Germany suffered a stunning early exit from the World Cup after losing to Paraguay in the last 32, falling to a penalty shootout defeat for the first time in their World Cup history.
The result has sent shockwaves through German football and heaped significant pressure on national team head coach Julian Nagelsmann, whose future in the role is now being openly questioned.
For a nation that has won the World Cup four times, an exit at the last-32 stage represents a deeply disappointing outcome and continues a difficult recent period for German football on the international stage.
The loss to Paraguay, a side ranked well below Germany on the world stage, has prompted fierce debate about the state of the national team program, with critics suggesting the country is no longer among the elite tier of world football.
Nagelsmann, who took charge of the national team in a bid to restore Germany’s standing as a global powerhouse, now faces intense scrutiny from fans, pundits, and football officials alike as they assess the direction of one of Europe’s most storied football nations.
Source: BBC Sport