Group E was open as all four teams — Germany, Spain, Japan and Costa Rica — were in the qualifying contention, and there was no time to breathe easy as the equations changed through Thursday night.
Here’s how the equations went through a roller-coaster ride:
10 minutes: Germany (1 point) needed a win against Costa Rica (3 points). Serge Gnabry gives the Europeans the ideal start.
LIVE EQUATION: Spain, Germany, Japan on 4 points. Spain have a huge goal difference.
11 minutes: Alvaro Morata scores for Spain
LIVE EQUATION: Spain 7, Germany second on 4. Japan, Costa Rica 3
48 minutes: Japan equalise through Ritsu Doan, who supplied the leveller against Germany eight days ago.\
LIVE EQUATION: Spain still top on 5, Japan return to 2nd place on 4 (ahead of Germany on the teams’ head-to-head record, with the sides locked on four points, and identical goal difference and goals scored)

51 minutes: Japan lead. Hajime Moriyasu’s team score their second goal in three minutes against Spain.
LIVE EQUATION: Japan now top. Spain and Germany on 4 with the 2010 champions ahead on goal difference.
58 minutes: Costa Rica draw level against Germany through Yeltsin Tejeda’s strike.
LIVE EQUATION: Japan top, Costa Rica behind Spain on goal difference on 4. Germany 2 points.
70 minutes: Costa Rica lead as Germany’s talisman goalkeeper Manuel Neuer scores an own goal.
LIVE EQUATION: Can you believe it? Japan and Costa Rica on 6 points, the Asian team ahead on goal difference. Spain (4), Germany (1) are out.
73 minutes: Germany equalise through Kai Havertz.
LIVE EQUATION: Japan 6, Spain are back, after being on the brink of a shock exit for 3 minutes. Spain, Costa Rica (4); Germany 2.

85 minutes: Germany grab the lead again as Havertz scores his second.
LIVE EQUATION: Germany back on 4 points, level with Spain but of course, the 2010 champs are ahead on goal-difference. Costa Rica 3. Japan rules on 6.
89 minutes: Germany score their fourth goal. Niclas Fuellkrug scores his second goal of the tournament.
LIVE EQUATION: Germany desperately need a Spain equaliser against Japan as the song remains the same.
90+8 minutes: Japan go crazy after the full-time whistle is blown. They win 2-1. They beat both Spain and Germany on the way to the top of Group E.
LIVE EQUATION: Japan 6, Spain (4; goal difference +6), Germany (4; goal difference +1), Costa Rica (3).

90+11 minutes: Germany win 4-2 against Costa Rica. Too little, too late.
FINALLY: It’s Spain vs Morocco in the Last 16 on Tuesday. Japan face Croatia on Monday. Hansi Flick’s Germany out of group stage for the second World Cup in a row.