Kai Havertz looked less than impressed as he posed with his Man of the Match trophy following Germany's World Cup exit.
The individual accolade was insignificant for the Chelsea playmaker as his country's tournament ended despite their win over Costa Rica. The Germans needed to win big and hope that other results went their way, but Japan's surprise victory over Spain wasn't in the script.
Germany were behind for a brief moment as they trailed 2-1 to the South Americans in Qatar, but three unanswered goals helped them to a convincing victory, albeit not enough. Havertz, who continues to grow in stature for his country, notched a brace despite only being introduced as a sub.
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His face, however, told the story as he was snapped following his impressive display. Havertz has confessed that the team had only themselves to blame, bemoaning their wastefulness throughout the World Cup.
He said: "We have to look at ourselves. We had enough chances to win against Japan, enough chances to win against Spain. We had the game in our hands today and still conceded two goals against Costa, which shouldn't really be possible with the quality we have.
"We then turned the game around, which was good. But then you see the other result. With quality like that, we can't afford to lose to Japan. The game against Japan made the difference."
Havertz was also quizzed on the team's focus after they became the first team to make a statement after being denied the chance to wear the One Love armband by FIFA. They instead covered their mouths for a team photo and also wore rainbow laces. The Chelsea star though maintains that they cannot use it as a reason for their early exit.
"Performances on the pitch come first in a tournament like this," he added. "Of course, the top was on our minds. We made our position clear many times. But that's the last thing we want to use as an excuse."
The defeat leaves boss Hansi Flick fielding questions about his own future. The former Bayern Munich coach took over from Joachim Low, who had been in the role for more than a decade, last summer. Flick admitted a quick decision is needed whilst also adding: "I'm not speechless. I was already disappointed and angry with the team in the first half. We brought the opponent into the game through mistakes and carelessness. Nevertheless, we won the game. Our downfall didn't happen today, but in 20 minutes against Japan. We could have won against Spain with a bit more efficiency. Nevertheless, the disappointment is huge."
