Humpti Dumpti fiel von der mauer

The title is a line from the popular children's song but in German. The question is will they be able to put them back together again?

I must begin by admitting that I was wrong in my prediction for this game and I have never been happier to be so far off the mark.

Next I bring for your entertainment the reaction of every Non German football fan around the world as the final whistle blew. It was also the initial feeling of non football fans who may not have been watching but still understood the significance of this footballing tsunami.

Happy Days

and this one

Ode to Joy

All round the world people who had entered into office pools and prediction leagues were tearing up their forms as their brackets were broken, but did they care? Of course not, what is the small sum of money lost compared to the joy at seeing Ze Shermans so.

The jokes abound as Ze Shermans suffered yet another defeat on the Russian front and face a long march back home. Kazan can be added to a list of sites of German setbacks on Russian soil on a par with Stalingrad or Kursk.

The implications of this performance are as follows. I will not say it has been shattered but the long standing myth of German invincibility has been cracked, there is a massive dent in it. If they had qualified and then lost to Brazil in the next round, it would be easy to say, well they lost to a good team. No disrespect to Mexico or South Korea but they are hardly powerhouses of world football.

As the group progressed, one could sense a realization dawning on the teams facing Ze Shermans. They are not superhuman after all, they can be beaten.

The night of the long knives is going to seem like a picnic compared to what may happen to the Mannschaft.

The inquest into this debacle is going to be as long and painful as any ever carried out on Prinz Albrect Strasse back in the day. Ze Shermans while used to it, do not cope very well with defeat. They will be looking for scapegoats and  I know where they will look first

After the first world war, Ze Shermans had this theory that they had been stabbed in the back by undesirable elements, the concept originated in part, from the last part of Wagner's ring cycle known as Gotterdammerung, which in English refers to the utter collapse of a society or regime, rather apt here I think.

Ze Sherman coach, Joachim Low, the hero of four years ago when they won in Brazil and who we know as our friendly bum scratcher and nose picker was stabbed in the back by the perfidious players led by among others Mezit Ozil who was pictured shortly before the tournament shaking hands with the Turkish sultan of swing along with another member of the squad.

Now I hear you saying that does not sound a very German name and that is because it is a Turkish one, Ozil is the child of a Gastarbeiter family and his picture with Erdogan enraged Ze Sherman public who questioned where his true loyalties lay.

There were questions before the tournament, when the selection of the Mannschaft was announced, why were certain players picked or not picked ? This is normal behaviour, but not in Germany where the coach can do no wrong.

After the defeat to Mexico, there was dissension in the ranks with players coming out in public and criticizing their team mates, unheard of for Ze Shermans, which caused this reaction form the fans, that is how the French behave not us.

They left out the exciting talent of the young Leroy Sane who had a fantastic season at English champions Manchester, City, the defense was slow, the goalkeeper was coming back after injury and walked straight into the team when Ter Stegen of Barcelona was playing very well. They did not have a real striker, Mario Gomez is a donkey. The list is endless.

Anyway I will leave you with two minute highlights of the game and to spare a thought for Mat Hummels, Ze Sherman central defender who missed four chances to score with the worst being the one you will see in the 87th minute. Unfortunately they don't show the replay which shows the ball coming off his shoulder instead of his head, when it was easier to score than miss. If I was him, I would be thinking about moving to a desert island

Auf Wiedersehen Pet

Check back in a few hours for the preview of today's final group matches featuring of course an already qualified EnGerLand