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And so Germany are also out of Euro 2020. Die Mannschaft have become the final team from the much-touted group of death to suffer elimination at the tournament after losing to England in a high-voltage second-round game.
With France and Portugal having also headed home after losing to Switzerland and Belgium, respectively, Germany were the last torchbearers of Group F.
However, Joachim Low’s side just couldn’t match up to a young, vibrant England team. They were second best for large parts as the Three Lions finally banished their knockout stage demons against the Germans.
In the end, goals from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane – his first of the tournament – were enough to end Germany’s dream of winning the Euros.
Germany capitulate against England
In all honesty, the current German team hasn’t been good enough and it was a bit surprising that they even managed to finish second in Group F.
Against England, though, they were badly exposed. The gulf in quality between the two teams was quite telling right from the blast of the referee’s whistle.
Whereas Gareth Southgate had enough quality on the bench to call on – cue in Jack Grealish the game-changer – Low was stuck with a good starting XI and an average bench.
Grealish’s introduction put England on the front foot and it didn’t take long for Die Mannschaft to implode in the final 15 minutes of the game. Of course, Germany had stints where they were dominant, but overall the Three Lions were just too good on the night.
Low leaving behind a broken team
Low’s tenure as Germany coach hasn’t ended well at all, considering how great he did in his early years. It’s been an eventful decade and a half at the helm, but the last five years have been nothing short of terrible.
This is certainly not the German machine that we’ve known in the past and unfortunately, the 61-year-old won’t have the chance to rectify things, as he’s stepping down after the tournament.
"The disappointment runs very, very deep. I'm sorry that we disappointed our fans and didn't spark the kind of excitement we wanted. I take responsibility for our elimination, no ifs or buts," Low said after Germany’s exit, as quoted by Sky Sports.
“It's been 15 long years with a lot of wonderful moments and, of course, some disappointments.
“The team and the players have a bright future ahead of them. Good luck to Hansi Flick, I wish him all the best. My heart continues to beat black, red and gold."
For a man who led Germany to at least the semi-final of every tournament from 2008 and 2017, and even winning the 2014 World Cup, it’s sad that it had to end this way.
But the brutal truth is that Die Mannschaft are at their lowest ebb at the moment and Low is leaving behind a broken team that needs a lot of fixing.
Over to you, Hansi Flick.
