Germany travelled to the World Cup hoping to play seven games. Their journey began in Salvador with a dream and ended in Rio with football’s most coveted trophy. DFB.de takes another look back at Die Mannschaft’s magnificent seven and recounts this summer’s stories both on and off the pitch. Today, it is the turn of sharpshooter Mats Hummels and the quarter-final against France.
No player was as accurate, consistent or elegant as Hummels. The Borussia Dortmund defender was the picture of concentration each time he prepared to take his shots, placing his left foot slightly in front of his right, bouncing the ball once and then a second time before lining up the target. Finally he would lift his right arm above his head, bend his elbow and, as he straightened it again, release the ball with a flick of the wrist. A moment later, whoosh – in it went.
Rio de Janeiro, 3 July 2014. Germany left their team hotel at Barra Beach at 2pm. Fifty minutes had been set aside for the journey to the Maracana, but the team bus arrived at Brazil’s most legendary stadium ahead of schedule at 2.40pm, having been led expertly through Rio’s notorious traffic. By 2.50pm the players were walking through the Maracana’s catacombs. Leading his team-mates, Bastian Schweinsteiger climbed the twelve steps and emerged into the immense arena. However, with training not due to start until 3pm and FIFA’s strict policy on pitch access before the designated time, the players had to keep themselves amused until they were allowed to get their match preparations underway. Schweinsteiger seemed determined to make the most of this wait; spying a rubbish bin behind the coaches’ bench, he opened the lid and peered in to find it empty.
It was not long before the bin was being put to good use, and with just one simple objective – to throw the ball from the touchline over the coaches’ bench and into the bin – "dustbin basketball" was born. Schweinsteiger took the first throw, but his shot hit the rim – no basket. One by one, all of the players grabbed a ball and joined in; even the coach was keen to have a go. Several players soon demonstrated a flair for the sport, including Lukas Podolski and Schweinsteiger himself, but as has already been suggested, one player quickly marked himself out as the sharpest shooter of all on the eve of Germany’s quarter-final against France: Mats Hummels. The defender lined up his first shot and with a whoosh, it flew in, followed by a dull thud as the ball hit the bottom of the bin. The second, third and fourth shots were similarly successful, with the ball only bouncing out on the fifth try. Hummels managed to score four in a row twice in quick succession, garnering approving nods from bystanders Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller and Benedikt Höwedes. Respect, Mats.
France vs. Germany
By the time training began at 3pm sharp, Hummels headed out onto the pitch in a buoyant mood caused not only by his prowess at dustbin basketball but by his recent recovery. The centre-back missed Germany’s Round of 16 match against Algeria with a flu-like infection. His return to training demonstrated he was clearly well enough to excel at the world’s newest sport, but what about football? National team coach Joachim Löw answered this question emphatically at the final pre-match press conference, saying: "Mats Hummels no longer has a fever and no longer feels tired, so he’ll be available tomorrow." There was no need for follow-up questions as to what this meant for the starting line-up, as this World Cup had already proven that if Hummels is fit, Hummels plays.
It was therefore no surprise to see him return to Die Mannschaft to face Les Bleus on 4 July. Löw reconfigured his team after the Algeria match, moving captain Philipp Lahm back to right-back and placing Jerome Boateng in the middle to play alongside Hummels in central defence. In the absence of Per Mertesacker, it was down to Hummels to lead the defensive line, bark orders and direct his team-mates.
France dictate proceedings early on
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Germany travelled to the World Cup hoping to play seven games. Their journey began in Salvador with a dream and ended in Rio with football’s most coveted trophy. DFB.de takes another look back at Die Mannschaft’s magnificent seven and recounts this summer’s stories both on and off the pitch. Today, it is the turn of sharpshooter Mats Hummels and the quarter-final against France.
No player was as accurate, consistent or elegant as Hummels. The Borussia Dortmund defender was the picture of concentration each time he prepared to take his shots, placing his left foot slightly in front of his right, bouncing the ball once and then a second time before lining up the target. Finally he would lift his right arm above his head, bend his elbow and, as he straightened it again, release the ball with a flick of the wrist. A moment later, whoosh – in it went.
Rio de Janeiro, 3 July 2014. Germany left their team hotel at Barra Beach at 2pm. Fifty minutes had been set aside for the journey to the Maracana, but the team bus arrived at Brazil’s most legendary stadium ahead of schedule at 2.40pm, having been led expertly through Rio’s notorious traffic. By 2.50pm the players were walking through the Maracana’s catacombs. Leading his team-mates, Bastian Schweinsteiger climbed the twelve steps and emerged into the immense arena. However, with training not due to start until 3pm and FIFA’s strict policy on pitch access before the designated time, the players had to keep themselves amused until they were allowed to get their match preparations underway. Schweinsteiger seemed determined to make the most of this wait; spying a rubbish bin behind the coaches’ bench, he opened the lid and peered in to find it empty.
