Joachim Low hails the ‘strong bonds’ he forged in 15 years as Germany manager but rues ‘disappointing’ loss to Gareth Southgate’s England in his last game… with departing boss claiming the Three Lions scored with ‘first opportunity’ of Euro 2020 tie
- Germany conceded two late goals against England to exit Euro 2020 on Tuesday
- The Three Lions star progressed to the last eight at the expense of their rivals
- The match was Joachim Low’s final match as Germany boss after a 15-year stint
- Low rued Thomas Muller’s miss and England scoring with ‘their first opportunity’
- The 61-year-old discussed his side’s success and the ‘difficult spells’ of his tenure
Joachim Low praised the ‘strong bonds’ he created with his Germany side after he exited the national team after 15 years with a 2-0 loss to England at Wembley.
The Germans conceded two late goals in their Euro 2020 last-16 tie with the Three Lions, with Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane firing home for England in the final 15 minutes to send them through to the quarter-finals.
Low announced before the tournament that he would step down as Germany boss after a decade and a half in the set-up, with the highlight undoubtedly being the 2014 World Cup triumph in Brazil.
Joachim Low bowed out as Germany boss after 15 years with a 1-0 Euro 2020 loss to England
Germany lost 2-0 to the Three Lions thanks to goals from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane
He told a post-match press conference: ‘In these 15 years there were a lot of positive things, I participated at our home World Cup in 2006 (as assistant coach), we developed further, we won the title in 2014 as the highlight, then Confederations Cup in 2017 with a young team.
‘There are very strong bonds that have been made, since 2018 we have had some problems – there were difficult spells. What remains is a lot of moments with a lot of people and the victories, some defeats as well, I have learned lessons.
‘Disappointment is present, it will stay for a while, this is clear, you don’t forget about it immediately, you will need certain time but I am sure that there are a lot of positive things that I can take out of these 15 years.
‘I want to thank the players who gave their best, the players who are not with us anymore.’
Low’s (far right) career highlight was guiding Germany to another World Cup title in 2014
Germany began their Euro 2020 knockout tie at England brightly and dominated the opening ten minutes, but allowed the Three Lions back into the game.
After Sterling had given England the lead in the second-half, German striker Thomas Muller fired wide when put in through on goal which would have levelled the tie at 1-1 and taken it to extra-time.
Low rued not only Muller’s miss but also claimed Gareth Southgate’s England scored with ‘their first opportunity’ of the Wembley tie.
On the defeat, he said: ‘It is clear that we are all very disappointed, me the team, the players, the staff.
Low (left) revealed his side were bitterly disappointed with the loss to England on Tuesday
‘We really invested a lot and the team has worked very well, developed great spirit and we just didn’t make it to put it on the pitch and be effective. We didn’t take advantage of the two great opportunities we had and it was obvious that it was going to be all about patience.
‘The English side scored on their first opportunity, we didn’t. It was difficult, we would have turned the match around after the chance of Muller, then they scored the second.
‘The team threw in everything but we were not clinical enough. The team needs to mature to be more successful.’
Low rued Thomas Muller’s (far left) late miss which would have levelled the scores at 1-1
With regards to what Low is doing next, the 61-year-old revealed he has not made a decision over his long-term or short-term future, but he expects a ‘new energy’ to arrive inside of him.
‘At the moment I have not taken any decision,’ he said. ‘When I decided to stop after this tournament I had different thoughts but we will see in the next days and weeks.
‘After 15 years at the helm it will do well to step back and there will be new energy in me and I will decide. I don’t really have a concrete plan.
‘I need an emotional break so it is normal you need a little distance and not look for a new project. I will need this time but there will be new tasks that will be interesting for me.’