Julian Nagelsmann left needing to “fight back tears” after Germany’s last minute elimination to Spain

Speaking in a post-match interview with Das Erste, via @iMiaSanMia, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann did not hold back his emotions following Germany’s devastating last minute defeat to Spain in the 2024 European Championship. The dream of winning the tournament is over and in such a cruel, late fashion. How can one possibly sum up how much it hurts?

But Nagelsmann gives it a shot: “It hurts because we won’t be able to do better for another two years. And I probably won’t have another home tournament in my career. If we had performed badly, it would have been deserved and then we wouldn’t have to stand here and fight back tears.”

So now what? How do Germany move on from here? The former Bayern Munich manager admits the emotions of the match have, for the time being, left him without ideas: “I don’t even know what the plan is now because I didn’t plan on being eliminated. My team and I have the job of thinking about the squad now and what is the right thing to do in the Nations League in September.”

And that is how it goes. In just a couple of short months, Nagelsmann needs to be able to present a top side for the Nations League. But right is the time to grieve and work through such a painful defeat.

Looking for more thoughts and analysis of Germany’s crushing 2-1 loss to Spain? We have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. We have takes on Julian Nagelsmann’s controversial starting XI, a rundown of the scoring and substitutions, and ideas on how this all fell apart in front of an absolutely electric crowd. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below: