Qatar 2022: History To Repeat As Germany Risk Crashing Out Of The World Cup In Group Stage When Face Energised Spain On Sunday

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Germany Press Conference - Main Media Center, Doha, Qatar - November 26, 2022 Germany coach Hansi Flick during the press conference REUTERS/Gareth Bumstead

The fate of not crashing out of the World Cup in the group stage for the second time in a row lies on the German team winning Spain when the two dig it out on Sunday, November 27, 2022, at the Al Bayt stadium. After winning their fourth World Cup title in 2014, Germany was surprisingly knocked off the 2018 tournament having won only a game in the group stage.

The 22nd edition of the World Cup is expected to be the most watched in the 92-year history of the tournament, and Showmax Pro is providing subscribers with a 4k streaming premium experience, courtesy of SuperSport.

At their opening game in Qatar 2022 against Japan, the Hansi Flick Team had begun with an early lead when Ilkay Gundogan found the back of the net at the 33-minute. But a stunning late comeback from the Japanese caused the Khalifa International Stadium to erupt into a mix of celebration and surprise. Ritsu Dōan's goal at the 75-minute levelled the scores, but it was Takuma Asano's strike eight minutes later that handed the Germans their defeat. A win over Spain on Sunday is crucial to keep their hope alive.

But the Spaniards appear to have come all-ready for the tournament, 12 years after they won their first World Cup title in 2010. It was a perfect opening match on November 23, 2022, for Spain when they demolished Costa Rica to a 7-0 defeat, out-turning its World Cup scoring record of 6-1 against Bulgaria in 1998.

With so many younger stars like Barcelona teenager Gavi, whose performance against Costa Rica was described by Luis Enrique as “out of the ordinary,” Spain can easily be tipped as one of the favorites to win the 2022 World Cup title. Gavi made his World Cup debut for Spain, scoring an exquisite volley that made him the third-youngest goalscorer in World Cup history at 18 years and 110 days.

While there have been some surprises in the tournament- Messi’s Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia, Germany needs a miracle of some sort to pull a win over Spain after being humiliated to a 6-0 defeat by the La Furia Roja in their last encounter in 2020. Defeat for Germany would mean elimination if Japan takes at least a point from their match against Costa Rica on Sunday.

Japan is one of the most successful teams in Asia having qualified for the FIFA World Cup, with a record of four AFC Asian Cups. In their 2018 outing in Russia, Japan qualified for round 16 ahead of Senegal in a Fair Play Points tiebreaker for having fewer yellow cards than Senegal but was knocked out of the tournament after Belgium's dramatic comeback, which was one of the highlights of the competition. A win over Costa Rica will seal Japan’s place in the knockout stage for the fourth time in their World Cup history.

Fourth in the Group E table, Hansi Flick's side must get a win from their Sunday match while praying that Japan loses or settle for a draw against Costa Rica.

“We have faith in the team, we are positive, and we want to deal positively with this match on Sunday,” Hansi Flick said.

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November 26, 2022