Germany were knocked out of the World Cup for the second time in succession at the group stage despite a 4-2 victory against Costa Rica on Thursday.
Following a shock defeat to Japan and a scrappy draw against Spain, the four-time world champions knew only victory at Qatar’s Al Bayt Stadium – and failure by Japan to beat Spain in Group E’s other fixture – would keep their dreams alive.
But although Germany came from behind to win, with Chelsea’s Kai Havertz scoring a quickfire double, Japan’s 2-1 comeback victory against Spain saw Hansi Flick’s side heading for the exit.
Costa Rica finished bottom of the group, with Japan and Spain booking their spots in the next round.
Germany’s night started in encouraging fashion when Serge Gnabry made the back of the net ripple after just 10 minutes.
David Raum was the creator on Germany’s left-hand side, and his cross was expertly steered into the far corner by Gnabry.
Germany were dominant and Leon Goretzka almost scored at the back post only for his header to be turned away by Keylor Navas, before the impressive Jamal Musiala masterfully tip-toed his way into the Costa Rica area but pushed his effort wide.
Despite being in complete control, Germany had Manuel Neuer – making his 19th outing at the World Cup to become the goalkeeper with the most appearances in the history of the competition – to thank for keeping them ahead at the interval.
Raum and Antonio Rudiger failed to deal with a long ball, allowing Keysher Fuller through, but his blast on goal was brilliantly palmed over by the veteran German stopper.
At half-time – and with Spain 1-0 up following Alvaro Morata’s strike – Germany were on course for a last-16 tie against Morocco. But that dramatically changed within minutes of the restart when Ritsu Doan and Ao Tanaka fired Japan into the lead.
It would get worse for the Germans when Yeltsin Tejeda scored his first international goal after 57 minutes to draw Costa Rica level.
In a frenetic response, Germany hit Navas’ left-hand post on three occasions – twice by Musiala and also by Rudiger – before Costa Rica did the unthinkable and scored a second.
Juan Pablo Vargas bundled the ball home from a free-kick to send Costa Rica wild and on the verge of following Japan into the knockout stages, with Spain joining Germany in departing the competition.
But a topsy-turvy night took another twist when substitute Havertz hauled Germany level after he converted Niclas Fullkrug’s cross three minutes later.
And then, with five minutes remaining, Havertz had his second, turning home Gnabry’s pass to restore Germany’s lead.
Fullkrug then survived a VAR check to net his side’s fourth before 10 minutes of stoppage time ensued, with Germany hoping Spain could rescue a late equaliser against Japan – a result which would see them progress.
But Japan held on to seal a famous win against Spain and send Germany out of the World Cup – four years after they fell at the first hurdle as defending champions in Russia – on a dark night for one of the world’s great football superpowers.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Itcan profile
Founders: Mansour Althani and Abdullah Althani
Based: Business Bay, with offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India
Sector: Technology, digital marketing and e-commerce
Size: 70 employees
Revenue: On track to make Dh100 million in revenue this year since its 2015 launch
Funding: Self-funded to date
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Scores
Wales 74-24 Tonga
England 35-15 Japan
Italy 7-26 Australia
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
Red Joan
Director: Trevor Nunn
Starring: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova
Rating: 3/5 stars
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Palestine and Israel - live updates
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
