Going into the World Cup this year, Germany was ones of the favorites to win. After taking home the champion title last World Cup, nearly everyone thought Germany would do well again. They had a 10.62% chance of taking home the title again this year, which are very strong odds. Unfortunately, these predictions for Germany didn’t hold true and there was some major upset in the World Cup standings after the game between Germany and South Korea.
What happened?
On June 27th, 2018, the German football team went up against South Korea and did not come out the winners. Germany lost the game 0-2 and launched plenty of headlines about the shocking upset. Football fans around the world were shocked, none more than fans of Germany. No one really expected South Korea to perform like they did, especially when it came to beating Germany, a team that was expected to easily make it to the finals.
In response to Germany’s loss, publications around the world carried headlines about it, many poking fun at the team and their home country. These headlines brought politics into the center of Germany’s defeat, featuring various opinions on the country. Many headlines made references to current and past historic events, ranging from people’s opinions of Chancellor Angela Merkel to WWII to Napoleon conquering Russia. However, these references to politics should come as no surprise to fans, since the World Cup is always rife with them.
Why?
So, what led to Germany’s catastrophic loss? South Korea somehow managed to score two goals against the German team, including one in the 92nd minute of the match. As many people wonder how Germany was defeated so soundly, it has been suggested that a large part of it is due to the team’s overconfidence in their ability to win. Commentators believe Germany’s success in the previous World Cup led them to underestimate the amount of effort they’d need to put into their matches this year.
Moving forward
Many fans are wondering what this upset means for the rest of the tournament. While there are still plenty of teams left in the World Cup, a favorite has been pushed out in a startingly defeat. Moving forward, rankings are a bit different, predictions have been ruined, and it’s time the reevaluate team standings. Without Germany, there are openings for new teams to move up and pose themselves for victory. It’s also worth considering: if Germany was so easily defeated by an unexpected team, what other upsets could occur in the next couple of weeks?