World Cup now “in our own hands”, Germany’s Loew says

CAPE TOWN - German coach Joachim Loew hailed his team’s ruthless 4-0 demolition of Argentina Saturday and said a fourth World football Cup title is now within reach.

“The team had the determination of champions. Argentina is strong. To score four times is great, almost an unbelievable result,” Loew said after Germany’s quarter-final win in Cape Town.

Loew, who acted as Juergen Klinsmann’s assistant at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, said the entire team was “perfect”.

But he had special praise for Lukas Podolski and his ability to “win a lot of balls”, Miroslav Klose, whose two goals in Cape Town put him just one behind Ronaldo’s all-time record of 15 World Cup goals, and Man-of-the-Match Bastian Schweinsteiger.

“Schweinsteiger is world class, there’s hardly any other midfielder at this level. He is irreplaceable,” Loew said.

“Klose has already made history. It’s just great the way he scores. I always knew he would help the team in the important games,” said Loew in a dig at critics who had questioned his decision to bring the 32-year-old striker to South Africa.

Loew said the key to Saturday’s success was blocking Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi.

And despite losing top-scorer Thomas Mueller for the semi-finals - the Bayern Munich midfielder received his second booking in South Africa and will now be suspended - Loew said he was convinced that Germany can go all the way.

“Now we are in the semis, among the top four in the world. That’s where the team belongs.

“A lot is possible, but you can’t go into emotional overdrive. We have it in our own hands to win something really big,” he said.