Defending champions Germany eliminated from World Cup

Defending champions Germany were eliminated from the 2018 FIFA World Cup after a 2-0 loss to South Korea on Wednesday.

Karzan Sulaivany 2018/06/27 15:50

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Defending champions Germany were eliminated from the 2018 FIFA World Cup after a 2-0 loss to South Korea on Wednesday.

The German’s came into the match knowing only a victory would see them qualify for the knockout stages of the competition following a poor start where they lost 1-0 to Mexico in their opener and beat Sweden 2-1 in their second match.

However, despite having most of the possession and lots of shots on target, the 2014 champions coudn’t find a way through and South Korea scored twice in stoppage time to confirm Germany’s fate.

Germany's defender Mats Hummels (right) heads the ball during the 2018 World Cup Group F football match between South Korea and Germany at the Kazan Arena in Kazan, Russia, on June 27, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Jewel Samad)

In the other Group F game, Sweden beat Mexico 3-0 to finish top of the group and qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament.

After a goalless first-half, Sweden scored first through Ludwig Augustinsson on 50 minutes before Andreas Granqvist added a second from the penalty spot on 62 minutes.

Mexico’s day got worse as Edson Alvarez turned the ball into his own net on 74 minutes to seal a 3-0 victory for Sweden.

Sweden's defender Andreas Granqvist (left) celebrates with teammates after scoring a penalty during the 2018 World Cup Group F football match between Mexico and Sweden at the Ekaterinburg Arena in Ekaterinburg, Russia, on June 27, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Hector Retamal)

The 2018 FIFA World Cup takes place between June 14 and July 15 with 32 teams from five different confederations competing.

The final will be played on July 15 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow at 6:00 p.m. Erbil time.

So far, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Peru, Costa Rica, Tunisia, Panama, Poland, Iran, Australia, Nigeria, Iceland, South Korea, and Germany have been eliminated from the tournament.

The nations who have advanced to the Round of 16 are Russia, Uruguay, France, Croatia, Belgium, England, Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Croatia, Argentina, Sweden, and Mexico.

The Round of 16 ties will be played between June 30 and July 3.