national side form 2006, when he replaced Jurgen Klinsmann, to 2022, but he acknowledged he is considering his future. “It is too early for me to answer that question," he said. "We need a couple of hours to see things clearly. The disappointment is deep inside me. I couldn't imagine that we would lose to South Korea. I’m shocked because we didn’t pull it off today. It was my impression I spoke to the team that they were under pressure and they wanted to move ahead. It’s premature for me to say something, I’m incredibly disappointed. Where we go from here… we will have to take some time and talk about it calmly.”
If he does leave, Low is certain he is leaving German football in a healthy position, denying a suggestion that “dark times” lie ahead. “Until quite recently we were probably the most constant in terms of performance in past 10, 12 years. We were always in the final four for a long period including the 2014 and 2017 wins in the World Cup and the Confederations Cup. This is a case of absolute sadness and disappointment. We have young players who are very talented and still have the potential to go forward. This has happened to other nations before. We just have to draw the right conclusions.”
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This, then, is how the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper. There are certain events so apocalyptic that it feels they cannot just happen. They should be signalled beneath thunderous skies as owls catch falcons and horses turn and eat themselves. At the very least there should be a sense of fury, of thwarted effort, of energies exhausted. And yet Germany went out of the World Cup in the first round for the first time in 80 years on a pleasantly sunny afternoon with barely a flicker of resistance. There was no Sturm. There was no Drang.
This was not the Germany we are used to – I feel completely empty | Thomas Hitzlsperger Read more
Germany had come to this World Cup not merely as defending champions but also as winners of the last summer’s Confederations Cup – with what was in effect a second string. The overhaul of their academy system was the envy of the world, talent production on an industrial scale. And yet, called upon to score a goal against a disappointing South Korea side who had already lost to Sweden and Mexico, that had lost in qualifying to Qatar and China, they struggled to create a chance.
Play Video 0:37 German fans react as champions are knocked out of World Cup – video
In the end it was VAR that undid them, Kim Young-gwon’s shot that had initially been ruled out for offside given as a goal when it was realised the ball had been played to him by Toni Kroos. And then, even after that, there was a beautiful farce of a goal, Manuel Neuer caught in possession miles upfield as Son Heung-min chased on to Ju Se-jong’s long ball and rolled the ball into an empty net. It was as though football itself was having its joke, the sweeper-keeper who had been such an asset four years ago turned into a liability.
Germany are the fourth of the last five world champions to go out in the group phase but this was as limp a defence as any side had managed. There was no defining defeat, as Spain had suffered to the Netherlands, just a whole load of baffling mundanity. There was a chance, three minutes from time, to steal a goal as they had stolen a late winner against Sweden in the second game but, presented with a free header eight yards out, Mats Hummels somehow misjudged his effort to the extent that the ball looped wide off his shoulder.
Jogi Löw, the Germany coach, had acknowledged that while the Sweden game was an improvement, his side had still had problems in defensive transition, too often leaving the two central defenders exposed. His solution was to bring Leon Goretzka on to the right of the 4-2-3-1, while restoring Mesut Özil and Sami Khedira, who had both been left out of the win over the Swedes.
It gives some indication of the difficulties Germany have had that only three outfielders started all three games. Thomas Müller, who has been struggling for form for a couple of years, was one of the latest sacrifices, the first time he had been left out of a tournament game by Germany since the semi-final of Euro 2012.
Neuer has also started all three games despite not having played for Bayern since September, when he fractured a bone in a foot. He has not been his usual assured self either and 19 minutes in, he fumbled a free-kick from Jung Woo-Young before recovering to fist the ball away as Son closed in. To blame him would be absurd, but equally he is clearly far from his best, and in retrospect forcing him back ahead of Marc-André ter-Stegen was perhaps an error.
But he was not the only one. Neuer’s uncertainty is part of a far greater whole. The German machine was gummed up here; there was no fluency and little cohesion going forward. Perhaps the aim was simply to deny South Korea the counterattacking chances granted to Mexico and Sweden and in that at least, the gameplan was a success. The gegenpressing was more efficient, but then the opponent was weaker, and there was significant cost in terms of attacking threat.
Play Video 1:04 South Korea and Mexico fans celebrate after Germany's World Cup exit – video
Not until Goretzka met a Joshua Kimmich cross with a flicked header three minutes into the second half was there a real sense of German threat. Cho Hyun-woo, though, leapt to his right to claw the ball away. The Daegu FC keeper came into the tournament as third choice before being surprisingly selected for the opening game because he is the tallest of the three keepers and the coach, Shin Tae-yong, was obsessed by Sweden’s height. Cho then gained a cult status in South Korea, where his extravagant ginger bouffant has earned him the nickname “Dae-hair”, taking the Korean word for “great” to create a pun on De Gea.
Timo Werner volleyed wide soon after but that was a rare spasm of pressure. With news coming through that Sweden had scored and that Germany therefore needed to score, Löw threw on Mario Gomez and then Müller. Immediately those issues in defending against the counter returned and a more incisive side than South Korea would have taken advantage. It could, in truth, have been much worse, and over much sooner. But for Kroos’s brilliant late goal against Sweden, it would have been over a game ago.
In Brazil four years ago Germany struggled to get the balance right between attack and defence until the quarter-final. This time they never quite did and so, inevitably, unresisted, twilight fell upon the gods.
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South Korea v Germany player ratings South Korea v Germany player ratings
No one could accuse Italy in 1982 of starting the World Cup with brio nor Spain in 2010 and most eventual winners have suffered some extraordinarily knife-edge moments on their way to victory. None, however, have looked as cooked after 180 minutes of football plus an extra four of added time on Saturday night as Germany. Down to 10 men against Sweden after Jerome Boateng's overdue red card, Toni Kroos hauled them off the canvas and threw a divine roundhouse that unexpectedly won the game and kept their hopes of a defence alive.
That moment of class doesn't obliterate all that preceded it but in truth, while attack, midfield and defence have oscillated between flakiness, sterility and occasional inspiration, enough signs of the latter (including Julian Brandt's woodwork rattling power that needs only a minor recalibration to be effective) give them a puncher's chance. We have had enough evidence over the years - USA 94, France 98, Euro 2000, Euro 2004 - that the old cliche about never writing off the Germans is the most blatant halfwittery. When they look bad, they sometines, but not always, are bad.
We will find out today whether Joachim Löw has been able to instil any coherence into the general play that makes them a proper threat as a team rather than relying so heavily on Kroos. As for South Korea, one would hope that they could channel the level of commitment that Alex Ferguson once called 'obscene' when already relegated West Ham spitefully hobbled Manchester United in the title race.
They had their moments against Mexico, unsettling the defence and should have managed a draw against Sweden. Son Heung-min has the kind of relentless play, and Bundesliga experinece, to know how to cow Germany's brittle defence. But they are going to need spirit, ambition and a clinical ruthlessness that has been all too absent to knock the champions out and give themselves the slimmest hope of going through.
