Kimmich: Germany 'completely deserving' of early World Cup exit
Joshua Kimmich has admitted that Germany deservedly crashed out of the World Cup following a penalty shootout loss to Paraguay, citing poor performance across the tournament.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Author: Granada
Germany's World Cup campaign has come to an end in the round of 32 following a penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay after 120 minutes of play. The result marks another disappointing conclusion to a major tournament for Julian Nagelsmann's side.
Speaking immediately after the match, Joshua Kimmich provided a brutally honest assessment of Germany's displays. The Bayern Munich star chose to focus on the team's overall lack of quality rather than the shootout itself.
It feels terrible and not good. We didn’t play at our best against any opponent. Three times we had major problems against non-world-class teams. That’s a fact. We were completely deserving of our elimination. Joshua Kimmich
Kimmich insisted that the players must take full accountability for the failure, rejecting any excuses involving the coaching staff, referees, or external factors. He lamented the team's inability to provide the success that German fans have historically come to expect from their national side.
I think people in Germany need something to be proud of right now - unfortunately, that’s not the national team. We, the players on the field, messed it up, and we take responsibility for that. It wasn’t the coach’s fault, it wasn’t the media’s fault, it wasn’t the referee’s fault, it wasn’t the opponent’s fault. It was entirely our fault. Joshua Kimmich
The exit continues a difficult run for Germany at major tournaments. Following group-stage eliminations in 2018 and 2022, the latest failure has once again fallen well short of expectations. The focus will now shift to how the team responds, with Nagelsmann facing the challenge of addressing long-standing issues to restore the standards of a traditional powerhouse.