At the Khalifa International Stadium, Japan surprised Group E opponent Germany with goals from Bundesliga duo Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano. Thomas Muller called Germany’s shocking World Cup loss to Japan “ridiculous,” but he also conceded that the German team’s awful defense meant they did not deserve to win.
When Ilkay Gundogan scored a penalty kick goal for Germany on Wednesday, it appeared that their Group E campaign would get off to a good start. However, a remarkable comeback from Japan shocked the four-time champions.
In a historic victory for the Samurai Blue, Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano scored after coming off the bench, putting Germany under intense pressure ahead of their match against Spain on Sunday. Speaking to ARD after the game, Muller said: “In terms of feeling, we actually played a good game over long stretches.
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“Of course, a good game in football is also characterized by the fact that you convert the chances and superiority into goals.
“The effectiveness at both ends didn’t match. It’s ridiculous that we are left with a defeat.
“But at the end of the day, when you see what we’re leaving behind us and how we conceded the goals at the end, you would say in football jargon that it’s not an undeserved loss.”
Germany lost their first World Cup game after scoring the first goal, snapping a streak of 25 straight victories after doing so against Bulgaria in the tournament’s quarterfinals in 1994. To avoid another World Cup group stage exit, Hansi Flick’s team must now try to bounce back against Spain.
