Captain Lucas Kampa’s words already sounded like a World Cup farewell. “Diplomatic words are hard to find. The honest answer is that under some circumstances we are unable to play our volleyball in a certain state of tension,” said the frustrated setter of German volleyball players after losing in the World Cup group final.

Kampa’s team had no chance in 0:3 against highly focused runners-up Slovenia. After a second bankrupt in the third game, the Germans no longer have progress on their hands and must hope to help the competition, which will only be in action on Wednesday.

“I hope we get a chance to go a little further here. If not, we honestly don’t deserve it,” Kampa said mercilessly. In critical stages, the team cannot simply say “what do we need to survive on such a platform”.

The Germans first lost against Olympic champions France (0:3) and then won against Outer Cameroon (3:0). The 2014 bronze winners finished third in Group D, after losing to co-hosts Slovenia in front of nearly 12,000 fans in Ljubljana. Only the first two teams in each group and the four best third-placed teams advance to the Round of 16.

Competitors such as Argentina or Canada can perform a quick tournament knockout on the Germans.