West Ham United defender Thilo Kehrer became the first of six Hammers players to leave the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after Germany's shock group stage exit.
Despite winning their final Group E match 4-2 against Costa Rica on Thursday night, having gone 2-1 down for three minutes during the second half, the 2014 winners exited the competition at the group stage for the second consecutive World Cup, with Japan's 2-1 win over Spain meaning Germany bowed out on goal difference.
West Ham defender Kehrer had been a regular for Germany in the lead up to the tournament, starting 13 of their 16 matches prior to the World Cup. However, the 26-year-old played just 70 minutes at the tournament, starting in the 1-1 draw with Spain in their second game last Sunday.
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The early exit makes Kehrer the first of six Hammers to depart the tournament. Declan Rice (England), Alphonse Areola (France), Nayef Aguerd (Morocco), Nikola Vlasic (Croatia) and Lucas Paqueta (Brazil) have all booked their places into the round of 16.
Rice will take on Senegal on Sunday night, while Areola will take on Poland on Sunday afternoon. Vlasic and Croatia will face Japan on Monday afternoon, with Morocco and Aguerd taking on Spain next Tuesday afternoon.
If Paqueta and Brazil win Group G, they will face Group H’s runners up on Monday night. However, if Brazil finish second, they will take on Group H’s winners on Tuesday evening.
It means that Kehrer is now due to link back up with David Moyes' squad in the coming days. His return may come too soon to feature in Tuesday's friendly against League One side Cambridge United, but it does mean that he could return for the trip to Fulham on Saturday, December 17.
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