KAZAN, Russia – Everyone was waiting for Germany to score another late World Cup-saving goal.
It never came.
Instead, the Germans became the fourth reigning champions in the past five tournaments to be eliminated in the opening round. Germany’s exit came after a 2-0 loss Wednesday to South Korea in their Group F finale.
The four-time champions of soccer’s quadrennial showcase allowed a pair of goals in stoppage time – all while knowing a 1-0 victory would have been enough to advance because of the result in the other F finale, in which Sweden beat Mexico 3-0 to win the group.
“It’s very, very hard to put it into words,” said Germany defender Mats Hummels, a member of the team that won in Brazil four years ago. “We believed until the end today. Even when it was 0-1, I think we kept trying to turn it all around.”