Germany exit World Cup for first time after shock draw with South Korea

An early exit of seismic implications; Sajad Imanian/Getty Images

Brisbane, Australia: The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, shaping to be one of the most unpredictable ever, kept its biggest surprise for last as Germany drew 1-1 with South Korea on Thursday at Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane. As a result they fail to progress from the group stage for the very first time, with upstarts Morocco claiming second place in Group H and progressing. 

After the shock 2-1 defeat to Columbia in their previous outing, Germany, ranked 2nd according to FIFA, looked to start on a positive note to solidify their qualification, but it was South Korea, winless in both of their group stages, who drew first blood, the first goal courtesy of Cho So-hyun in the 6th minute. Alexandra Popp's header would bring the tie level just before halftime, but Die Mannschaft would fail to score any further.

"Everybody would have thought that was it when Popp scored, but we kept fighting and kept playing," said South Korea manager Colin Bell. "That was a magnificent performance - one of the best the girls have produced since I've been in charge,"

Heading into the final matchday, it didn't seem that Germany, despite sitting equal in points with Morocco, would need a massive effort to progress through. German midfielder Lena Lattwein emphasised to the media before the match of how important it was "to stay positive", but they seemed to be carrying their rattled self in Brisbane as well, after some quick, short passing set up 16 year-old Casey Phair to take a shot from point-blank range, requiring an reflexive save from Merle Frohms in the first 5 minutes.

Throughout the match, Germany would dominate possession, but lacked quality and composure where it mattered, lost the ball too easily which allowed South Korea to exploit their sparse and unorganised defence on the counter. In the 6th minute, they would try to set up an offside trap, but instead would hand Lee Young-ju to slice them in half with a pass to Cho, her shot leaving Frohms with no answers.

Cho’s goal was the butterfly before the storm; Matt Roberts/Getty Images

Germany would look to shake off some cobwebs and regain some confidence, combining on the left flank and allowing Klara Buhl to slip into a pocket of space, her shot woefully wide in the 12th minute. With the middle of the pitch being occupied by numerous red shirts, any attempt at building through the middle was frustrating Germany, and instead found success on the flanks. The breakthrough came in the 43rd minute, with Popp getting at the end of a textbook cross, her header nestling into the bottom-right corner to make it 1-1.

Some release for Popp as she levels the tie; Elsa/Getty Images

At that point of time, a draw would have been enough for progression, but with Morocco stunning Columbia with a goal and leading right before half time meant that Germany needed a victory as well to avoid a dreaded and unprecedented exit from the group stages.

"During the second half we were informed that we needed to score urgently," said Popp. "After that I think we have shown strong desire, the grit to go for goal but somehow it just didn't want to go there."

The start to the second half saw Germany attempt to claw back some polish in their playmaking, with Popp at the end of some crosses but South Korea were resolute in their defending and seemed to absorb anything that was thrown at them.

Their valiant efforts, however, seemed to be in vain in the 59th minute, as Sara Däbritz’s whipped cross was flicked on stylishly by Lena Schuller to Popp, heading the ball in the back of the net before colliding with some force with Jung-Mi Kim. But German hearts were shattered as VAR had ruled Popp offside in what could've been one of the goals of the tournament so far. Popp's header would smash off the post in another shot at goal just a few minutes later to add to her agony.

Four words made all the difference; Elsa/Getty Images

Desperation would seem to overwhelm the Germans, with their throughballs and crosses all getting read and cleared away by the clusters of South Korean defenders, who weren't willing to relinquish a monumental result. Sydney Lohmann was a late but bright spark in the dying minutes of added time, but her shots from outside the box were tantalisingly off-target. The substitutes on the German bench had their heads in their hands, trying to process what awaited them, and fulltime soon arrived.

"Tears on the pitch" was the headline from German sports publication Bild, as the women in black and white either stood dejectedly and frozen at what had unfolded, while some were inconsolable. 

“We need to take responsibility and it is clear that I have the greatest responsibility,” said Germany’s manager, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. “We have to analyse and draw conclusions. The whole year was not so solid, we will look at that.”

As the news of the elimination of the two-time champions made its way through the airwaves, Morocco burst into ecstasy, with their place in the round of 16 confirmed after their stunning victory over Columbia in Perth. With other heavyweights such as Canada, Brazil and Italy also shown the exit door way before they would've anticipated, the knockout stages are shaping up to be the most exciting ever.