The nature of the defeat proved particularly shocking. Germany had never lost in a World Cup penalty shootout before, but that spotless record was dramatically shattered by the South American team. The South Americans defended resolutely for 120 minutes, with Jose Canale converting the decisive spot-kick in sudden death after Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade and Jonathan Tarr all missed from 12 yards out. The result is widely expected to spell the end for coach Julian Nagelsmann, who has already faced hostility from many supporters and the media.
Calls for his departure are now at a fever pitch after what has become one of the darkest days in German football history. Bild newspaper declared that Germany “performed really badly for most of the game. Slow. Boring. Lethargic. This is another German football nightmare!”
Der Spiegel described this as “the decline of a once great soccer nation” and pointed out that “Nagelsmann’s name is also attached to Germany’s failure at the World Cup.”
Sky Sports Germany reported that Nagelsmann’s team “lacked everything: speed, ideas, breakthrough ability and chances” in the opening game. A number of Arsenal’s “established players”, including Havertz, faced criticism, while the team was labeled as a “failed generation”.
Nagelsmann once again faced the brunt of the backlash, with the report stating: “However bitter it may be, the outcome is not surprising. Things therefore cannot continue as they are.”
A poll on the Sky Sports Germany website found that 93% of respondents want Nagelsmann, who is under contract until 2028, to be shown the door.
Bild has made no secret that it has named Jurgen Klopp as his successor. Following Nagelsmann’s failure to do so, the paper praised the former Liverpool manager as “uniquely qualified to save German football,” before mercilessly adding, “On the contrary, he has run headlong into a wall.”
The international press was equally unrelenting. Spain’s Marca newspaper declared, “Germany is no longer Germany. Missing out on the group stage for the second consecutive World Cup is an unprecedented feat.”
“On the third try, they succeeded. But they didn’t go any further. Paraguay sent them home in the first round on penalties. In previous World Cups, the Germans never failed with this discipline. Germany is not what it used to be.”
The Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport wrote: “What a huge failure for Germany!” Meanwhile, Mexican publication Est added: “The German myth is over!”
