It was difficult for everyone out there and the players are exhausted. It was a very tactical game in the first half, but after the break it was much more cut and thrust. We wanted to avoid it becoming too open a match in these temperatures. After going in front we wanted to stay compact, but then they scored two goals out of the blue. The side reacted well to that though. We wanted to force them higher up the pitch but they played well and always got back behind the ball very quickly. After regaining possession we weren’t purposeful enough going forward at times and that prevented us getting behind their defence. I think [Bastian] Schweinsteiger and [Miroslav] Klose breathed new life into the game; [Sami] Khedira and [Mario] Gotze were on their last legs. It was great that Miro got the goal. At this tournament you can’t expect to attack all the time in every game. A solid defence is the foundation in these temperatures so as not to leave yourself too exposed. Now we’ll have to wait and see what happens between Portugal and USA tomorrow. Things haven’t changed too much from our point of view, but of course we want to stay top of the standings.
Akwasi Appiah, Ghana coach
It was a good game. Germany are one of the best teams in the world and we gave it our all. We had some chances but unfortunately if you don’t take them against big teams then you don’t end up winning. We also wasted a few opportunities to equalise against USA, but that’s in the past now. I always had faith because we fight to the end. I believe attack is the best form of defence and that’s what we tried to put into practice. I always believed in my players and that we could win. It won’t be easy to reach the Round of 16 because we’ve only got one point. There are still a few games left to play in our group and although it’ll be tough, it is possible. You can only stop Cristiano Ronaldo, the best player in the world, by working as a team. We can’t let him show what he can do.
Mario Gotze, Budweiser Man of the Match
We conceded two goals we should never have conceded. It was a very difficult game overall. Now we need to recover, prepare well for our match against USA and pick up all three points.
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