I had promised to just watch every match as it comes and not get too involved in the ongoing discussions regarding the selection choices and tactical decisions being made by Nationaltrainer Jogi Löw, but as the tournament enters the knockout
Having been brought back down to earth by Ghana in their second match, Joachim Löw’s side would knuckle down and turn out a highly professional performance in their final group game against the United States in Recife. With the Americans
It is a very wet afternoon on Brazil’s north-eastern coast, with the city of Recife being hit by a massive rainstorm that has brought widespread flooding to the area. Reports and images coming in before the match have shown flooded
Following the emphatic four-goal thrashing of Portugal in Salvador, the growing sense of confidence in the Germany can would take a slight hit against a physical and energetic Ghana side in a hot and sticky Fortaleza. Not for the first
It’s a hot afternoon in Fortaleza on Brazil’s north-eastern coast, with temperatures hovering around thirty degrees Celsius at around sixty percent humidity – perfect energy-sapping conditions. Having come through his final pre-match training session centre-back Mats Hummels has managed to
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
So finally, the show begins with the opening match against Portugal. It’s a bright afternoon in Salvador, the port city in north-east of Brazil and capital of the Bahia region. It is the second game to be played at the
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 somewhat disappointing 2-2 draw with Cameroon in Mönchengladbach would put plenty of pressure on the team and coach Joachim Löw to deliver in their final match before the World Cup, and after a rather testing first half they wouldn’t
It’s a warm evening in a packed Coface Arena in Mainz, and Jogi Löw’s side are all set for their final warmup match against Armenia. A lot of the big names are back in the starting lineup, and with goalkeeper
After a successful ten-day training camp in the South Tyrol, the squad of twenty-six players would head to Mönchengladbach via Düsseldorf for their penultimate pre-tournament friendly against fellow finalists Cameroon – the final match before the announcement of the final
It’s a pleasant afternoon in a packed Borussia-Park, and the crowd are in good voice as the two teams make their way out of the tunnel. In the absence of skipper Philipp Lahm and Miroslav Klose, Per Mertesacker takes the