Jerome Boateng defends Mesut Özil after Germany's World Cup exit criticisms

Germany defender Jerome Boateng has jumped to the defence of attacking midfielder Mesut Özil, who has come under a loads of criticisms after their elimination from the FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The Champions were eliminated from the competition after losing their third group game to South Korea in dramatic circumstances.

The four times Champions lost in injury time when a goal could have seen them through.

Following the teams exit, several German fans has been attacking Arsenal midfielder Mesut Özil for his lackluster performances at the World Cup.

Meanwhile, defender Jerome Boateng says the blame should be laid at each and every player in the team rather than bashing Özil.

"The whole team is in charge. Together we did not manage to convince at this World Cup. We have to blame ourselves for that, " said Boateng.

"He's an artist on the ball, not a fighter in the defence like me. Maybe that's why he comes across sometimes wrong, but that does not mean that he does not want to or makes mistakes on purpose. The photo was unfortunate, it was a very difficult situation for him at the end."

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