Germany veteran Thomas Mueller said on Tuesday his side would “stay humble” with their World Cup group stage exit in 2018 fresh in their minds ahead of Thursday’s must-win clash with Costa Rica.
Niclas Fuellkrug’s 83rd-minute equaliser against Spain on Sunday put Germany’s challenge back on track after a damaging opening defeat to Japan.
Germany’s hopes of qualifying for the last 16 in Qatar are not entirely in their hands even if they defeat underdogs Costa Rica.
A win for Japan against the Spanish in the simultaneous game would mean Germany must outdo Spain’s goal difference, which has been heavily boosted by La Roja’s 7-0 annihilation of the Costa Ricans in their opening fixture.
Mueller said however he was just focusing on beating Costa Rica, who bounced back in their second game to beat Japan 1-0.