Hummels: German attack doesn’t always bear fruit
THE fault lines in Germany’s defence have been there for all to see in recent games and yesterday’s World Cup defeat by Mexico should not really be seen as a surprise, defender Mats Hummels said after the defending champions went down 1-0 in Moscow.
“Mexico deserved the win. 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 36th-minute goal.
“We were warned days ago (in the warmup games). We played exactly like we did against Saudi Arabia (when Germany won 2-1) only against a better opponent. That’s why the first half was like it was and Mexico obviously deserved to win it.”
Germany were exposed again and again by Mexico’s counter-attacking, and if they had been more accurate with their final pass then they would not have had to endure the tense finale as the holders threw everything forward.
“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.”
Toni Kroos recognised that Germany, the ultimate tournament team, were now facing an unusual situation. “We are now under pressure, we have to get six points from the next games,” he said.
“We did not do it well. Overall we had our chances, but did not score. We just lost the ball up front far too easily, and Mexico had always two or three people up front whom we failed to block efficiently.”
Meanwhile, after reaching lofty heights in the 2014 World Cup, Costa Rica were dumped back down to earth by a tough Serbia in the 2018 edition yesterday, their ageing squad unable to repeat their heroics of Brazil in Russia.
The Ticos started brightly enough in the Group E opening match in Samara, but they squandered early chances and Serbia steadily began to impose themselves on the game.
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.
They now face Brazil, who are among the favourites, in St Petersburg on June 22 and so may already have checked in online for their flight home by the time they take on a strong Switzerland side in their 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 first 20-25 minutes, we were very close to achieving something. We tried to pressure them. I think it was a tight match. We should have capitalised on our opportunities the same way they did.”
The Central Americans, considered minnows in 2014, proved the surprise team of that tournament, reaching the quarter-finals after topping a group that included three former world champions.
But since then, a new generation has been slow to come through. Yesterday’s starting line-up featured three players making their World Cup debuts – Johan Venegas, Francisco Calvo and David Guzman – while the rest all appeared at Brazil 2014.
Their defence has a miserly reputation, conceding just eight goals in 10 qualification matches.
Had Giancarlo Gonzalez not missed two early chances – one of them a clear header when he was unmarked in front of goal – Serbia could have been on the back foot.
Among other positives, goalkeeper Keylor Navas was in great form and shut down a few Serbian scoring opportunities. There was little the Real Madrid stopper – winner of three Champions League medals with the Spanish club – could do to reach Kolarov’s strike. – Reuters