Japan and Spain pass, Germany fall

Japan beat Spain 2-1 on Thursday to finish first in Group E.

Before the start of this World Cup, all pundits agreed that Spain and Germany were the clear favorites to finish atop Group E. In the end, it was Japan who prevailed over their rivals.

Although the Germany won their last game of the group stage by a score of 4-2 against Costa Rica, the Mannschaft were unable to qualify for the round of 16. Japan’s 2-1 victory over Spain upset the group standings, relegating Germany to third place.

Final Group E Ranking

1. Japan (6 points)
2. Spain (4 points)
3. Germany (4 points)
4. Costa Rica (3 points)

This is the second time in a row that Germany have had to pack up after the group stage of the World Cup, after their failure in 2018. Remember that these same Germans had won the prestigious trophy in the previous edition, that of 2014.

In the next round, Japan will face Croatia while La Roja will find Morocco.