Two big upsets in two days. After Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina, it was time for Japan to outclass the 2014 FIFA World Cup champions Germany. The South Asian team defeated the 11th-ranked football team to register a 2-1 victory in their Group E match.
The game started with the German players posing with their mouths covered to revolt against FIFA’s ban on the “One Love” armband. This was the team’s idea to show their dissent against the decision.
The Germans showed their dominance on the pitch by relentlessly attacking the opposing team’s goal. They came close multiple times. However, it was their captain Ilkay Gündogan who converted a penalty in the 33rd minute to give his team a lead.
Germany went into the break with a comfortable 1-0 lead over the Asian team. However, little did they knew Japan would turn the tables in such an astounding fashion. After multiple attempts to breach the German defence, Japan finally succeeded. Japan’s Ritsu Doan equalised in the 75th minute with a wonderful goal.
The game was nicely poised with the Germans looking to score the winner with their attacking gameplay. But it was Takuma Asano who smashed the winning goal from a tight angle in the 83rd minute to win the game for Japan.
Germany now faces an uphill task to qualify for the knockouts in a tough group consisting of Spain and Costa Rica besides Japan.