Mueez Ajao
– Germany Coach Jonathan Low may have been caught between experience and some superstition.
– Germany were beaten by France in their opening match of the competition, but recovered to defeat Portugal 4-2 on Saturday.
– Low’s team are looking to avoid a repeat of their group stage elimination at the last World Cup, and Low feels his side are in good shape after two matches.
– Low told reporters: “Of course, a win like this gives you a boost, but we never doubted ourselves. We knew we could do some things better.” The next game could be even more difficult, because Hungary sit deeper and defend with eight or nine men. We have to take it step by step.
– “There are plenty of strong sides in this tournament, but the teams who have everything running perfectly in the first two games are rarely the ones who end up winning the tournament.”
– He added: “It was a very strong game for us against a technically good Portuguese side who are strong on the counter-attack. We showed a lot of morale after going behind. We showed very good spirit and never lost track, and we kept our composure.
– “We also kept the momentum high and created a lot of good chances while playing at a very good tempo. We overwhelmed the Portuguese defence several times.”
– Germany will finish off the group stage with a match against Hungary on Wednesday. Low’s team are currently second in Group F, a point behind France and ahead of Portugal.
– They will be sure of a place in the next round if they win against Hungary, but a draw will be enough as long as France avoid defeat against Portugal.
