Following Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Spain, Manuel Neuer expressed satisfaction that Germany is “still alive” in the World Cup.
Germany’s unexpected loss to Japan in their opening game ended their chances of making it to the round of 16 earlier. However, Costa Rica bounced back from a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of Spain by defeating Japan 1-0, leaving everything up for grabs in Group E’s remaining matches.
In the clash of the Group E powerhouses at Al Bayt Stadium, Alvaro Morata gave Spain the lead. However, Niclas Fullkrug, who came off the bench equalized to salvage a point for Germany.
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Germany has to defeat Costa Rica in their last group game on Thursday in order to advance, and they also need to pray that Spain wins against Japan. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is just happy that Germany still has a chance of avoiding a second consecutive World Cup loss at the group stage.
“It was a tough match against a very good Spain side,” said Manuel Neuer. “We took on the fight and didn’t allow them many chances over the 90 minutes.
“Our defensive work was superb from front to back. Our compactness made it difficult for them to score a goal against us. Their goal was simply quality and very hard to defend against. Nevertheless, we continued to believe in ourselves.
“The main thing is that we’re still alive. The thing we can have influence over is getting three points against Costa Rica.”
