Joachim Low, Germany coach
You need to catch your breath after a game like that, and at the end it was sheer force of will that got us the win. We didn’t get into our rhythm in the first half and lost a lot of balls, but we were the better team after the break and in extra time. We had a lot of chances and their goalkeeper played out of his skin at times. Algeria frequently evaded our pressing game by playing long balls and they did it well because we looked very vulnerable. It was good that Manuel [Neuer] was there to tidy up at the back, that’s part of his game. You get matches like this at tournaments and you need to fight. Other teams such as Brazil have also struggled at times, it’s no walk in the park here.
Rais Mbolhi, ALG, Budweiser Man of the Match
We played against a very strong Germany team and conceded two goals late on. We’re very disappointed because we felt we had a chance. Fitness wasn’t the decisive factor. We’re part of Algeria’s footballing history because we’re the first team to have come this far and we can build on this for the future. We owe it to our coach that we made it into the Round of 16. We’d like to thank him for everything he’s done for and with the team.
Confederation of African Football (CAF) News
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