Thomas Muller says Germany's World Cup exit after beating Costa Rica 'unbelievably bitter'
Germans won their final Group E match 4-2 but Spain advance as runners-up despite losing to Japan
Germany's Kai Havertz and Niclas Fullkrug after the 4-2 Group E win against Costa Rica at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor on December 1, 2022. Despite the result, Germany have been knocked out of the World Cup, along with Costa Rica. EP
Niclas Fullkrug scores Germany's fourth goal past Keylor Navas. Getty
Germany's Kai Havertz celebrates scoring their third goal with Niclas Fullkrug. Reuters
Germany defender Antonio Rudiger looks dejected after their elimination. Getty
Jamal Musiala at the end of the game. EPA
Niclas Fullkrug as Germany are knocked out despite the win. EPA
Germany's Thomas Muller with Kai Havertz as defender Antonio Rudiger watches. AFP
Kai Havertz scores Germany's third goal. PA
Kai Havertz celebrates Germany's third goal. Getty
Germany's Kai Havertz celebrates after scoring their second goal. Getty
Kendall Waston of Costa Rica clashes with Kai Havertz after Germany's second goal. Getty
Costa Rica's Juan Pablo Vargas scores their second goal. PA
Juan Pablo Vargas celebrates with teammates after scoring. Getty
Costa Rica's Yeltsin Tejeda celebrates after scoring. Getty
Costa Rica's Yeltsin Tejeda levels at 1-1 with Germany. Getty
Yeltsin Tejeda of Costa Rica celebrates after scoring. Getty
Germany's Serge Gnabry scores the first goal against Costa Rica. Getty
Serge Gnabry celebrates with Thomas Muller after scoring. EPA
Serge Gnabry scores the opening goal against Costa Rica. EPA
Thomas Muller described Germany's second successive first-round exit from the World Cup as an "absolute catastrophe" while teammate Kai Havertz likened it to "watching a horror movie".
Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2 on Thursday while Spain's defeat to Japan left both Spain and Germany on four points but saw the Spaniards advance to the last 16 on goal difference.
Muller was part of the 2014 World Cup-winning team and was also in the side that was eliminated at the same stage four years ago in Russia.
Havertz said the fact Germany only discovered their fate Thursday when the result of the game between Japan and Spain was displayed on the stadium's big screen made it even more difficult.
"When it happens this way, it feels like watching a horror movie," said Havertz, who scored two goals against Costa Rica after coming off the bench.
"We learned during the match that Japan were leading, and then the group standings were displayed in the stadium. We still had a little hope that Spain would score.
"But then we noticed that the Japan match was over."
Player ratings
COSTA RICA RATINGS: Keylor Navas – 6. Costa Rica’s main man made some key saves to give his side a fighting chance of advancing into the knockouts. A performance to be proud of despite letting in the four goals. AFP
Bryan Oviedo – 4. Struggled to go forward due to Germany’s press, especially in the first half. At the back, he made some important tackles, but it wasn’t enough to keep Germany out. AP Photo
Juan Pablo Vargas – 5. Not his most memorable night defensively. However, he enjoyed five minutes in the spotlight as he momentarily put Costa Rica in the lead after tapping in from close range. Reuters
Kendall Waston – 4. Could have used his physicality better to prevent some of the opposition’s goals. At the other end, he played a major part in his side going 2-1 ahead by heading the ball across the box for Vargas to tap home. AP Photo
Óscar Duarte – 4. Worked hard in the first half to stop the wave of German attacks. However, gaps started to appear defensively as the game went on with his side in desperate need of goals. Getty Images
Keysher Fuller – 5. Had a fantastic chance to get on the scoresheet after latching on to a mistake from Raum, but it was well saved by Neuer. AP Photo
Brandon Aguilera – 5. Didn’t see enough of the ball to impact the game due to the constant German pressure in the first period. Dropped deep to provide effective defensive cover before his half-time departure. AFP
Celso Borges – 5. It became apparent early on that Borges and his side would be losing the midfield battle. He pressed hard to give the opposition as little time as possible on the ball, which caused the game to open up in the second half. EPA
Yeltsin Tejeda – 6. Great movement and fast reactions to equalise for his side after Neuer spilled an attempt on goal. Other than that, found it difficult to have an impact in the midfield. Reuters
