Germany couldn't match "excellent" Spain, says Low
Monday, 30 Jun 2008 10:59
Germany coach Joachim Low admits Spain were better team
Germany coach Joachim Low has admitted his side failed to match the skill and intensity level of the Spanish after losing out in the Euro 2008 final.
A solitary strike from Fernando Torres just after the half-hour mark was enough to ease Spain past the Germans in Vienna.
In truth the scoreline flattered Low's side, who were outplayed for the majority of the game apart from brief ten-minute spells early in the game and midway through the second half.
And the manager accepted afterwards that his side had been second best on the night.
"Spain played better - we couldn't match them because we did not play at our best," the German coach explained.
"We will analyse what went wrong over the next few days and work on that for the future."
He added: "Spain played very well during whole tournament and they were technically excellent.
"We had no answer after Spain found their rhythm."
Nevertheless, Low praised his players for the way they battled through into the final – recovering from a debilitating loss to Croatia in the group stages to beat much-fancied Portugal in the quarter-finals and Turkey in the semi-finals.
He said: "I have to compliment the team for what they have achieved over the past few weeks. It has been fantastic.
"The players are obviously disappointed now but they have every reason to hold their heads high."