November 23, (THEWILL) – Germany suffered a shocking 2-1 loss to Japan in their World Cup opening tie as Bundesliga stars, Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano, came off the bench to upset the four-time champions.
In a pregame protest against FIFA’s decision to prohibit Manuel Neuer from donning the OneLove armband, Germany made headlines by covering their mouths. And, when the game itself began, Ilkay Gundogan’s first-half penalty gave them hope that they would start Group E off on the right foot.
It did not pan out that way because Kai Havertz’s goal was ruled out at the end of the first half and Hansi Flick’s team missed numerous excellent chances to seal their victory. Freiburg attacker, Doan, made them pay with a rebound 15 minutes from time.
There was one last twist that cost Germany the game as they piled forward to get a winner. Asano raced onto a long pass from Ko Itakura and fired beyond Manuel Neuer to compound pressure on Die Mannschaft before Sunday’s match against Spain.
Following the loss, Germany is currently bottom of Group F, while Japan is the shocking leader for the moment. Even though things can change after the match between Spain and Costa Rica, if the other games are anything like this one, the World Cup is providing fans with a real treat and a really competitive set of matches.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
