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Germany World Cup 2022 squad list, fixtures and latest odds

Germany players protest - Germany World Cup 2022 squad list, fixtures and latest odds - AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko
Germany players protest - Germany World Cup 2022 squad list, fixtures and latest odds - AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko

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

Ilkay Guendogan's penalty gave Germany the lead in the first half but Japan bounced back in the second half with goals from substitutes Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano.

It was Japan's first-ever win over Germany, with the teams having met twice in international friendlies before Wednesday's World Cup clash.

The defeat was the third in a row in the opening match of a major championship for Germany after a loss to Mexico at the 2018 World Cup, when they bowed out in the first round as champions – their earliest exit in more than 80 years – and to France at Euro 2020.

"With this defeat and zero points, we are under pressure, no question about it," Flick told reporters. "We can only blame ourselves. It's a great disappointment.

"We were on the right path in the first half, we had 78 per cent 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."

Germany World Cup 2022 squad

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kevin Trapp

Defenders: Armel Bella-Kotchap, Matthias Ginter, Christian Gunter, Thilo Kehrer, Lukas Klostermann, David Raum, Antonio Rudiger, Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Sule

Midfielders: Julian Brandt, Niklas Füllkrug, Leon Goretzka, Mario Götze, Ilkay Gundogan, Jonas Hofmann, Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala

Forwards: Karim Adeyemi, Serge Gnabry, Kai Havertz, Youssoufa Moukoko, Thomas Müller, Leroy Sané

Who is their best player?

We are used to Germany being blessed with legions of talent, but a lot of the names that have graced previous World Cups have faded away, though stalwart and veteran Manuel Neuer still keeps a place in the squad. No doubt that Jamal Musiala is a name to remember, too, along with Kai Havertz and Joshua Kimmich.

There was not much to shout about in their loss to Japan, naturally but Musiala was the top-rated Germany player by Telegraph Sport readers.

Off the pitch

Germany were one of seven nations who were told they would face sporting sanctions from Fifa if their captains wore the ‘OneLove’ armband during the tournament in Qatar.

Ahead of their group match against Japan, the players warmed up with rainbow stripes down the shoulders of their shirts, with some - namely captain Neuer, Gnabry and Gundogan - all wearing boots adorned with rainbow colours.

Before kick-off, the German team then held their hands over their mouths in an apparent reference to being gagged from speaking out.

Despite Neuer sticking to the official Fifa armband for the Group E clash, which was checked by the assistant referee, the country's Interior Minister was seen defiantly wearing the OneLove band in the crowd as she stood alongside the president of the German Football Association.

What are Germany’s results and fixtures?

Group E

November 23: German 1 Japan 2

November 27: Spain vs Germany

December 1: Costa Rica vs Germany

What is Germany’s World Cup record?

Germany are one of the most successful teams at the World Cup. They have won the tournament four times (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) and have appeared in a total of eight finals.

At the Russia World Cup in 2018 it was a shock that Germany failed to advance past the group stage. They crashed out after losing 2-0 to South Korea leaving them bottom of Group F.

Argentina | Australia | Belgium | Brazil | Cameroon | Canada | Costa Rica | Croatia | Denmark | Ecuador | England | France | Germany | Ghana | Iran | Japan | Mexico | Morocco | Netherlands | Poland | Portugal | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | Senegal | Serbia | South Korea | Spain | Switzerland | Tunisia | Uruguay | USA | Wales

Latest odds

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Germany are currently 25/1 to win the 2022 World Cup.