For the German national team, the 2022 World Cup is already over after the group stage. A Schalke professional has reckoned with it.
Some critics may have doubted it in advance. For most of the football world, however, the German national team’s elimination from the 2022 World Cup came as a big surprise. One FC Schalke 04 professional not only suspected that Group E would not be a foregone conclusion for the DFB team and the Spaniards. He even had a part in it.
“Statistically, there is evidence to show that we could be confident,” Maya Yoshida is quoted as saying by The Times. She said there was data showing that since 1998, no two major countries had ever come through in the same group. However, the 34-year-old defender, who moved to Gelsenkirchen from Italian first division side Sampdoria in the summer, kept that information to himself. “I was the only one who knew this statistic. I didn’t tell anyone. I just read an article that stuck in my mind and I kept it in my head.”
What constitutes a “large country” is, of course, a matter of definition. To start with, there are exceptions to Yoshida’s statistics. Argentina and the Netherlands in 2006, Portugal and Brazil in 2010. Nevertheless, it can be said overall that the two clear favourites in a group have relatively rarely progressed together. Examples? In 2002, France and Argentina failed in their groups with Denmark and England respectively. Eight years later, France even finished bottom of the group and watched semi-finalists Uruguay and Mexico progress. In 2014, defending champions Spain lost out to Chile, while England and Italy were eliminated by Uruguay and Costa Rica respectively.
It will be a new chapter in Japan’s history
Schalke pro Maya Yoshida on making the quarter-finals
The failure of the DFB eleven this year is directly linked to the success of the Japanese. The Blue Samurai took all three points against both Hansi Flick’s team and Spain (both 2-1) despite being behind. Yoshida played the full 90 minutes both times, as he did in the 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica.
“I’m very happy about the great comeback [against Spain, ed.], but our goal is to win the next game as well,” said the 125-time international and captain, for the round of 16 should not be the end. Making the quarter-finals would be “a new chapter in Japanese history”, Yoshida insists. “So we have to focus on one more game. Anything is possible. “
