Belgium and Germany, two giants in World football, have been knocked out of the world cup at the group stage.
Belgium out of the World Cup as Croatia claims draw
Croatia advanced to the round of 16 at Belgium’s expense after a scoreless draw in Qatar, which saw Belgium eliminated from the World Cup at the group stage.
With just one victory and one goal in three games, Roberto Martinez’s team ranked second in the world and finished third in Russia four years ago, has had a poor campaign.
Even though they were aware that a win was required to advance to the round of 16, they put up another lackluster performance against Croatia.
Romelu Lukaku substituted Dries Mertens at halftime. Lukaku entered the match with purpose and quickly infused his team with vitality and direction.
Though each of his missed chances in the second half caused audible groans from the crowd, they proved expensive, as the on-loan Inter Milan striker punched the dugout in anger following the game’s conclusion.
Although they weren’t compelling, Croatia nevertheless managed to advance.
Belgium, the No. 2 ranked men's team in the world, are OUT of the World Cup ? pic.twitter.com/MkibzrjxwM
— ESPN (@espn) December 1, 2022
Roberto Martinez steps down as Belgium boss
Roberto Martinez has confirmed that Belgium’s 0-0 draw against Croatia in the World Cup group stages will be his last game in charge of the European side.
Belgium was eliminated from the competition in the group stages. He has stated that he will not renew his contract.
“Yes,” the former Everton manager acknowledged that was his final match with the national team. “As you can probably guess, this is emotional. Sorry, I’m unable to continue answering.”
When asked if he regretted ending on a downer, Martinez responded, “I never look at it that way. The building is something I enjoy doing.”
Roberto Martinez leaves Belgium — the game vs Croatia was his last one as head coach of the national team. ??? #Qatar2022 #Belgium
His decision was already made before the tournament and it’s now confirmed. pic.twitter.com/J79MAbJIRT
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 1, 2022
Germany beat Costa Rica but crashed out of World Cup
Germany defeated Costa Rica in Al Bayt Stadium, but they were eliminated from the Fifa World Cup on a memorable night of drama.
Germans would have been eliminated regardless of Japan’s contentious 2-1 victory over Spain. Still, Hansi Flick’s team needed three points to give themselves any hope of making it to the round of 16.
The four-time champions finished third in the group and were eliminated based on goal differential.
The outcome might have been different had VAR not overturned the initial ruling that Japan’s winning goal in the other Group E match should have been allowed because the referees believed the ball had left the field before being pushed into the goal.
Germany were eliminated by ???? much. pic.twitter.com/NC8Xp6pLLg
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 1, 2022
Germany’s second consecutive group-stage elimination will shock them, but they can’t grumble as they depart Qatar.
In addition, this game created history as it featured an all-female refereeing crew for the first time, with Stephanie Frappart of France and assistant referees Neuza Back of Brazil and Karen Diaz Medina of Mexico.
Hansi Flick insists Germany has itself to blame for its early World Cup exit
After Germany lost in the World Cup group stage, Hansi Flick claimed they were solely to blame for their actions.
“I don’t care about other teams because it is all up to us,” Flick declared. “If you look at the matches and the number of goals, it is our fault.”
“I am convinced we had possibilities and chances in the match against Spain to win. But you have to take those chances and score, and then it would have been a different situation for us,” he said.
“There are a lot of factors (that contributed to Germany’s leaving), but I’m not searching for justifications. Although we succeeded in doing our duty today and won, the outcome could have been better. Although we only had a little time to train, it is not the reason why.”
Flick responded when asked about his future, “Honestly, we just got knocked out. But if you know my squad and me, you know we can bounce back from that. That will have a significant impact on the future.”
