Mockery sweeps web after German downfall
MOSCOW – Agence France-Presse
The internet turned cruel for Germany fans on June 28 as online mockery swept the globe following the defending champions’ shock World Cup elimination.
A stream of memes and jokes flooded social media after a stunning 2-0 defeat to South Korea condemned Die Mannschaft to their earliest exit in 80 years.
“Don’t mention the VAR,” was a common refrain, while Brazilian media gleefully took their revenge for Brazil’s 7-1 humiliation by Germany at the last World Cup in 2014.
“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...” read a tweet from Fox Sports Brasil that ran to 272 characters.
In dramatic scenes in Kazan, Kim Young-gwon’s stoppage-time opener was ruled legitimate after intervention from the Video Assistant Referee, before Son Heung-min added the second goal minutes later.
“Germany’s fastest exit from Russia since 1943,” posted one user, while another tweeted a picture of Germany towels reserving all the seats on an empty plane.
Mexico fans were particularly delighted after South Korea’s last-gasp win allowed them to qualify for the last 16 behind Group F winners Sweden - while Germany finished rock bottom.
Aeromexico offered a 20 percent discount on flights to South Korea, tweeting an image of a plane with doctored “AeroCorea” livery and the slogan, “We love you Korea!”
Ryanair tweeted a picture of an unhappy Germany fan, offering “Loew fares” - a reference to German coach Joachim Loew.
One joke in German showed a supermarket check-out assistant asking Loew, “Do you collect points?” with the coach answering, “No.”
Meanwhile, England striker-turned-TV-presenter Gary Lineker revised his famous maxim that “Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.”
“Football is a simple game,” Lineker tweeted.
“Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans no longer always win. Previous version is confined to history.”
South Korean fans, meanwhile, rejoiced on June 28 and called for national service exemptions after their team went out of the World Cup in a blaze of glory.
“We didn’t make it to the round of 16... but we sent the world number one packing,” said a headline in Seoul’s major Dong-A daily.
“We are so proud of you,” the newspaper said on its front page, adding the game “shook South Korea upside down”.
South Korean social media were flooded by tens of thousands of messages from fans expressing joy and astonishment over a victory that had seemed utterly implausible before the match.
“This is far more shocking than our advance to the semi-final at the 2002 World Cup,” one commenter said.
“Who cares we won’t make it to the round of 16? We defeated Germany, the world number one!” added another.
“It was an honorable exit.”
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon joined them, tweeting on Thursday: “Reality beat our imagination today” and praising the South Korean footballers.