Germany had not exited the World Cup group stage until 2018 -- they've been knocked out of the group stage for a second straight tournament, one year after falling to England in the Round of 16 of the European Championships. It’s a debacle, a disaster, and nothing we haven’t seen before. Today, we're taking a look at 4 reasons behind Germany’s premature exit.

Calamitous Individual Lapses

Soon we will focus on some of Germany’s issues going forward, but it is impossible to look past their defensive debacle as the key reason for this early flight home. Throughout all three matches, Germany looked error-prone and brimming with disaster at the back. Whereas a strong tournament outfit can build its base off of a secure defensive backbone, Germany seemed destined to fight against their own Achilles heel from the very first kickoff last Wednesday. 

Whether it be Nico Schlotterbeck’s rash decision-making, Niklas Süle’s lack of awareness, Antonio Rüdiger’s persistence with an off-side trap, David Raum’s all-out-attack, or Thilo Kehrer’s simple lack of quality, Germany were never able to overcome the enemy staring themselves straight in the mirror.