SANTA MONICA — It has been the biggest upset of the 2018 FIFA World Cup as the once winless South claimed its first win against the Germans, an embarrassing result for the 2014 World Champions. South Korea defeated Germany 2-0 Wednesday morning, eliminating the Germans from the World Cup.
It was heartbreaking results for Germany. The reigning World Cup champions watched their chances slip past in the final minutes of the game. With six minutes of added time, South Korea took full advantage of it. In the 92nd minute, Kim Young-gwon rebounded a deflected shot and chipped it over German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. German pushed everyone forward in effort to get the last minute goal, but Four minutes later, Neuer turned over the ball, allowing Korea to long ball it to a waiting forward who nudged the ball into the wide open goal.
Despite South Korea’s two goals, Germany controlled the game. The Germans claimed nearly 80 percent of the possession which lead to its huge number of shots on the night. The reigning championships went 6 for 28 but could never find a way to get the ball in the goal.
You couldn’t tell this was a must-win game for Germany by its performance Wednesday. The Germans produced a sloppy performance in the first half. While they spent a large amount of time on the South Korean half, Germany sat on the ball, creating few opportunities. While it managed to get a few great shots off, the Germans had recorded only four shots with only one on target after 36 minutes, matching South Korea’s shooting stats. It was the first time since 1986, Germany headed to the locker room without the lead in the a World Cup group stage match.
South Korea was also knocked out of the cup. Mexico and Sweden move on to the round of 16, leading Group F with six points each.
