It was a tale of two halves as Japan came from behind to upset one of the tournament favourites, Germany in a thrilling Group E opener.
The 2-1 victory over the four-time champions gave the Samurais a valuable 3 points in a group that also includes Spain and Costa Rica.
The game began with the German national team protesting FIFA’s ban regarding the OneLove armband as the starting 11 covered their mouths during the pre-game team photo.
When the game began, it was as expected as the Germans controlled the game from the kick off and went ahead with a penalty from Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan in 33rd minute of the first half.
Germany largely had the game under control and Japan’s best chances came few and far between in the first half. However, all that changed in the second half as goals from substitutes Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano in the last 15 minutes gave Japan the stunning 2-1 victory.
For the Germans, this is the third defeat in a row in the opening match of a major tournament after a loss to Mexico at the 2018 World Cup and to France at Euro 2020. This defeat also ended Germany’s 21-match unbeaten run in World Cup matches when leading at half time.
Germany will be looking to bounce back against Spain on Sunday, for Japan, a chance to book their place in the next round when they face Costa Rica.
