After Argentina's shock defeat to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the World Cup shocks continued on Wednesday, with Germany falling to a late 2-1 loss to underdogs Japan.
The Japanese performance was outstanding, as they fought back from a 1-0 half time deficit thanks to goals from Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano.
On RTÉ post-match, Stephen Kelly praised Japanese manager Hajime Moriyasu for his game changing substitutions, while Liam Brady called their second half performance one of the best he had ever seen.
Ex-Germany footballer Didi Hamann, however, was more drawn to the antics of one of Germany's defenders, as he heavily criticised Real Madrid centre back Antonio Rudiger for one particularly exuberant incident while the Germans were still 1-0 up.
Antonio Rudiger: Didi Hamann slams German defender for Japan antics
Germany suffered a second half collapse against Japan as, for the second World Cup in a row, they opened their campaign with a shock defeat in their first game.
Mexico in 2018 and now Japan in 2022 have shocked the Germans at the outset of the World Cup, and the Japanese team were full worth for their late win.
🇩🇪 1-2 🇯🇵
Joyous scenes at the final whistle as Japan celebrate their finest hour at the #FifaWorldCup.
📺 Watch reaction now on @RTE2 and @RTEplayer: https://t.co/cpCr43bf7e
📱Live updates: https://t.co/1fMQMqtH51#GERJPN #RTESoccer pic.twitter.com/NP8OHmZLaS— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) November 23, 2022
It was Japan's greatest ever win at a World Cup, and they were mightily impressive.
Didi Hamann, who played for Germany in the 2002 World Cup final, was not impressed with the German performance, saying that they looked like they ran out of energy in the second half.
He also criticised their wastefulness in front of goal, and reserved special mention for a second half incident involving Antonio Rudiger.
With little under half an hour to go, and Germany still winning 1-0, Rudiger was involved in a foot race with Japanese substitute Takuma Asano.
He proceeded to raise his legs in the style of a "knees up" warm up.
THIS GUY😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/pXVRTBCpjc
— george (@StokeyyG2) November 23, 2022
Though many fans found the incident humorous, Hamann was unimpressed - slamming the German's attitude, and claiming that it showed his unprofessional approach to the game against Japan.
Hamann said of Rudiger:
It's unprofessional, it's out of order...
Yes [it's arrogant] - it shouldn't be done...you show respect to the opposition, he hasn't done that.
Rudiger moved to Real Madrid over the summer, after an excellent season under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea.
His departure has been felt in west London, with the Blues struggling under new boss Graham Potter.
He now has a mountain to climb himself, with the German team's next game against Spain now looking like it could be a must-win affair. That mouthwatering tie kicks off at 7pm on Saturday, with the Spaniards getting their campaign underway later on Wednesday against Costa Rica.
SEE ALSO: "Taste Of Their Own Medicine" - Roy Keane Throws Brilliant Rice And Grealish Dig
Read More: Unique Wolves Gift Ideas Wolverhampton Fans Will Actually Like
