STORY: That hurt. After an initial lead, the German national team lost the World Cup opener against Japan 1-2. The team didn’t manage to convert very well existing chances, in the defense there were clear dropouts, even mistakes. After all: Ilkay Gündogan scored the goal for Germany with a foul penalty in the 33rd minute. The defeat is a reminder of the 2018 World Cup. At that time, the DFB selection under Jogi Löw botched their first mission against Mexico. So cheer for the Japanese fans in Al Rayyan near Doha. Disappointment among the supporters of the national team from Germany: “We are very disappointed and sad. But we believe Germany played well, hit well, especially our goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was super strong. We are very proud of him.” “It’s a disappointment, because Germany is a very big and strong team in the world and was one of the favorites, especially after the change with Hansi Flick.” Even at home in Germany, like here in Essen, there were long faces on Wednesday – but also some optimism: “Overall, the German team performed too poorly. But I believe that it will get better and that we will still make it into the round of 16 .” “You could see it. Everything was wrong in front and behind. I have no idea. Yesterday we laughed our heads off about Argentina because they lost to Saudi Arabia. And today we’re in the same position as Argentina.” “Disaster football, totally wrong. Schlotterbeck failure, Gnabry total failure. You should have replaced a lot beforehand.” The World Cup is overshadowed by the debate about human rights in the host country Qatar and the actions of the world association Fifa. If you haven’t lost your desire to watch the World Cup, and that in the middle of winter, the national team will next meet Spain on Sunday. Kick-off is at 8 p.m.