'With no points, we are under pressure now'

Doha: Germany are under pressure after suffering a shock 2-1 defeat by Japan in their opening match, head coach Hansi Flick said on Wednesday.

“With this defeat and zero points, we are under pressure, no question about it,” Flick said. “We can only blame ourselves. It’s a great disappointment. We were on the right path in the first half, we had 78% possession and were ahead 1-0. Then we had good chances in the second half that we didn’t take advantage of. “Japan were simply more efficient today. We made mistakes that we should never commit, especially in a World Cup and those are the things that we need to improve on.”

Gundogan said players lost the ball too easily. “We made it too easy for them. Especially the second goal, I don’t know if ever an easier goal has been scored in the World Cup,” he said. Captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said the team lacked the urgency to score after they lost their lead.