Germany could hardly have made a better start to their World Cup campaign. Coach Joachim Löw and his players were understandably delighted in the wake of a 4-0 victory over Portugal in Salvador da Bahia. DFB.de asked the key personalities for their reaction to the match.
Coach Joachim Löw: We kept it incredibly tight. We more or less prevented them hitting us on the break. At 3–0 up against ten men the important thing was to retain possession and play with economy of movement. Thomas Müller kept opening up gaps with his runs. Jerome Boateng did a superb job on [Cristiano] Ronaldo. Mats Hummels took a knock on the thigh but I don't think it's anything dramatic.
DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach: All credit to the team. I have to say I'm nearly speechless. Make no mistake, it was 50-50 before kick-off, so what a result that is. We're absolutely delighted.
Captain Philipp Lahm: We scored the goals at just the right times. It's great to start with a victory like that, but we're far from finished yet.
Thomas Müller: s Each goal was better than the one before (grins). I'm not the kind of guy who gets fazed by a clash at this level. We made a good start and it's obviously a boost when you take the lead after 12 minutes. At two goals and a man up in this heat the game was as good as over.
Jerome Boateng: We moved well as a unit right from the start and we launched quick counter-attacks. We all worked hard and always covered for each other.
Mats Hummels: I've taken a knock but I hope everything will be fine again in a couple of days.
Portugal coach Paulo Bento: We need to sit down and calmly analyse the match. There's basically not a lot to say at this point in time. Apart from the first five minutes we never got into the game. The second half was basically a damage limitation exercise. It's best if I don't comment on the referee.
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Germany could hardly have made a better start to their World Cup campaign. Coach Joachim Löw and his players were understandably delighted in the wake of a 4-0 victory over Portugal in Salvador da Bahia. DFB.de asked the key personalities for their reaction to the match.
Coach Joachim Löw: We kept it incredibly tight. We more or less prevented them hitting us on the break. At 3–0 up against ten men the important thing was to retain possession and play with economy of movement. Thomas Müller kept opening up gaps with his runs. Jerome Boateng did a superb job on [Cristiano] Ronaldo. Mats Hummels took a knock on the thigh but I don't think it's anything dramatic.
DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach: All credit to the team. I have to say I'm nearly speechless. Make no mistake, it was 50-50 before kick-off, so what a result that is. We're absolutely delighted.
Captain Philipp Lahm: We scored the goals at just the right times. It's great to start with a victory like that, but we're far from finished yet.
Thomas Müller: s Each goal was better than the one before (grins). I'm not the kind of guy who gets fazed by a clash at this level. We made a good start and it's obviously a boost when you take the lead after 12 minutes. At two goals and a man up in this heat the game was as good as over.
Jerome Boateng: We moved well as a unit right from the start and we launched quick counter-attacks. We all worked hard and always covered for each other.
Mats Hummels: I've taken a knock but I hope everything will be fine again in a couple of days.
Portugal coach Paulo Bento: We need to sit down and calmly analyse the match. There's basically not a lot to say at this point in time. Apart from the first five minutes we never got into the game. The second half was basically a damage limitation exercise. It's best if I don't comment on the referee.
