REIGNING WORLD CHAMPIONS Germany will not defend their crown after been eliminated at the World Cup group stages following a 2-0 defeat to South Korea.
Deep into the six minutes of added time, Korea took the lead through a Young Gwon-Kim finish which was initially chalked off for offside but later awarded following a VAR review.
With Manuel Neuer upfield, the Koreans snatched another with mere seconds remaining as Heung-Min Son tucked the ball into an empty net sparking wild celebrations among the already-eliminated Koreans.
Mexico, who beat Germany 1-0 in their opening fixture, have joined table-toppers Sweden in the last 16 despite a 3-0 defeat in the other game in Group F.
It’s only the second time in World Cup history that Germany have failed to reach the World Cup quarter-finals, and the first such instance in 80 years.
The reigning world champions have now failed to emerge from their group at four of the last five World Cups, after France, Italy and Spain suffered early elimination in 2002, 2010 and 2014 respectively.
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