To hear Deniz Undav and Joshua Kimmich tell the tale of Germany's 2-1 loss to Ecuador, there was a common theme — the South Americans just simply wanted it more.
Those were not the only players who came to that conclusion, though. Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala echoed his more experienced and grizzled teammates.
"Ecuador were perhaps a bit more hungry to win the game. The intensity and aggression of their play were high. We have to learn from this defeat and prepare properly for the important phase of the tournament. We can't afford to make these mistakes again," Musiala said (as captured by iMiaSanMia).
Interestingly, German head coach Julian Nagelsmann did not see it the same way and scoffed at the notion that Ecuador could want it more than his team. In the end, though, many observers concurred with Undav, Kimmich, and Musiala — the Germans did not play as hard, aggressive, or as focused as Ecuador, which proved to be the difference in the game.
Maybe, there is a disconnect between Nagelsmann and his locker room. If so, the Germans had better get aligned quickly ahead of the knockout stages.