The world champions suffered a shock early exit after being beaten by South Korea in Kazan, but they deserved nothing more than utter embarrassment
It turns out the disaster was just delayed rather than avoided. Instead, things were about to get worse than they could ever have imagined.
Toni Kroos’ 95th-minute winner against Sweden on Saturday looked to have given Germany a World Cup lifeline, but their pathetic performance in the 2-0 loss to South Korea on Wednesday ensured that they were eliminated from the World Cup at the group stage for the first time in 80 years.