Brazil played into our hands: Loew
11 July 2014 4:38 AM IST
Germany coach Joachim Loew (in pic, centre) says his team’s clinical response to Brazilian emotion laid the foundation of their stunning 7-1 victory. Brazil had gone into the match amid a mood of feverish national expectation and strident rallying cries to win for injured striker Neymar.
A hair-raising rendition of the Brazilian national anthem saw skipper David Luiz holding Neymar’s No.10 shirt aloft in a gesture of support. But Germany met the raw emotion head on and when the opportunities arose, they struck.
‘It was important to meet this passion and these emotions with calm, courage and with our own strength,’ said Loew whose side will now meet Argentina or the Netherlands in Sunday’s final in Rio de Janeiro. The game was won in an extraordinary burst which saw Germany rattle in four goals in six minutes midway through the first half. Loew said Germany had exploited the chaos in the Brazilian defence mercilessly.
‘They were shocked by our goals and it made the game easier for us. Everyone did their jobs incredibly well and with total concentration. ‘We played well going forward and combined superbly.’ But Loew said the Germans must stay humble despite inflicting a record international defeat on the hosts. ‘A bit of humility would also be very good and we need to be careful that we stay focused on Sunday. I knew before the game that if we were courageous, we could win, but no one imagined it would be 7-1. After we went 2-0 up, they were disorganised and we took advantage. There’s no euphoria in the dressing room, we are very happy, but we are not getting carried away. After half-time they showed a reaction to try, but we still controlled the match,’ said the 54-year-old.
A hair-raising rendition of the Brazilian national anthem saw skipper David Luiz holding Neymar’s No.10 shirt aloft in a gesture of support. But Germany met the raw emotion head on and when the opportunities arose, they struck.
‘It was important to meet this passion and these emotions with calm, courage and with our own strength,’ said Loew whose side will now meet Argentina or the Netherlands in Sunday’s final in Rio de Janeiro. The game was won in an extraordinary burst which saw Germany rattle in four goals in six minutes midway through the first half. Loew said Germany had exploited the chaos in the Brazilian defence mercilessly.
‘They were shocked by our goals and it made the game easier for us. Everyone did their jobs incredibly well and with total concentration. ‘We played well going forward and combined superbly.’ But Loew said the Germans must stay humble despite inflicting a record international defeat on the hosts. ‘A bit of humility would also be very good and we need to be careful that we stay focused on Sunday. I knew before the game that if we were courageous, we could win, but no one imagined it would be 7-1. After we went 2-0 up, they were disorganised and we took advantage. There’s no euphoria in the dressing room, we are very happy, but we are not getting carried away. After half-time they showed a reaction to try, but we still controlled the match,’ said the 54-year-old.
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