Joel Campbell – 6. Certainly looked the brightest out of the Costa Rica attackers, especially in the second half, where they saw much more of the ball. Was often left isolated when trying to spark an attack. AFP
SUBS: Youstin Salas (Brandon Aguilera, 45) – 6. Slotted nicely into the midfield with his side seeing much more of the ball after the substitution was made. AFP
Ronald Matarrita (Johan Venegas, 74) – N/A. Was introduced when Germany were in the ascendance, but did look bright on the left wing as he tried to keep his side in the competition. EPA
Jewison Bennette (Keysher Fuller,74) – N/A. Had a good chance to pull it back for his side late on but his effort was well saved. Other than that, didn’t arrive early enough to properly settle into the game. AP Photo
Anthony Contreras (Bryan Oviedo 90+3) – N/A. His arrival came too late to get into the game, even despite the 10 minutes of added time. AP Photo
Roan Wilson (Yeltsin Tejeda, 90+3) – N/A. The young midfielder was the last roll of the dice from the losing side. AFP
GERMANY RATINGS: Manuel Neuer – 7. Will not be happy about his spillage in the second half which saw Tejeda make it all square. Other than that, an impressive performance from the experienced keeper who made some vital saves whilst Costa Rica had momentum. Reuters
David Raum – 8. Assisted Gnabry’s header with a well-hit cross. Continued to go forward down the left side and provide threatening deliveries which his teammates failed to take advantage of. AFP
Antonio Rüdiger – 6. After what was a very quiet first half for the German defence, the Real Madrid defender made some key interventions to secure the victory. Getty Images
Niklas Süle – 6. Had little to do in the first half and made a few mistakes in the second as he struggled to deal with Costa Rica’s counter-attacking ability. Getty Images
Joshua Kimmich – 7. Did well in the first half to cover what was not his natural position. Moved to central midfield in the second half and provided some much-needed variety. AFP
Leon Goretzka – 7. His physicality in the middle of the park played a vital part in his side’s first-half dominance. Was brought off at half time in what appeared to be a tactical switch from Hansi Flick. AFP
İlkay Gündoğan – 6. Saw plenty of the ball in the first half but struggled to get through Costa Rica’s low block before being subbed off at half time. Getty Images
Leroy Sané – 7. Gnabry hogged the limelight, but Sane’s performance included an assist for Germany’s fourth goal. Getty Images
Jamal Musiala – 7. Displayed his dribbling ability in fine fashion, which caused constant headaches for Costa Rica. However, he lacked an end product in front of goal. AFP
Serge Gnabry – 9. Did well to break the deadlock in the first half with an impressive header. Looked a bright spark cutting in from the wing and caused constant danger to the opposition defence, which was topped off by assisting his side’s third goal. EPA
Thomas Müller – 6. Had one big chance in the second half but other than that was rationed to half chances. Disappointing night for the veteran forward in what could be his final World Cup. Getty Images
SUBS: Lukas Klostermann (Leon Goretzka, 45) – 7. Improved his side from the get-go by slotting into his natural right-back position, meaning Kimmich could shift into midfield. AFP
Niclas Füllkrug (İlkay Gündoğan, 54) – 8. Not only did he provide physicality in attack, he also topped off his cameo with a goal and assist. Getty Images
Kai Havertz (Thomas Müller, 67) – 9. Made an instant impact off the bench by bagging an important brace to get his side a victory. However, it wasn’t enough. AP Photo
Mario Götze (David Raum, 67) – 6. The 2014 World Cup final goalscorer didn’t really impact the game as he would have hoped, although he did help secure the victory. Getty Images
Matthias Ginter (Niklas Süle, 90+3) – N/A. Came on in the dying moments of the match. Provided some fresh legs in the defence to secure the win. AFP
Havertz blamed the team's performance against Japan for their elimination and hinted that all was not well in German football.
"When you go out twice in the first round and once in the round of 16, it's extremely bitter," he said, the latter a reference to Germany's second-round exit to England at Euro 2020.
"We have to be honest and say that for four years, everything hasn't been going well.
"Now we've been knocked out twice in the group stage. I don't think we're a tournament team anymore."
Coach Hansi Flick, who is under contract until Euro 2024 which will be held in Germany, said he had no plans to step down but admitted "it won't be up to me".
"From my side, there is no reason not to continue," he added. "I enjoy it, we have good players coming through."