Germany Press Lay Into Hansi Flick’s Side After Shock World Cup Defeat to Japan

• Media outlets in Germany have criticised the country's national football team following their upset against Japan
• Two goals in the second half were enough to hand the Samurai Blue an incredible 2-1 triumph in their Group F clash
• The four-time champions and their head coach Hansi Flick have been blasted by journalists for their poor outing

German press have hit out at head coach Hansi Flick and his players, after their shocking 2-1 defeat to Japan at the World Cup on Wednesday.

The Samurai Blue staged a second-half comeback to record an astonishing upset against the 2014 World Cup winners, who took the lead through Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan.

Japan would pull level thanks to Ritsu Doan in the 75th minute, before Takuma Asano clinched the winner just eight minutes later.

The result has sent shockwaves through the world of football, as the Asian country punished the Germans for missing a catalogue of golden chances while ahead in the game.

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Media outlets in Germany have now heavily criticised Die Mannschaft, with the nation's knockout hopes on a knife edge following the upset at the Khalifa International Stadium.

Media outlet Welt wrote that Germany had once again made a 'fool out of themselves' at the start of a major tournament, having lost 1-0 to Mexico in their opening match of the 2018 World Cup.

Another leading newspaper, Kicker also slammed the Germans' performance in the second-half and were joined by Bild, who labelled the defeat a 'debacle'.

"The debacle is reminiscent of the bitter tournament in Russia in 2018, where Germany lost 1-0 to Mexico and were eliminated from the group stage for the first time," Bild wrote after the loss.

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Germany stage armband protest

The German national team have taken a stand against FIFA, following the world football governing body banning teams from using OneLove armbands during World Cup games.

FIFA had threatened captains would be cited if they wore the armbands, and further stated teams would be sanctioned if they ignored the ruling.

Teams like Germany, England and Denmark were just some sides planning to wear the armbands during their team games.

Twitter explodes after Germany loss

Sports Brief earlier reported that social media exploded after Japan took a leaf from the book of Saudi Arabia, to shock four-time world champions Germany.

A spirited second-half display from the Asian powerhouse turned the game on its head, after they were down following an Ilkay Gundogan first-half penalty.

Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano scored each to ensure the Samurai Blue recorded an equally famous win against Die Mannschaft.