"I was extremely disappointed" – Brighton's Pascal Groß opens up on World Cup frustration
| Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images |
After recently announcing his decision to retire from the German national team, Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Pascal Groß has opened up about a disappointing World Cup.
Groß saw limited playing time, featuring for just 17 minutes in Germany's final group-stage match against Ecuador, before watching the round-of-32 penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay from the bench.
“Everyone hopes to get plenty of playing time, but I really tried to support the team wherever I could,” Groß told Kicker.
“I was extremely disappointed after the World Cup because I knew that going out so early was a failure. And I was part of that team.”
The veteran midfielder added that he would have been “ready” to take a penalty in the shootout against Paraguay if he had been brought on.
“I was prepared for that scenario, but I don't want to dwell on it.”
Following the exit, he had no contact with Julian Nagelsmann, who was replaced by Jürgen Klopp as head coach.
“No, we didn't have a conversation. It obviously hurt him a lot too, everyone was devastated,” Groß stated.
