German press mourn 'bitter' end to Euros campaign

The defeat to England is front page news in Germany

German papers are despondent following last night's defeat to "arch rivals" England, but the prevailing sense is that the team were simply not up to the task.

England picked up their first knockout win over Germany at a tournament since the World Cup triumph of 1966.

That match also took place at Wembley, which German media had been calling their "favourite stadium" given the team's successes there more recently - most notably in 1996.

But that may no longer be the case after last night.

German forward Thomas Muller missed a chance to equalise late in the game

'World class' no longer

Die Welt called it a "bitter and sobering end to the European Championship mission," in an article headlined "Only second-rate. What now?".

It went on to say that following the team's group exit in the 2018 World Cup, and last night's defeat in the last 16, "Germany no longer belongs to the world class".

"Just deeply sad" reads a headline in Suedduetsche Zeitung which says that the national team "must blame themselves for leaving the initiative to the English".

"Last Exit London," says Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

"The German game on Tuesday evening reflected the previous performances in the tournament: Tried, but in the end too unimaginative up front and too prone to error at the back. That was just enough to avoid having to pack the bags after the preliminary round for the second tournament in a row. But it was not enough to live up to their own claims.

"The dream of the final in London has collapsed. The German myth that we have been undefeated in 'our' stadium since 1966 is gone."

Low point

Elsewhere there is reflection on the legacy of coach Joachim Loew, whose career peaked with a World Cup win in 2014, but who bows out following two sub-par tournament showings in a row.

Coach Joachim Loew has been in charge for 15 years

Under the headline "Once upon a time there was a dreaded tournament team" Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung says: "Long before his last game, the national coach was no longer a man who could make a difference."

Bild says Loew looked "empty, frustrated, depressed" as he left Wembley last night.

In another article, the paper says "the era of Joachim Loew ends with perhaps his bitterest loss" to "arch-rivals England" at Wembley.

"Yes, the game against England could have been different, but the big feeling of a missed opportunity remains," says Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

"The deserving national coach Joachim Loew has to live with the feeling that he missed the time to quit."