Germany won’t break apart, says coach
MOSCOW: Germany coach Joachim Loew said there was no need for panic despite his team again looking defensively vulnerable in its shock 10 defeat by Mexico in the opening game of its World Cup defence.
Germany showed many of the fault lines that had been there for all to see in recent games, and Mexico had obviously been doing its homework and should have scored more goals.
‘‘In the first half we played very badly. We were not able to impose our usual way of playing,’’ Loew said.
‘‘But we will not just break apart now and become headless and do something completely different. There is no need to break out in panic just because we have lost a match.’’
It is true that few would bet against Germany turning things round in its remaining games, against Sweden and South Korea, but all is clearly not right with the fourtime winner.
‘‘Our cover was often not good and we were left many times with just Jerome [Boateng] and myself in the back,’’ said centre back Hummels, one of several Germans who will not want to watch a replay of Hirving Lozano’s 35thminute goal.
‘‘We were warned [in the warmup games]. We played exactly like we did against Saudi Arabia [when Germany won 21], only against a better opponent. That’s why the first half was like it was and Mexico obviously deserved to win it.
‘‘If seven or eight players are attacking, then it is clear that our attacking power is greater,’’ said Hummels. ‘‘But that is something that I have often talked about internally. It does not always bear fruit.’’
Meanwhile, Costa Rica will struggle to get back to the quarterfinals like it did in Brazil four years ago after it lost 10 to Serbia.
After a superb free kick by captain Aleksandar Kolarov gave Serbia the lead in the 56th minute, Costa Rica’s chances of again making an impact in the tournament started looking slim.
It now faces Brazil in St Petersburg and may already have checked in online for their flight home by the time they take on a strong Switzerland side in its final group match.
‘‘Those who’ve been to World Cups before know that first matches are complicated,’’ a clearly disappointed coach Oscar Ramirez said.
In the other match, Brazil and Switzerland fought out a 11 draw.
Brazil joined the host of big guns who have failed to fire in their opening World Cup game as lax defending from a corner allowed Switzerland to cancel out Philippe Coutinho’s spectacular curling strike and grab a 11 draw.
The highly organised Swiss hit back early in the second period from one of their few chances as Brazil’s Casemiro and Miranda switched off and the unmarked Steven Zuber barely had to leave his feet to nod in Xherdan Shaqiri’s whipped corner.
Brazil went all out in pursuit of a winner and came agonisingly close to finding it as Coutinho and Miranda lashed wide from inside the area, while Neymar and substitute Roberto Firmino were denied by Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
It was the first time Brazil had not won a World Cup opener since it drew 11 with Sweden in the 1978 tournament.