In the weeks leading up to the World Cup, the mood in Germany and among supporters of the Nationalmannschaft would be laced with the usual dose of pre-tournament pessimism. In recent campaigns there would be always be at least one
Finally, after all the pre-tournament hype, we have seen some football. The opening game would see the hosts Brazil record a 3-1 win over Croatia, but the score would not really reflect what had happened over the ninety minutes. Two
The squad of twenty-seven players taken to the training camp in Italy is now down to twenty-six, following the withdrawal of gritty midfielder Lars Bender thorough injury. The absence of the Bayer 04 Leverkusen defensive midfielder leaves Nationaltrainer Joachim Löw