As we already know, the FIFA World Cup sets the stage for major surprises and shocking outcomes. We already saw it with Saudi Arabia ending Argentina’s 36-match unbeaten streak, and we saw it again today with Japan and Germany.
Germany dominated Japan with ease in the first half, having one game overruled by offside, and going up 1-0 with nearly 75% of possession. Still, Japan brought plenty of danger to Neuer’s box when given the opportunity.
The second half was perhaps the most exciting we’ve seen in the World Cup thus far. The Japanese side made the most of their subs and shocked the world by pulling off a beautiful 1-2 comeback.
Can Germany Still Win The FIFA World Cup?
So, as impressive as this was, it may also have left multiple fans wondering whether Germany can still win the FIFA World Cup. The simple answer is yes, but their margin of error is now pretty close to zero.
Germany will now have to beat Costa Rica and Spain. They also need to hope that either Japan doesn’t win another game or that either Costa Rica or Spain goes home empty-handed. That way, they could still qualify for the knockout stage with 6 points.
There’s still a chance they make it past the group stage with 4 points, but they’d need Japan to dominate every single one of their rivals, a less-likely scenario. Simply put, they control their fate and could still win the World Cup, but they’ll have to be near perfect.