It is a bitter and very hard-to-swallow result. Every Bayern Munich and now Germany fan will know very well about it. After delirious excitement from the last-minute Florian Wirtz goal, it was Germany’s turn to feel the painful sting of luck not being on their side. What if the penalty had been given? What if Niclas Füllkrug’s header had gone in? What if Antonio Rüdiger or Manuel Neuer had anticipated that cross? All the ‘what if’s’ of the world can’t change the fact that Germany is out of the UEFA EURO 2024 on their home soil.
“There’s silence,” said Füllkrug about the mood in the dressing room during the post-match interview with ARD (as reported by @MiaSanMia 1, 2) . “The coach found a few good words. But nothing helps right now. There’s no way to avoid the feelings. It’s getting harder by the second.”
Very reminiscent of the mood after their early elimination from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, the feeling of helplessness after having given their all and still gotten eliminated by sheer luck was palpable. Still, there was something that every German national player and coach could hang on to after this devastating loss: their fans. Their support throughout the entire match kept Germany going wave after wave and was a testament to how much the team has progressed in the last year.
“Thank you for this great feeling you gave us,” said the devastated Füllkrug while looking at the camera. “It was incredibly nice to fight for you on the pitch. It’s a pity that we only made it to the quarterfinals, but you were outstanding.”
And that was the feeling shared by everyone on the pitch, in the stands, and in front of the TVs. Germany may be out, but this team is only budding, and the hopelessness of a year before has turned into excitement for what may come.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis of Germany’s crushing 2-1 loss to Spain? We have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. We have takes on Julian Nagelsmann’s controversial starting XI, a rundown of the scoring and substitutions, and ideas on how this all fell apart in front of an absolutely electric crowd. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below: