Germany coach Joachim Low has defended his team selection against Italy, insisting it was right despite their Euro 2012 exit.
German coach happy with side
Germany coach Joachim Low has defended his team selection against Italy, insisting it was right despite their Euro 2012 exit.
Low went with Lukas Podolski alongside top-scorer Mario Gomez for the semi-final clash when many had thought Miroslav Klose could come in.
He also opted to bench Thomas Muller with Bayern Munich team-mate Toni Kroos starting.
But Low's system was undone with Italy's Andrea Pirlo once against dominating a match from central midfield.
"I could have used another line-up, but Gomez had scored three goals and Podolski netted too, so I thought it was right to play them together," insisted Low.
Mistakes
The German coach praised Italy for how they played, calling them a 'classy' side.
"They punished us for our mistakes and we went into the break 2-0 down against such a classy side as Italy, so it was always going to be difficult to get back into it," Low admitted.
Manchester City star Mario Balotelli scored twice but Low feels they could have done better in defence.
"Balotelli is a talented player, we knew that, but he punished us with two goals and we were not entirely free from errors in those moves," he added.
