New Delhi: German captain Maximillian Muller on Thursday attributed consistency and big match mental
strength as the reasons for their easy 4-1 victory over
England in the World Cup semifinal here on Thursday.
"We have been consistent in this tournament. England were
a good side but we also played consistently throughout the 70
minutes today. That made the difference," Muller said.
"I think we were better than England in all departments
of the game. We played as a team and we were on top after we
scored the two quick goals in the first half," he added.
Germany scored their third goal via a fine penalty corner
variation and Muller said the players practised different
modes of taking the the short corners.
"We were having different variations of penalty corner
hits and one of them came good today. It was satisfying," he
said.
Asked about the famous German big match temperament which
saw them won the last two editions, Muller said, "People say
we have the big match temperament and we have the mental
strength. It is just like that. I am proud to be a German," he
quipped with a smile.
Coach Markus Weise said the 4-1 result did not show the
difficulty on the field and it was a tough match against the
English.
"It was a tough match. The 4-1 scoreboard did not reflect
it. Had we not scored the two quick goals in the first half
and had England scored two goals the game could have been
different," he said.
England coach Jason Lee was candid enough in admitting
that the Germans were class apart and they could only learn
from them.
"We felt the absence of Richard Mantell and also we
lacked experience. They are world number one and we were
playing only the second semifinal while they have played in 11
out of the 12 editions. They are much above us in class and we
can learn from them," he said.
"They also scored two quick goals in the first half and
we were playing catch-up. It was disappointing but in a way we
are setting standards in our hockey by playing a semifinal
after 24 years. This will take England hockey forward," he
added.
England captain Barry Middleton said the difference
between the two sides was in the defence.
"They (Germans) were clinical today better than us in all
departments. But the main difference was in defence," he
said.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 11, 2010, 22:56