“Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win.”
Gary Lineker, BBC Sport presenter and former England captain, had said this once. A long time ago. But as Toni Kroos buried his free kick into the Swedish net, he took to twitter to say it again…. with an added twist.
“Football is a simple game, 22 men chase the ball for 82 minutes and the Germans get a player sent off so 21 men chase the ball for 13 minutes and at the end the Germans somehow f***ing win.”
What happened last night defies analysis. There is nothing to analyse there. It simply should not have happened. Period. That is what it is. But it did happen and it wouldn’t surprise anyone that the team to do it was Germany.
One of the footballing world’s eternal cliches is ‘never write off the Germans’ and on Saturday night, they once again showed us why. But leading into those final moments, one couldn’t shake the feeling: Germany were done. the feeling was further fortified when Jerome Boateng was sent off for his second yellow of the night.
There were still 8 minutes left in regulation time. It was at the end of the match and most other sides would have looked to try and hold off the opposition for the remaining time. It was the end of the match as well, the players were exhausted and a draw would have been ‘ok’ in most books.
But instead, Germany decided to risk it all. They decided to attack and in doing so, they —- despite being reduced to 10 men — pushed Sweden deeper into their own half. So while Sweden struggled with their passive approach, Germany decided to attack.
For most part, Sweden was hanging pretty well. Then, Toni Kroos stepped up to take THE free kick and produced a kick of rare quality to help his side beat Sweden. Germany go into their last group game (against South Korea) with a real chance of going through to the last 16.
As the referee blew the final whistle, the Swedish players sank to the ground with a vacant stare in eyes. They had worked so hard but the Germans somehow won.
“This was a thriller, full of emotions and a rollercoaster ride right up to the final whistle”, said Joachim Loew after the game. “After conceding a goal we kept a level head, we said that we needed to make quick passes, cover ground to tire out Sweden and then open up spaces, which we were able to do. In the second half the pressure we built up was increasingly strong. We obviously also didn’t score on a couple of clear opportunities but what I did appreciate was the spirit of the team. We never lost hope that we could turn the tide and win this match.”
And really that is what it comes down to — spirit. Their fighting spirit — Kampfgeist, as the German’s call it — remained intact despite the dire situation they were in.
The only question that came to mind as we watched them once again achieve a miracle of sorts was, ‘How do they do it…’
The German spirit
Over and over again, in similar situations, they find a way to win. Some teams are the perennial chokers (England in football, South Africa in cricket and more) while others (like Germany) find a way to win. Defeat is not something they think about.
In the old days, German sides were characterised by their workmanlike “clinical and effective” play. Individual brilliance had it’s place but it had to fit in within the team ethos. The current team is much more creative in that sense but a common thread between the two sides is their mental approach; their never-say-die attitude. That has not changed; THAT has become quintessentially German.
The current doesn’t quite have the aura of old but their talent is unquestionably brilliant.
German-born Nobel laureate Henry Kissinger had put the success of the German national team down to attitude and planning: “The German national team plays the way its general staff prepared for the war; games are meticulously planned, each player skilled in both attack and defence. Intricate pass patterns evolve, starting right in front of the German goal. Anything achievable by human foresight, careful preparation and hard work is accounted for.”
But even that couldn’t explain what happened last night or on so many match days earlier. They may still go out but while they will have a game against South Korea, Mexico and Sweden will face each other. Given the kind of momentum, Germany will have after this win… it really wouldn’t have mattered. Because come the final whistle, we all know who will be standing.
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