A fiasco that shook a footballing powerhouse. German press shows no mercy after World Cup exit

When a footballing powerhouse is stopped by an underdog, the result itself is often not the worst part. Even more painful is the morning after the match, when the headlines of the domestic newspapers begin to appear. This is precisely what the German national team is now experiencing in full.

The tone was set by public broadcasters, who are usually reserved. "The German artists didn't get it at all," was the stinging remark on the Sportschau program on ARD, which spoke of Germany's tragic failure for the third time in a row and even mentioned a new global debacle. ZDF joined in, calling the result another disgrace.

The tabloid press also pulled no punches. "The new nightmare of German football! Slow. Boring. Lethargic," was the assessment of the German national team by journalists from the Bild newspaper.

"When you're eliminated by such an opponent, you have no business being among the world elite," the magazine Spiegel stated uncompromisingly.

"Julian Nagelsmann failed as a coach," wrote the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung, meanwhile, pointed to the gradual decline of the national team and noted that fans have already grown accustomed to elimination in the knockout stages. "But in the round of sixteen? Against Paraguay?" emphasized the Munich newspaper, which views this failure as even more tragic than the one in 2022.

The overall picture is completed by the player ratings. On the German scale, where 1 is the best and 6 is the worst grade, as many as six German footballers received a five.

Deniz Undav, who was preferred over Jamal Musiala in the starting lineup, fared the worst. In the first half, he touched the ball eight times, had a 25 percent passing accuracy, and was subsequently substituted. Only Manuel Neuer and Leroy Sané performed relatively well, which speaks volumes. Coach Julian Nagelsmann also earned a dismal six.

Foreign media also didn't miss the opportunity to take a jab at the Germans. "Nothing is left of Germany," summarized the Madrid newspaper Marca in one sentence.

La Gazzetta dello Sport sufficed with the apt: "German flop!" It should be noted, however, that Italy has not appeared at the World Cup for the third time in a row.

The overall picture of Germany's failure is also completed by the situation when, during the refreshment break, the DJ at the stadium played the song Livin' On A Prayer by Bon Jovi. As ZDF noted, the fans' prayers were not answered.

Yet, just the day before, a thousand German fans celebrated at a Boston Red Sox baseball game during German Celebration Night, where the federation president even threw the first pitch. The morning awakening was all the harder.