German team makes low-key return home after third-place finish at World Cup

German team returns home after third-place finish

FRANKFURT, Germany — Germany’s World Cup team has made a low-key return home after a campaign which ended with a third-place finish.

Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger said after the squad landed in Frankfurt on Monday that “every player is disappointed we went out in the semifinal” but said Spain, which beat Germany to reach the final, deserved the title.

Forward Thomas Mueller won the Golden Boot as top scorer, with five goals and three assists. He also was voted best young player.

Mueller said: “I’m particularly pleased to have won the Golden Boot 40 years after Gerd Mueller” — the winner at the 1970 tournament.

Frankfurt’s mayor, Petra Roth, held a brief reception for the players before they headed off on brief holidays.