Löw: "Something historic and unique"

Germany have won the Confederations Cup for the first time. The young German team triumphed in the final 1-0 against Chile in St. Petersburg. In an interview after the final, head coach Joachim Löw spoke about the match, the importance of the triumph, the 2018 World Cup and captain Julian Draxler.

Question: Joachim Löw, how pleased are you with winning the Confed Cup?

Joachim Löw: Obviously, I'm extremely proud of this team, which has only been together for three and a half weeks. You could see every day, in every training session, the hunger that this team showed to win. Therefore, I think that we absolutely deserved to win the Confed Cup.

Question: Did you need a little bit of luck in the final?

Löw: The team had to fight. The Chileans know how to handle themselves! Credit to the way that the boys threw themselves into every challenge, in front of every shot. That's what you have to do in a final. I think it was a magical game for us and our young players. It was impressive how badly we wanted to win.

Question: First the U21 European Championship, now the Confed Cup. Do you envisage Germany dominating world football for years to come?

Löw: We have to keep re-affirming that, next year more than anything. We have players who will definitely have grown in confidence during these two tournaments, but now the hard work really starts. The big tournaments keep on coming. To become world class is another challenge. The basis is there, but next year we'll have to work hard in order to win the World Cup.

Question: What does winning this cup mean, the Confed Cup?

Löw: Arturo Vidal said before the final: we want to win this cup as then we'll be the best team in the world. So Germany is still the best team in the world, that's what that means. The fact that this young team have achieved this is historic and unique in the history of German football. Something really quite special. This team did incredible things for each other on the pitch in order to win this cup.

Question: And for you personally?

Löw: I'm very happy to have won this cup. I had a lot of fun for three weeks. The players were very adaptive, unbelievably attentive and always had their minds on the job. I'm pleased that the players take on board what we tell them and remember it when things aren't going to plan. For me as the coach it was a pleasure and confirmation of our hard work.

Question: Is there now more pressure on the 2018 World Cup?

Löw: Germany is always one of the favourites, irrelevant of which tournament it is and that won't change this time. Winning the Confed Cup and the U21 EUROS are no guarantees that you're going to win the World Cup. At a World Cup, there are always five or six teams in contention and you have to be almost superhuman to win it - everything has to go right.

Question: Julian Draxler was voted the player of the tournament. How pleased were you with your captain?

Löw: Julian grew into his task. He really took on the responsibility and was a very, very good captain. He looked after the younger players both on and off the pitch, communicated a lot and always thought about the team. It was a very good performance, not just on the pitch, but in all areas. You could see him leading the team, he is a winner and puts the team first. I'm very happy. It was fun working with him.

Question: Do you have a message for your hosts, Russia?

Löw: Yes, many thanks to Russia, you were an amazing host. We had very, very good conditions and you organised this tournament very, very well. Above all, we've got to know some great people here. It was a great experience.