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On the 60th anniversary of the Miracle of Bern, two surviving European heavyweights, Germany and France met for the fourth time in World Cup history at the Maracana in Brazil to battle for a place in the semi-finals of the tournament. France came into this game already surpassing many expectations while Germany, one of the favourites as always, were looking to make it into their fourth consecutive semi-final.The game commenced as Germany took control of proceedings from the first whistle. France were happy to sit back and let the Germans attack which clearly portrayed Les Blues’ tactics to hit on the counter. But those plans were altered in the 15th minute as Matt Hummels’ header gave Germany the lead as he made the most out of a well taken set piece by Toni Kroos.France barely threatened goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the first half as both teams headed down the tunnel. Didier Deschamps men started the second half as the brighter of the two sides as they looked more dangerous in the first ten minutes than the entire first half. Neuer was called into action on a few occasions, but the Bayern Munich goalkeeper managed to block their chances. Germany had two good chances at the death, but they were denied by an equally brilliant Hugo Lloris who somehow kept his team in the hunt for an equaliser.France very nearly had their moment to level the scoreline in the dying minutes of stoppage time when Benzema found space to shoot inside the 18-yard area. But Neuer was brilliant with his reflexes again as Germany held on to their lead and became the first team to secure a semi-final berth establishing their status as the most consistent team in the competition’s history. So where did it go wrong for France? Were Germany the better of the two teams? Here, are the five talking points from the game.
#1 Low\'s tactics successful yet unconvincing
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Even before kick-off, the team sheet of the starting lineup looked surprising as coach Low went with two defensive midfielders, one centre midfielder in attacking position while Ozil was drifted towards the left flank from his usual central role behind the striker. Klose started and Muller was shifted towards the right. It was clear that the team was setup to distribute the play more through the centre.
That was exactly how Germany approached the game although that did give them more security in the middle. With Schweinsteiger and Khedira, Kroos roamed around freely distributing the passes while his two compatriots did the hard work of tracking back and hindering France from breaking on the counter. It was a plan well set up by Low to maintain balance but in doing that he sacrificed the pace that Germans themselves needed to score more goals and kill the game off.
While Muller and Ozil are experts in finding spaces, they aren’t the quickest in the world. Klose is well past his age to be beating defenders with his runs which may prompt many to ask why Andre Schurrle wasn’t used from the start. Or even Mario Gotze for that matter, who has the capability to take on defenders and beat them. For the next game, this may come back to hurt Germany specially if they require the legs to make an opportunity on the counter.
#2 France lacked a world class playmaker
This is one aspect which was waiting to be exposed on a big game situation and France’s inability to create enough chances just confirmed the absence of a quality playmaker. While Yohan Cabaye has been highly rated in the Premier League specially after his high profile move to PSG, the midfielder could not provide that final ball which France’s attack desperately required.
On the other hand, Paul Pogba who has been labelled as a future star after enduring a great season with Juventus, failed to deliver on the big stage as he was largely absent for most of the game and clearly came out as the second best in the midfield battle against the Germans. Matuidi’s work ethics were only positive aspect as far as the French are concerned while Valbuena looked to make things happen but lacked support up front.
It was always going to be a difficult task for Karim Benzema as the lone striker and although he did manage to find spaces and create a few, he was a figure cut short for long durations in the match.
#3 Matt Hummels - Modern football\'s Beckenbauer
He missed out in the game against Algeria due to illness but came back and scored the decisive goal to spearhead his team into the semis. Matt Hummels is indeed making a name for himself at this World Cup. The Borussia Dortmund defender scored against Portugal in the 4-0 rout. And in this game, he rose with great determination to bury the ball into the back of the net cementing his place among Germany’s greatest.
Defensively, Hummels stood unmoved as Benzema and co couldn't get past him when in one-on-one situations. He made several crucial tackles including an excellent block of a Benzema shot. Equally, he was sharp with his passing and decision making helping his team to retain possession. He was always aware of the defenders behind him and make timely clearances leaving no room for errors. His performances just reminded everyone why he was referred to as the modern day Franz Beckenbauer earlier.
#4 France can be proud of themselves
Making it this far into the tournament when everyone expected that they would have a disappointing campaign is itself an achievement for the Les Blues. After experiencing a bumpy qualification phase, not many predicted that Didier Deschamps’ men would be lighting up the tournament. They began their group stage on a high note and after thrashing Switzerland 5-2 in the second game, they put the world into notice and some began to think of them as contenders.
The round-of16 tie against Nigeria exposed France in some way as they lacked ideas for most of the game and failed to break down the Nigerian defence until the 81st minute. It was an average showing but nonetheless, it was enough for them to progress to the quarters. Coming into this game and facing one of the best teams in the world was always going to be a tough task and they were fancied by a lot to defeat the Germans. But at the ned of the day, there wasn’t enough firepower to see this tie through and France bowed their heads out of the tournament.
#5 Manuel Neuer is in his own league
Manuel Neuer easily stole the show with yet another stellar performance in goal. The Bayern Munich goalkeeper was called on several times during the game and he equally stood up to the efforts thrown at him. With a degree of comfort and calmness he made some crucial saves and proved to be an impenetrable figure in front of the post. France were denied on four clear occasions as Neuer ensured that his team safely passes into the semis of the tournament.
Mathieu Valbuena came close but couldn’t get past him, Raphael Varane’s header was comfortably grasped while Benzema’s last minute effort was perhaps the most crucial save he had to make in the entire game. Even though those efforts were well on target, Neuer made it look so easy which just showed the level of confidence and the kind of form the 28-year-old is in now.
