All good things have to come to an end. Germany had come into their Euro semi-final against hosts France with more than a degree of confidence after their dramatic quarter-final victory over (former) bogey team Italy, but in the end
History, omens, form, fitness, psychology. Some of many things one has to factor in when attempting to do the impossible – namely, to write a preview for a high-profile football match. I usually try to avoid this sort of thing,
OK, Germany couldn’t quite beat Italy inside the ninety minutes or even extra time, but a messy penalty shootout victory will do. At the ninth attempt, the Italian curse has been broken. True to expectations, the encounter in Bordeaux was
The waiting is at an end, and the time has come. The setting is the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, and it is the ninth competitive chapter in the long-running – and up to this point one-sided – duel between the
Having started to click into gear in their final group match against Northern Ireland, the Mannschaft machine looked to have got things absolutely right – overwhelming a defensively-minded Slovakia with a heady mix of skill, guile and power. With the
After a solid if not exactly spectacular group phase, Germany are back in Lille to face Slovakia – third place finishers behind Wales and England in Group B. Having been beaten 3-1 in Augsburg by the Slovaks only last month
Germany rounded off their first phase group with a flourish, even if the final result was far from indicative of their powerful and dominant performance. Changes made by Nationaltrainer Jogi Löw produced much needed spark as the Mannschaft threatened to
The time has come, and Germany are at an atmospheric Parc des Princes in Paris to take on Northern Ireland in their final group match – where a good win should take them through to the last sixteen in top
After the 2-0 opening group victory against Ukraine, Germany’s campaign stumbled and stuttered in what was a laboured and arguably fortunate goalless draw against a well-drilled Polish side. With both teams coming into the match on three points, a victory
So, it begins! After all of the build-up, predictions and (meaningless) warm-up matches, the Euros finally start for the Mannschaft against the Ukraine in Lille. Incidents off the pitch have made the biggest headlines so far, but the world champions
After the soggy encounter against Slovakia the previous Sunday, the weather is considerably brighter at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, and there is a more solid and established look to the German team too. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is back and with
As expected, there is an experimental look to the starting eleven for the first of the Mannschaft’s final two pre-Euros warm-up matches against fellow tournament finalists Slovakia in Augsburg. It is Germany’s first meeting against the Repre for almost a