Hummels ‘Mats’ France

Mats Hummels’s 13^th minute turned out to be the decider in the high voltage quarterfinal clash between France and Germany. Germany with that lone strike from their central back eventually emerged on top after 90 minutes as France failed to find an equalizer in the rest of the match.

A highly entertaining encounter was on the cards as the west European giants faced each other in the greatest stage of world football. But except the first half an hour the match never lived up to the expectations. Germany having taken a lead in the 13^th minute with an excellent header from Mats Hummels preferred to sit back and defend barring few occasions when they tried to catch the French in counter attacks. France also lacked that sense of urgency that their fans would have liked them to show. As a result they did not get too many chances in the first half.

In the second half France started on a positive note. And it almost paid off when Manuel Neuer pulled off a brilliant save. France kept the pressure on Germany but the German defense stood tall against anything they threw at them, thanks to Mats Hummels and Manuel Neuer. Germany got a couple of chances late in the second half but Andre Schurrle, who came on for Miroslav Klose was a bit off-colour on the day, failed on both occasions. France however kept on pressing. But they failed on almost every occasion and that’s mainly because of the lack of finishing touches upfront. And even when they got one in the very last minute of added time, Neuer made sure that the match did not go into the extra time with a one-handed save from Karim Benzema.

With this win Germany made it to the world cup semi finals for a record 13^th time and fourth time on a row. Really they need to win it now. It has been the longest wait for the Germans in their history of football. May be the time has come to step up and do it this time. For that they just need to win two more matches. And practically speaking that is not a tough ask for the Germans.

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About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.