After Argentina's loss yesterday, it was Germany's turn to fall to Japan 1 - 2 (first half 1 - 0) in a match held this afternoon at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, as part of Group E in the 22nd FIFA World Cup, hosted by Qatar until December 18. The four-time world champion German team failed to avoid a poor start similar to their performance in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where they lost to Mexico 0 - 1 and were eliminated in the group stage after a defeat against the Asian team South Korea, 2 - 0.
It can be said that "Die Mannschaft" faced a tough match and could not escape "severe consequences," as they risk elimination from the tournament on Sunday if they lose to Spain. Meanwhile, the Japanese delivered a strong performance, relying on quick counter-attacks and completely shutting down their area against German attempts. They repeated Saudi Arabia's experience from yesterday with a well-deserved win after a solid effort throughout the match, especially in the second half.
In the 30th minute, Japanese goalkeeper Shūichi Gonda fouled German Leipzig defender David Raum in the box, resulting in a penalty awarded by Salvadoran referee Iván Cisternos, successfully converted by Manchester City player İlkay Gündoğan, opening the scoring for Germany. In stoppage time of the first half, the referee disallowed a goal scored by Chelsea forward Kai Havertz for offside according to VAR.
In the 59th minute, Gündoğan's low shot struck the left post and went out. The Japanese goalkeeper shone in the 70th minute, saving three attempts in quick succession from a coordinated German attack, the most dangerous being towards Kai Havertz. The Japanese responded with a well-planned attack in the 73rd minute that required an intervention from goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to prevent the German net from shaking.
However, hope for Japan came in the 76th minute via German Freiburg defender Ritsu Doan, who successfully followed up on a rebound from Neuer’s save, scoring the equalizer for the "Samurai Blue" from close range. In the 83rd minute, Bochum forward Takuma Asano surged from midfield following a Japanese counter-attack, penetrating the German area and scoring the Japanese lead from a narrow angle against Neuer.
