As bad as Brazil’s embarrassing World Cup exit was, German star Mats Hummels suggested it could have been much worse than the 7-1 final score.
The Nationalmannschaft defender claims that he and his teammates agreed at halftime of Tuesday’s semifinal to take it easy on the beleaguered host nation once they went up 5-0 before the 30-minute mark.
“We just made it clear that we had to stay focused and not try to humiliate them,” Hummels said, according to The Daily Mail.
“You have to show the opponent respect and it was very important that we did this and didn’t try to show some magic or something like this.”
Despite Germany’s dominating performance, Hummels attributed the result to a “bit of luck.”
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“We know we are one of the best teams in the world but you always need a bit of luck and for us it was a good day.”
The 6-4 Borussia Dortmund centerback stayed on the bench for the final 45 minutes against Brazil as a precautionary measure, due to tendonitis in his knee. He’s in doubt for Sunday’s final against Argentina, which could potentially be a huge blow for Germany’s defense.
Offensively, the Germans are feeling better than ever, especially after their seven-goal eruption in the semifinal that included four goals in a six-minute span.
“We must enjoy what happened, but if we lose the final, this semifinal will not be worth anything.”