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Jurgen Klinsmann, the coach of the German national team, had no complaints about his players after the quarterfinal match against the Swedes.
"As coaches, we are very proud of this team. What they achieved today is amazing," Klinsmann praised his players. "We played quickly and decisively throughout."
Both goalscorer Lukas Podolski also shared his opinion. "It's great to score goals, but the team wins, not me," the striker modestly celebrated. "Preparing for these matches, we grew as a team. Now everything is possible, every match is knockout."
The team captain, Michael Ballack, is determined to overcome all opponents in this championship. "Playing like this, we do not need to hide from anyone."
"We started the match well and quickly found our game. It was a sensational performance. It would have been hard to play better in the first half," Ballack proudly stated.
According to the Swedish national team coach Lars Lagerback, Teddy Lucic's expulsion from the field was the most crucial moment of the match, leading to the German victory.
"I do not want to talk about the referee, but he had some influence on the game."
"Perhaps the referee could not handle the pressure. It's hard to play against a team like Germany with 10 players against 11," the disappointed coach said.
After Lucic's mistake, Torsten Frings approached the referee asking for a yellow card for the Swede, which Carlos Simon showed. Since it was the second defender's yellow card, the Swedish national team had to play with 10.
Despite Germany's dominance throughout the match, Lagerback was pleased with his players' performance.
"My players showed character. I am proud of how they played in the second half, but we conceded two easy goals at the beginning of the match. After that, it was very difficult for us," the strategist analyzed the match.
By defeating the Swedish national team in the first knockout stage of the championship, the Germans were the first to advance to the quarterfinals.
