Joachim Low’s side were eliminated in the round of 16 after barely surviving the group of death, going down 2-0 at Wembley on Tuesday afternoon
Germany midfielder Toni Kroos admitted his side “lacked effectiveness” as they crashed out of Euro 2020 on Tuesday.
Kroos and Germany were undone by England in the round of 16, with the Three Lions earning a 2-0 win over their long-standing rivals behind goals from Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling.
After stumbling through the group stage but still emerging alongside France and Portugal, Kroos admitted that he didn’t feel his side brought their A-game on Tuesday.
What was said?
“It was a very even game until the goal against us,” Kroos toldMagentaTV. “Both teams neutralised each other. Maybe we lacked effectiveness. We progressed from a difficult group but this is very disappointing right now.”
Low bows out
Germany manager Joachim Low coached his final game on Tuesday, having previously announced that he would be leaving the national team after this tournament.
Low had previously led Germany to triumph at the 2014 World Cup, but will now depart the team after disappointing efforts at the 2018 World Cup and at this summer’s Euros.
“It is a disappointment for all of us. We hoped for more, the faith in the team was absolutely there. We had two great chances, but, unfortunately, we didn’t score any goals,” he said. “We’re sorry we’re out of the tournament but we’ve worked hard for the past four weeks, and everyone has pulled along well.
“I can’t blame anyone. I am sorry that the great enthusiasm at home is now gone. The disappointment weighs heavily. An hour or two has to pass before you can say a few words to the team. All players are utterly disappointed, so are we.
“We have a lot of young players who will learn from it. At the home European Championships in 2024, some will be at their absolute top level, also in terms of experience.”
Low went on to say that he is set to take a bit of a break but is looking forward to a “new energy”.
“I also have to allow the disappointment and the emptiness that comes,” he said. ‘”You don’t shake off a tournament like this in the first few days, because you will need time.
“I never talked about retirement. There are definitely new tasks that are interesting for me.”
‘A bitter evening’
Those sentiments were echoed by Kai Havertz, who was one of Germany’s more dangerous players on the day.
Havertz says that Tuesday’s loss is one that will stay with Germany, but he says that the team remains united.
“We had some chances after the goal against but we didn’t convert them,” he said. “A bitter evening. We are all in one boat. We are united. England don’t have a bad team, but you go out in the round of 16 it is disappointing, of course.”
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