Germany out

Kazan: Champions Germany were sent crashing out of the World Cup after suffering a stunning 2-0 defeat by a tenacious South Korea on Wednesday that saw them eliminated in the first round for the first time in 80 years.

Germany would have progressed with a win at the Kazan Arena but barely looked capable of scoring against the Koreans, let alone going on to successfully defend the title they won in Brazil four years ago. 

Stoppage-time goals from Kim Young-gwon and Son Heung-min finished off Joachim Loew’s sorry Germany side, who finished bottom of the group on three points.

Instead they will head home after a stunning failure, having been unable to break down the South Koreans and after a shock 1-0 loss to Mexico in their opening group match. 

Germany’s Toni Kroos, the free kick hero in the 2-1 win over Sweden, tried desperately in vain.