Thomas Muller called Germany’s shocking World Cup loss to Japan “ridiculous,” but he also conceded that the German team’s awful defense meant they did not deserve to win.
Following Ilkay Gundogan’s penalty kick on Wednesday, Germany appeared to be off to a good start in Group E. However, the four-time champions were completely taken aback by Japan’s incredible comeback.
In a historic victory for the Samurai Blue, Bundesliga teammates Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano scored after coming off the bench, putting Germany under intense strain ahead of their match against Spain on Sunday.
Germany had only lost their first game in their first 18 World Cup appearances (W13 D4), but they have now done so in back-to-back competitions.
After the reverse, Muller said in a statement to ARD: “In terms of feeling, we actually played a good game over long stretches.
“Of course, a good game in football is also characterised by the fact that you convert the chances and superiority into goals.
“The effectiveness at both ends didn’t match. It’s ridiculous that we are left with a defeat.
“But at the end of the day, when you see what we’re leaving behind us and how we conceded the goals at the end, you would say in football jargon that it’s not an undeserved loss.”
In his own post-game interview, Germany captain Manuel Neuer bemoaned the team’s sluggish start to the second half.
“I’m totally frustrated and upset that we gave up the game,” Neuer said. “That was more than unnecessary. We created a lot of chances to score, so luck and bad luck go hand in hand.
“The imperative that we wanted to score the second goal was perhaps missing and we brought Japan back into the game.
“After the break, we didn’t have that flow of play any more, didn’t play with the self-confidence we had in the first half.
“It was a bit more difficult because they started higher, but we still have to play well.”
Germany lost their first World Cup game after scoring the first goal, snapping a streak of 25 straight victories after doing so against Bulgaria in the tournament’s quarterfinals in 1994.
To prevent another World Cup group stage exit, Hansi Flick’s team must now try to bounce back against Luis Enrique’s team the following time out.
