Die Mannschaft fell to defeat at the hands of Japan, with late goals from Ritson Doan and Takumi Asano overturning Ilkay Gundogan’s thirty-third-minute penalty.
Embed from Getty ImagesHansi Flick was “brutally disappointed” with his side’s performance after they had started the game brightly, seemingly having Japan at arm’s length.
“It’s a great disappointment. We were on the right path in the first half, we had 78 per cent possession and were ahead, then we had good opportunities in the second half and didn’t take advantage of them.”
Embed from Getty ImagesFlick also called for his team to be more courageous, stating “we have to make sure we can come out of this, we have to be courageous, we need the aggression in the game that’s necessary at a World Cup.”
The former Bayer München manager praised his sides opponents admitting, “Japan were simply more efficient today”
When asked whether Die Mannschaft’s protest supporting the “One Love” Movement had an effect on his side’s performance Flick stated “No, we’re not looking for excuses. That’s too cheap for me.”
Embed from Getty ImagesOn the other hand, Japan boss Hajime Moriyasu hailed his team for providing the nation with a “Historic Moment”.
“I believe it’s a historic moment, a historic victory, to say the least,” Moriyasu said. “If I’m thinking of the development of Japanese football, we have been building up.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Former Sanfrecce Hiroshima boss, also praised his side for the “intelligence” they portrayed throughout the match stating, “however our squad were very intelligent, they were smart and played well persistently. They fought really hard.”
When asked whether some of his players playing in Europe was beneficial to his team, Moriyasu said “of six of our squad, four play in the Bundesliga, two in the Premier League,” “They are fighting in these very strong tough leagues. They’ve been building up their strength.
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