In the Round of 32 knockout match of the United States, Canada and Mexico FIFA World Cup, Germany lost to Paraguay 4-5 on penalties and failed to advance, exiting at the first knockout stage. After the game, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann attended the post-match press conference.
Reporter: Good evening. You have just suffered a bitter elimination. Mr Nagelsmann, how would you sum up this match?
Julian Nagelsmann: Good evening. All in all, we fell far short of our standards. This is the reality of modern football. Even if our opponents adopt a simple long-ball counter-attack style, we will pay a heavy price once we slip up on one or two defensive details.
When we conceded the opening goal, we held a numerical advantage, yet every single one of our players stood still and lost track of their markers when turning, leaving the central defence completely exposed and falling behind first. After going down, our attacking build-up was sluggish and our mentality became flustered, and it took us a very long time to regain our composure. We later brought on Leon Goretzka and Nick Woltemade to boost our presence inside the penalty area. A two-striker system was part of our pre-match plan, yet we sent far too few passes into the box, and our two forwards barely made deep runs into the danger zone.
We delivered a woefully low number of crosses. Every cross we sent in created threats, and we ought to have put in 20 to 30 deliveries, yet we only managed 11 or 12. We kept trying one extra pass or an extra dribble, but it is extremely difficult to break down sides that set up a deep low block, and every team struggles against such defensive setups.
We earned 12 or 13 corner kicks but only converted one into a goal. Considering our dominant possession across the 90 minutes, our set-piece conversion rate was abysmal. Finally, congratulations to Paraguay on progressing to the next round.
Reporter: Looking back at all four of your World Cup matches, the team has repeatedly failed to live up to expectations. What lies at the root of these issues?
Julian Nagelsmann: Each game brought its own unique problems. We beat Côte d’Ivoire without playing our best football, yet the squad showed tremendous fighting spirit and secured the win. Our display against Ecuador was dreadful; even though we came back to draw, we did not deserve a point from that fixture. Our group stage statistics were generally solid, and we topped our group to qualify, so our run in that phase was relatively acceptable.
The core issue tonight was lethargic attacking build-up. We spent too long shifting the ball side to side, and our wide players were easily pinned down in one-on-one duels. Our play improved slightly when we switched to more direct crosses late on, yet our total cross count remained far too low. It is a fact that Paraguay organised their central defence tightly, but with our level of ball possession, we had to create far more scoring chances.
Additionally, we had to take our golden early one-on-one opportunity. Two players broke through to an empty net, and Deniz Undav’s tight-angle strike rattled both posts. We cannot afford to waste such simple chances against deep defensive blocks in knockout football. There was also our second disallowed set-piece goal; the referee’s call was completely unjustified, and it should have stood.
All things considered, being eliminated at the first knockout round of a major tournament is a totally unacceptable outcome for German football.
Reporter: Joshua Kimmich gave a touching post-match interview, saying it was heartbreaking that the nation could not celebrate a victory, and that he would never give up. For you, why is stepping down never an option?
Julian Nagelsmann: First of all, I want to thank the German supporters in the stadium. They offered nothing but positive backing from kick-off all the way through the penalty shootout, no jeers at all, and they applauded us after the final whistle. Such tolerance is rare; the atmosphere could have turned hostile in any other scenario. Fans back home feel the same heartache as us.
I will not shirk my responsibility. Germany’s early exits from successive major tournaments point to deep-rooted structural flaws that require widespread restructuring. However, I will not resign solely because of this single defeat. If the German Football Association wishes for me to stay at the helm, I will prepare the squad for the UEFA Nations League and the next European Championship. If the FA has other plans, they need to inform me officially. I understand how football operates, and I know many people do not want me to remain in charge at present, yet I am ready to continue coaching if the association retains faith in me.
Reporter: You stated you will stay on if the FA wants you to. FA president Bernd Neuendorf and Andreas Rüdiger are both present here today. Have senior officials spoken with you to express their confidence so far? If you hold formal follow-up talks, how will you convince the board that you remain the right man for the job, and what adjustments will you make to stop this kind of disastrous early exit repeating at the next two major tournaments?
Julian Nagelsmann: Senior staff offered brief words of comfort, but discussing contract extensions straight after elimination is unrealistic. The FA’s senior leadership are level-headed figures; they will wait until emotions have cooled before holding formal discussions, rather than rushing into conversations while the entire squad is devastated in the dressing room, and Andreas Rüdiger has already shared his public stance on the situation.
