‘We missed up’ – Joshua Kimmich rejects VAR scapegoat after Paraguay loss
Germany captain Joshua Kimmich refused to blame outside factors or refereeing decisions for their shocking World Cup elimination by Paraguay, insisting the players must take absolute responsibility for the defeat.
German captain Joshua Kimmich delivered a brutally honest post-match assessment, taking total accountability for his side’s shocking World Cup Round of 32 exit against Paraguay.
Despite massive domestic frustration surrounding a controversial extra-time VAR decision that disallowed Jonathan Tah’s potential match-winner, the midfielder firmly refused to rely on convenient scapegoats, insisting that the multi-time champions fully deserved their premature elimination.
The veteran midfielder explicitly shielded manager Julian Nagelsmann and tournament match officials from brewing media hostility, stating that the responsibility for the catastrophe rests entirely on the pitch.
Reflecting heavily on the squad’s declining performances throughout the tournament, Kimmich acknowledged that failing to cleanly defeat their South American opponents over 120 minutes of play was a collective failure of the players alone.
