Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2 but it wasn’t enough to put them through as Spain lost to Japan 2-1. The defeat for Germany saw them knocked out of the World Cup, ending their hopes of lifting the trophy this year. Spain took the lead in the first half, but a goal by Ritsu Doan in the 48th Minute saw Japan equalized in the second half and then scored a winner in the 51st minute to secure their passage into the next round.
The second goal by Japan’s Ao Tanaka was controversial and will have many talking whether the ball had actually gone out of play in the buildup as VAR seemed to show that Kaoru Mitoma’s assist for the goal may have been after the ball had gone out of play. Spain players and staff could be seen protesting that goal which ultimately saw them knocked out of the tournament.
For Germany, it is a bitter end to their World Cup campaign as they had looked strong and where one of the teams tipped by some to win the tournament.
This leaves the door open as to who is likely to lift the world cup as favorites Argentina where shaken by Saudi Arabia and France lost to Tunisia yesterday.
The result was a shock for both sides, as Germany were favourites to progress and Spain were expected to make it through easily.
For Japan, meanwhile, it was a sensational victory that will go down in history and their victory over Spain will be remembered for years to come also considering the fact that Japan’s win against Germany earlier helped seal the Germans fate.
Today’s games see Spain and Japan through the round of 16, joining France, Brazil, USA, England, Portugal and Argentina who have already secured their places.