It was not long before the bin was being put to good use, and with just one simple objective – to throw the ball from the touchline over the coaches’ bench and into the bin – "dustbin basketball" was born. Schweinsteiger took the first throw, but his shot hit the rim – no basket. One by one, all of the players grabbed a ball and joined in; even the coach was keen to have a go. Several players soon demonstrated a flair for the sport, including Lukas Podolski and Schweinsteiger himself, but as has already been suggested, one player quickly marked himself out as the sharpest shooter of all on the eve of Germany’s quarter-final against France: Mats Hummels. The defender lined up his first shot and with a whoosh, it flew in, followed by a dull thud as the ball hit the bottom of the bin. The second, third and fourth shots were similarly successful, with the ball only bouncing out on the fifth try. Hummels managed to score four in a row twice in quick succession, garnering approving nods from bystanders Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller and Benedikt Höwedes. Respect, Mats.
France vs. Germany
By the time training began at 3pm sharp, Hummels headed out onto the pitch in a buoyant mood caused not only by his prowess at dustbin basketball but by his recent recovery. The centre-back missed Germany’s Round of 16 match against Algeria with a flu-like infection. His return to training demonstrated he was clearly well enough to excel at the world’s newest sport, but what about football? National team coach Joachim Löw answered this question emphatically at the final pre-match press conference, saying: "Mats Hummels no longer has a fever and no longer feels tired, so he’ll be available tomorrow." There was no need for follow-up questions as to what this meant for the starting line-up, as this World Cup had already proven that if Hummels is fit, Hummels plays.
It was therefore no surprise to see him return to Die Mannschaft to face Les Bleus on 4 July. Löw reconfigured his team after the Algeria match, moving captain Philipp Lahm back to right-back and placing Jerome Boateng in the middle to play alongside Hummels in central defence. In the absence of Per Mertesacker, it was down to Hummels to lead the defensive line, bark orders and direct his team-mates.
France dictate proceedings early on
France began the quarter-final strongly, dictating the pace and passage of play in the first ten minutes. Suddenly, in the 13th minute, Paul Pogba gave away a foul in midfield for a crunching tackle on Toni Kroos. Kroos ran forward, looking to play the ball inside. What happened next felt like déja-vu but without the rubbish bin. As Kroos’s ball drifted in, Hummels raised his arms, this time to hold off the challenge of Raphael Varane. He managed to keep the defender away just long enough to give himself the space needed – all the time staying within the laws of the game. Head and ball made contact, Hugo Lloris stretched an arm in vain and whoosh – the ball landed in the net to give Germany a 1-0 lead. Hummels raced to the corner flag in jubilation and, just like the day before, the first players on hand to congratulate him were Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller and Benedikt Höwedes. Respect, Mats. This time the goal was worth far more than four dustbin baskets in a row, or even five. Die Mannschaft had a one-goal lead, setting the tone for the rest of the match and placing the pressure squarely on the French players’ shoulders.
Until the quarter-final, Didier Deschamps’ team had delivered a convincing World Cup campaign despite the absence of Franck Ribery. They celebrated a frantic 5-2 win over Switzerland in the group stages and qualified for the next round as undefeated Group E winners ahead of the Swiss, Ecuador and Honduras. Les Bleus then faced a far sterner test against Nigeria in the last 16, a match that was much closer than the 2-0 scoreline suggests. By the time they lined up against Germany at the Maracana, the 1998 world champions finally looked like title contenders once more as their individual quality and collective unity impressed onlookers in Brazil.
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Hummels instils confidence
Now France were trailing in a match for the first time in their campaign. Germany handed their opponents the initiative ready for Les Bleus to dictate play once more – in theory. In fact, they rarely posed a threat – again thanks to Hummels. The 25-year-old blocked every shot that came his way with his torso, his legs or his head; there was no possibility of using his hands despite the success they had brought him the previous day. Hummels timed each intervention to perfection, always tackling Karim Benzema at the last moment but never too late, and his charisma and authority instilled confidence in his team-mates.
There was only cause for concern in the 94th minute, when Benzema broke down the left wing and unleashed a shot from inside the box, but even then Hummels and his defensive colleagues remained disciplined. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer preserved his side’s 1-0 lead with a reaction save and absolved his team-mates of any blame after the match, saying: "The defence did a good job. They stayed tight in the centre so that all he could really do was shoot." The rest, according to Neuer, was down to him: "It was my job to guard the near post. If he’d scored from there, it would have been a goalkeeping error" – and thus practically an impossibility.
Moments later the final whistle blew. Germany had vanquished France and reached the semi-finals once again. Scenes of celebration, joy and relief followed, even for Hummels, who described the win and his goal by saying: "The next dream has come true. It’s unbelievable that it’s all going so well for us here at the World Cup. It might not have been a perfect performance, but it was a very good one, and we deserved to reach the next round."
