🚨 Extremely bitter to bow out like this: Germany star's last tournament | OneFootball

Manuel Neuer had only just made it into the German squad shortly before the World Cup and was supposed to help lead the team to the title. In the end, it was a disappointing campaign and also a disappointing finish to his national team career.

Asked by 'Magenta TV' afterwards whether this had been his last tournament or whether he still had the strength to help with another rebuilding process, he said: "No, it's extremely bitter to end it like this. We had everything in our own hands and I believe we had the right players there to do better on the pitch, but as a team we just didn't manage to show better football today."

He described the mood in the dressing room as follows: "The coach said a few words to us, but otherwise it is very quiet. Everyone is sad about the elimination."

But Germany also failed to break down Paraguay's defense in footballing terms: "We didn't have the tools or the cutting edge to create chances for ourselves. Our plan was to get in behind the line via the wide players. We also wanted, similar to Kai Havertz's goal, to break through Paraguay's backpedaling defense with quick balls."

Does that mean Germany is now only second-rate by international standards? "If you want to measure yourself against teams like France or England, then maybe that's one level below." He did not want to fully agree with teammate Kai Havertz, who saw Germany as merely average: "Those are his words," but Neuer also said: "What is clear is that you have to beat an opponent like that (Paraguay, editor's note)."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 JEWEL SAMAD - AFP or licensors