Japan Humiliate Euro 2024 Hosts Germany 4-1 As Pressure Builds On Hansi Flick

Japan humiliated Euro 2024 hosts Germany 4-1 in a friendly international on Saturday, piling the pressure on struggling coach Hansi Flick who defiantly insisted he remains the right man for the job. Japan, who also contributed to Germany's group stage exit at the World Cup with a 2-1 win in Qatar last year, scored twice in each half. The defeat raises more questions over Flick's future, nine months out from Germany hosting the European Championships.  A "brutally disappointed" Flick refused to back down after the game.

"I think we're doing well -- and I'm the right manager. But I know things can change in professional football and I can't see what's to come," he said.

Germany captain Ilkay Gundogan said simply "we are not good enough right now, it's a completely bitter day -- we all need to ask questions of ourselves."

Junya Ito and Ayase Ueda scored either side of a Leroy Sane strike in the first half, Japan taking a 2-1 lead into halftime as the home fans jeered the home side.

Germany continued their limp performance in the second half, with Japan scoring twice in the final five minutes through Takuma Asano and Ao Tanaka, to seal a dominant performance.

Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu said his side "actually had many more chances to score" but "the main thing is that we won."

"To win a game here in Germany, in this difficult situation, we have done well."

Boos and whistles

Flick promised before the game Germany would "play our core team", pledging to shelve an experimental approach which saw his side win just one of five games since their disastrous World Cup exit.

Flick however started Nico Schlotterbeck at left-back, a position the Borussia Dortmund centre-back has played only twice in his senior career, both times