The German team, led by captain Joshua Kimmich, secured two wins in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup before losing to Ecuador on the final matchday. A post-game comment by Kimmich did not go over well with experts.
The Bayern star, who is once again playing right back for the national team, explained after the match that Ecuador simply showed a little more determination. For their South American opponents, everything was on the line, while the DFB squad had already secured first place in the group.
“What annoys me the most is that you got the feeling the opponent wanted to win more than we did—that, regardless of the situation, the opponent was more aggressive and played harder for the win than we did. You could obviously tell that the opponent had to win the game, that they wanted to win the game—and today, definitely more than we did,” Kimmich said after the match.
Effenberg Criticizes Kimmich
Kimmich’s statement was also discussed on the “Doppelpass” show on Sport1 . Stefan Effenberg, himself a former national team player, disagreed. The former Bayern pro had a message for Kimmich.
“The others wanted it more? Then please lead the way—you’re the captain; you’re the one winning the battles. You take the lead and tell your teammates that they should do the same. If he then said after the game that the others wanted it more, then it starts with him,” said Effenberg.
Former pro Mike Hanke, who was also part of the panel discussion, tried to calm things down, however:“Youknow how it is—when you’re already through and the opponent has to win, you’re subconsciously giving a few percent less than the opponent, and that’s what makes the difference. I don’t see it as them having a mentality problem.”
For Effenberg, though, that’s no excuse. “That may be true, but you still lose the game in the end. If you don’t lose, then you’re undefeated. Now the discussions are starting up again—there are more question marks in people’s minds,” he said, pointing out the looming danger.
