Germans conquer the land of the free: Three things the Germans can take from the game against USA

Thomas Mueller (2nd R) of Germany celebrates scoring his team's first goal with his teammates Benedikt Hoewedes (1st R), Miroslav Klose (2nd L) and Toni Kroos (1st L) during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group G match between USA and Germany at Arena Pernambuco on June 26, 2014 in Recife, Brazil.

Following Germany’s triumph over the United States of America in their final game of the group stage, the uncharacteristically tense Group G can now be termed as belonging to the Germans. Germany’s 1-0 victory over USA coincided with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal edging past Ghana 2-1 in an enthralling contest. However, despite all their heroism which involved a nail biting draw with USA, Portugal has joined European giants Spain, Italy and England, all of whom are headed home from Brazil without making it to the knockout stage.

Coming back to Germany’s tie with USA, no soccer-pundit ever doubted the ability of the Bavarians to bag pole position in Group G but their unexpected 2-2 draw with Ghana made the game against USA a prestige battle for the Germans. While the weather conditions certainly played spoilsport to a great extent, the Germans made their intentions well known in the early minutes of the game by maintaining a solid lead over USA in terms of ball possession. German passing accuracy in the initial moments of the match reminded one of former World Champion Spain’s much talked about tiki-taka style of football.

In my previous article for Sportskeeda, I had mentioned that the game against USA provides the Germans with an opportunity to not only bounce back but also to regain momentum which would be crucial for the 3 time World Champions in the knockout stage. Not only have the Germans succeeded in doing so but they also take back three big positives from their last group stage encounter.

First and most important is the emergence of another Klose in the form of Thomas Muller. Muller’s super strike which gave Germany a lead over USA was his ninth goal in the FIFA World Cup in as many appearances. The namesake of the legendary Gerd Muller has already, to his credit, the Golden Boot Award of the previous World Cup and in the current edition; he is sharing the spotlight with Brazil’s Neymar and Argentina’s Messi with 4 goals each.

Secondly, while expert opinion was definitely in favour of Germany, popular opinion was titled in favour of the United States. A lot of Americans have flown into Brazil to cheer for their squad, fortunately for them; USA made it to the knockout stage. Prior to the match, a video was circulating on the web which showed WWE Superstar Hulk Hogan declaring USA “to be the greatest country in the world” and that it would crush the Germans in their coming tie. During the course of the match, the stadium echoed with chants of “USA-USA” but the Germans held onto their nerves and made sure they had nothing to regret about. This shows that no matter what is happening outside the pitch and contrary to popular perception, the country which performs on the field would reign supreme.

Before the 2014 World Cup began, German coach Joachim Loew had spoken about Brazil being the favourites because of the home advantage. Well certainly the host nation has an added advantage because it is familiar with the weather conditions and so on; but the principle advantage which a host nation enjoys comes from the fans. By beating USA, a team which arguably has the biggest fan base in the 2014 FIFA World Cup after Brazil, Germany has diluted that advantage to a substantial degree.

Lastly, the clash between Germany and USA was also a showdown between a mentor and his prodigy. Loew used to serve as Klinsmann’s lieutenant when the latter was transforming German football for the years to come but the faithful assistant managed to overpower his one-time boss in the tie which unfolded at Arena Pernambuco, Recife. This victory would serve as a huge confidence booster for Loew as it exemplifies how he has added to German game, his own thinking and football style following the exit of Klinsmann.

As the Germans enter the knockout stage, they have their eyes set on taking back home their 4th FIFA World Cup title. The likes of Brazil, Argentina and Netherlands could serve as the biggest roadblocks in order to achieve the same.