In the past 16 World Cups, Germany have never failed to make it to the last eight. They came to Russia as World and Confederations Cup champions, as a nation that had industrialised youth development, that seemed to have effectively eliminated the possibility of failure. But football has a strange way of making a mockery of the most well-grounded predictions and they went home after losing to a South Korea side that had already lost to Sweden and Mexico.

What was baffling here was how limp Germany were. There was no cavalry charge, no siege laid to the Korean goal. There was a passivity, a meek acceptance of fact. As news of Sweden’s goals broke, Jogi Low hurled on Mario Gomez and Thomas Muller, and it made not a scrap of difference.

The knife, in the end, was lunged in by VAR, which showed Toni Kroos prodding back the ball that Kim Young-gwon lashed home from a late corner, overturning an offside call. And then, as though the gods had decided thoroughly to mock Germany, Manuel Neuer, whose peregrinations form his goal have been such an asset for Germany, was caught in possession high up field by Ju Se-jng. He whacked a long ball into the Germany half and Son Heng-min chased on to rolled the ball into an empty net. It was Sweden and Mexico going through.

World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Cho Hyun-woo - 8/10 Made several fantastic saves, including a diving save early in the second half to deny Goretzka. A deserved clean sheet for him AFP/Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Lee Yong - 7/10 Defended very strongly at right back and got forward to on the break to give South Korea’s attack more options. Ran himself into the ground AFP/Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Yun Young-sun - 7/10 Outstanding in defence. Germany kept coming at South Korea and, baring a couple of mistakes, Young-sun held his own against the World Cup holders AFP/Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Kim Young-gwon - 8/10 Linked well with Yun Young-Sun in defence to stop Germany’s attacks. Got the goal that knocked out the world champions before Son landed the hammer blow. A class performance AFP/Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Chul Hong - 7/10 Was put under immense pressure at left-back as Germany pounded the right side but stood strong and kept a clean sheet Getty Images, World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Lee Jae-sung - 7/10 Led the attack out of Korea’s half when they moved onto the counter. Delivered good balls into Son to give Korea their best chances on goal EPA World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Jang Hyun-soo - 6/10 Quick on the counter attack and broke free regularly in the second half. Didn't provide enough service to Son, though AFP/Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Jung Woo-young - 7/10 Had a good free kick saved by Neuer. Attacked well on the counter in the second half EPA World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Moon Seon-min - 7/10 Worked like a racehorse down the left, sprinting back and forth all day. His only negative was holding onto the ball too long near Germany's goal AFP/Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Son Heung-Min - 7/10 Advanced forward when on the break and created a few half chances. Picked up a yellow card in the second half for diving but finally got his goal in the 96th minute REUTERS World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Koo Ja-cheol - 6/10 Struggled with an injury so couldn’t make enough of his possession when he got into the box AP World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Manuel Neuer - 6/10 Made an error in the first half that almost let Son Heung-Min score the opener, but he recovered well to punch it clear AFP/Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Joshua Kimmich - 6/10 He wasn’t challenged a great deal at the back but gave Germany options going forward, including a loopy cross in the second half to set up Goretzka AFP/Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Niklas Sule - 6/10 Made some quality passes from the back to launch a rather sluggish German side into attacking positions. Had a 98 per cent pass completion rate in the first half REUTERS World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Mats Hummels - 6/10 Stormed forward in the second half to try and rescue his team, but to no avail. Germany's defence came undone in those chaotic final minutes AFP/Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Jonas Hector - 6/10 Went forward with serious gusto and more often than not found himself in front of goal. But that was about it from the player AFP/Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Sami Khedira - 6/10 Sluggish in midfield. Saw plenty of the ball but was unable to break down the South Korean defence AFP/Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Toni Kroos - 6/10 Didn’t play well enough today. Created some chances for his side but was lacking in urgency and desire Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Leon Goretzka - 5/10 Had one of Germany’s best chances in the second half; should have directed his header better but forced Cho into the save AFP/Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Mesut Ozil - 5/10 A poor performance. He was slow in midfield while a number of his passes missed their target by some way. He did, however, deliver the ball for Germany’s best chance of the second half AFP/Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Marco Reus - 6/10 Tried his best to create chances all over the pitch but came up against a determined South Korean side Getty Images World Cup: South Korea vs Germany player ratings Timo Werner - 5/10 Didn’t find enough good positions as the front-line striker. Often drifted to the left which limited his chances on goal AFP/Getty Images

The South Korea coach Shin Tae-song has spent his tournament making excuses. Sweden, he said, were too tall. His side lost to Mexico because of some structural issue in the Korean league. Before Wednesday’s game, he seemed mildly irritated that Germany had not won their opening two games, meaning that they ended up going into this game needing a win and so unable to rest players. There simply hadn’t been time, he insisted, to prepare a strategy for such an eventuality.

He gave his team a one per cent chance of progress. Son Heung-min, trying to make the best of a bad situation, observed that while there was a one per cent chance there was hope – and there was. And, frankly, while Germany are as bad as this there was always hope.

Low made five changes to the side that had beaten Sweden, restoring Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira and leaving out Thomas Muller for the first time since the semi-final of Euro 2012. That meant only three German outfielders had started all three group games, a staggering level of uncertainty for a team that had qualified so impressively and won the Confederations Cup. Given that tournament was won with what was essentially a second string, perhaps the issue was a surfeit of options.

Either way, this was a grimly disjointed display from Germany, the only real positive being that South Korea were never able to counter-attack them as Mexico and Sweden had. Not until six minutes before half-timewas there a German chance worthy of the name, Ozil laying in Timo Werner whose shot was deflected over by Kim Young-gwan.

The final whistle sparked remarkable scenes (REUTERS)

Mats Hummels then turned sharply in the box from the resulting corner, only for Cho Hyeon-woo to smother at his feet. Cho made an even better save three minutes into the second half, leaping to his right to palm away Leon Goretzka’s header.

The Daegu FC keeper, whose flamboyant ginger Neymar-cut has earned him the nickname Dae Hair in Korea (a pun on De Gea, based in the fact “dae” means “great” in Korean), came into the tournament as third-choice, but he seized the opportunity after being selected for the opening game against Sweden because of his height and was arguably his country’s player of the tournament.

Germany could scarcely believe their fate (AP)

Löw had said he would make sure he was kept updated about the progress of the other game and, as Sweden scored, meaning Germany had to win, he threw on Mario Gomez and Müller. That perhaps did enhance the attacking treat offered by Germany, but it also recreated the issues in stifling counter-attacks that had dogged them against Mexico and, to a lesser extent, Sweden. A better side than South Korea would surely have taken advantage but, too often, there was a reluctance to shoot, an insistence on taking the extra touch that allowed Germany to recover.