Costa Rica vs Germany LIVE: World Cup 2022 result and reaction as Germany win but go out

A thrilling night of World Cup action saw Japan stun Spain and eliminate Germany from Qatar.

Hansi Flick’s side were third in Group E on goal difference behind La Furia Roja, thanks to the 7-0 win over Costa Rica. But Spain were almost out of the tournament themselves when Los Ticos took the lead.

There was great controversy surrounding Ao Tanaka’s goal and whether the ball was out of play, but now Japan book a date with Croatia, and Spain are left to take on Morocco in the last 16.

Here is a timeline of how the night unfolded and the dramatic rise and fall of each side as Group E was shaken up:

Newspapers in Germany have reacted to the national team’s ‘embarrassing’ group-stage exit from the World Cup – the side’s second in as many world championships.

Germany are four-time World Cup winners but have followed their most recent triumph, in 2014, with back-to-back exits in the first round.

After steering the team to the trophy in 2014, coach Joachim Low oversaw their group-stage elimination in Russia, where his side finished bottom of their group after losing to Mexico and South Korea – either side of a victory over Sweden. And Low’s successor, Hansi Flick, saw his team suffer the same fate in Qatar on Thursday (1 November), as their 4-2 win against Costa Rica proved insufficient to send them into the last 16.

Having opened their account in Qatar with a shock 2-1 defeat by Japan, Germany bounced back to draw 1-1 with Spain, who had thrashed Costa Rica 7-0 in their tournament opener. But the final Group E matchday saw Japan stun Spain 2-1 to top the pool, as the Germans were eliminated in third place – behind the Spanish on goal difference.

“How embarrassing! We’re out!” read a headline by German tabloid Bild on Thursday night.

It is one of the regular moments of harsh reality that takes you out of the illusion that is this World Cup. As the taxi driver drops the group off, there is a sudden plea. It is not for a five-star rating.

“Can you give me a tip please?”, he asks. “I have no money to eat.”

The driver, of south Asian descent, sends almost everything he earns back to his family. This is supposed to be the long-awaited period when such workers can generate income due to the number of visitors to Qatar but here is another who is just starving.

Anyone who has been in Doha for the first week of this World Cup would have had many similar stories pass in front of their eyes. The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre said on Sunday that there had been six cases of migrant worker abuse reported in that time alone.

Thomas Muller has described Germany’s World Cup exit as ‘an absolute catastrophe’ whilst doing his post match media duties.

“It is unbelievably bitter for us because our result would have been enough,” Muller added. “It’s a feeling of powerlessness.”

This is becoming a habit. The great achievers have become the great underachievers, the Turniermannschaft, the ultimate tournament team, the side who leave tournaments early, ignominiously, embarrassingly. Germany have stopped being Germany and the footballing world has lost one of its constants. Few victories have brought less pleasure to the four-time World Cup winners. This was not bittersweet because, despite Jamal Musiala’s brilliance, Kai Havertz’s brace and the latest example of Niclas Fullkrug’s power as an impact substitute, there was nothing sweet about it for Germany. Not when they are accustomed to so much more.

Their fate was in effect sealed before Stephanie Frappart, the first woman to referee a game at the men’s World Cup, blew the final whistle. It was clinched by two Japanese comebacks, the two goals in eight minutes they scored against Germany and the two in three they got against Spain. It left Germany needing five goals in the last five minutes of added time against Costa Rica.

And even on a credibility-defying night of sometimes illogical drama at the Al Bayt, that wasn’t quite possible. Instead a thrashing proved decisive: The third result that ultimately eliminated Germany was Spain’s 7-0 win over Costa Rica. As they finished level on points with Luis Enrique’s side, it meant they needed a similarly sizeable scoreline. And while they had the chances, their frailty was part of the problem. They conceded twice in 12 minutes. Somehow, they trailed in a game they dominated. The team who used to bring order to proceedings now experienced chaos.

Germany have failed to get past the group stage at each of the last two World Cups, after they had made it past the first round in each of the previous 16 tournaments since 1954.

The ultimate lost cause, a win of historic proportions. A game of literal inches, a night of monumental drama. One former World Cup winner is out. Another no longer look like potential champions. Japan, against that, have emerged as one of the stories and revelations of this tournament.

Kaoru Mitoma’s heroic chasing of a ball that seemed certain to go out of play saw Ao Tanaka score a goal for the ages on another night that will reverberate through football history. It didn’t just mean Japan did to Spain what they did to Germany with another 2-1 comeback. It meant they finished ahead of both in the group to subject Germany to the humiliation of elimination and Spain to the embarrassment of finishing second after having almost everything their own way.

They now look flawed and vulnerable rather than imperious and victorious, as well as pathetically dependent on a German favour.

Germany are out of the World Cup.

The 2022 World Cup is in full swing as 32 nations began on 20 November aiming to lift the Jules Rimet trophy in Doha on 18 December.

The tournament is the first Fifa men’s World Cup to play out in the northern hemisphere’s winter, after it was moved from its original summer scheduling to combat Qatar’s intense heat.

Brazil came into tournament as the slight favourites to win the World Cup ahead of their South American rivals Argentina. The most fancied European nations at the start of the competition were England, Spain, France and Germany, with Belgium and Netherlands also considered dark horses. As the African champions, Senegal were considered Africa’s best hope of delivering a first World Cup for the continent.

The tournament has not been without controversy, from the mid-season scheduling which has seen a raft of injuries in the lead-up to kick-off, to the broader picture of Qatar’s exploitation of migrant workers in order to build the stadiums and infrastructure required to host the four-week event. Fifa president Gianni Infantino only added fuel to the fire when he gave his extraordinary pre-tournament speech, and what has followed has been vigorous debate around showing support for LGBTQ+ rights in a conservative Islamic country where homosexuality is illegal.

Despite the off-field issues, the players on the pitch have still served up an entertaining tournament, with goals, shocks, twists and turns.

Here are the results so far at World Cup 2022: