Germany failed to advance to the knockout stage of the Women’s World Cup for the first time in its history. The team’s dreams were shattered after being held to a 1-1 draw against South Korea in a crucial match on Thursday.
Morocco’s surprise 1-0 win over Colombia earlier in the day meant that Germany needed a victory to secure a spot in the next round. Led by captain Alexandra Popp, the German squad created numerous scoring opportunities throughout the game but struggled to find the elusive winning goal. Colombia topped Group H with six points, while Morocco clinched second place, also with six points. Germany finished the group stage with four points.
South Korea took an early lead in the sixth minute when a perfectly executed defence-splitting pass from Lee Youngju found Cho Sohyun, who calmly slotted the ball into the net. However, Germany quickly responded, and in the 42nd minute, Popp rose high to head in a cross from Svenja Huth, equalizing the score.
In the second half, Germany relentlessly pursued the elusive winning goal. Popp appeared to have scored the decisive goal in the 57th minute, only for it to be overturned by VAR (Video Assistant Referee). A few minutes later, Popp came agonizingly close to scoring with another powerful header. But the ball hit the crossbar, denying her the goal.
South Korea takes the pride
As the game entered stoppage time, Germany had two last-gasp scoring opportunities. But shots from Sydney Lohmann narrowly missed wide and high. Ultimately, the German team’s valiant efforts fell short, and they faced the bitter reality of an early exit.
The result marked a significant upset, as Germany, ranked second in the world, had never failed to progress from the group stage in its previous nine appearances at the Women’s World Cup.
On the other hand, South Korea, despite finishing in last place in the group with just one point, can take pride in holding the two-time champions to a draw.
With both teams finishing third and fourth in Group H, Germany and South Korea must now bid farewell to the tournament and head home.
In the upcoming round-of-16 matches, Colombia will take on Jamaica in Melbourne, while Morocco will face the formidable challenge of playing against France in Adelaide.