Despite Yashoda the elephant predicting a win for Germany, Die Mannschaft dropped out of the European Championships on Tuesday evening.
Germany has crashed out of the European Championships after a hard-fought 2-0 defeat to England in the round of 16. The two teams frustratingly searched for an opening goal for 75 minutes, before Raheem Sterling stroked in a low cross from English full-back Luke Shaw. England’s win was finally secured when Harry Kane scored his first goal of the tournament, heading home Jack Grealish's inch-perfect cross.
Germany’s performance was somewhat lacklustre, with the team creating chances but just being unable to finish them. England’s goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, made two crucial saves to deny Timo Werner and Kai Havertz on either side of halftime. Thomas Muller also missed a glorious chance to equalise, breaking free of the English defence but ultimately placing his shot just wide of the post.
Despite Germany being knocked out, there is plenty to be hopeful for in the coming tournaments. While there were some frustrating performances during this tournament, there were certainly flashes of brilliance, namely Germany’s performance against Portugal, and the team certainly performed better than their World Cup 2018 run.
The German media reacted with frustration to the result, with Süddeutsche Zeitung perfectly encapsulating the thoughts of the German population: “Germany’s last match in the competition left us with the feeling that with a little bit more courage, determination and toughness, there could have been more.”
This tournament marks the last time Joachim Löw will lead Die Mannschaft into an international tournament, with Hansi Flick taking over the reins. And while this result, coupled with the disappointment from the last World Cup, makes for a rather unceremonious send-off, Löw can undoubtedly be proud of what he achieved in his 15 years as Germany’s head coach, having won the World Cup in 2014 and the Confederations Cup in 2017.