India, June 26 -- There couldn't have been a more fitting stage for Manuel Neuer to reach football immortality. His 22nd World Cup appearance drew Neuer level with Lothar Matthaus and Miroslav Klose, two legends who have defined different eras of German football. It should have been a celebration of longevity and reinvention, of a stalwart who had fundamentally changed how the game is viewed. Instead, it quickly turned into a forgettable game.

Germany have now conceded four goals in three group stage matches against much lower ranked sides. Against Ecuador, Neuer was beaten first by a strike from distance and then from close, almost point blank range, Neither goal alone was especially damning, Together though, they were symbolic-not just...