In the quarterfinals of the European Cup that ended in the early hours of this morning, the German team regretted to lose 1-2 to Spain in extra time and did not reach the quarterfinals. After the match, Germany's midfield general Kimmich was interviewed, expressing his views on the result and his inner feelings.
Kimmich was the first to say bluntly that he felt "very unfair" about the result. He argued that Germany were clearly superior in the second half and extra time, while Spain seemed to be more interested in a penalty shootout. "We showed more fight and strength in the game, but the result was not as good as it could have been."
He particularly mentioned two controversial points in the match - Germany had a chance to get a penalty kick, but failed to do so because of the opponent's handball. According to Kimmich, the two penalties had been awarded correctly, Germany could have had every chance to change the outcome of the match. "It's definitely a completely different disappointment than in Qatar, where we lacked team spirit, but this time we were a real team."
Looking back on the past six weeks of preparation and the course of the game, Kimmich was overwhelmed with emotion. He said it had been a very special time and that the German team had shown an unprecedented team spirit. "I have rarely experienced this, where everyone fought hard for a common goal. This mental strength made us more resilient in the game."
However, despite a great performance in this match, Germany was unable to pocket the victory in the end. Kimmich admitted that the game of soccer is so cruel and unpredictable. "We gave our all in the game, but sometimes the results are not always fair."
Nonetheless, Kimmich remains confident about the future of the German team. He believes that the team's team spirit and strength shown in this tournament is enough to make German fans proud. "We are definitely a good team and I am sure we will do even better in the coming matches."
Finally, Kimmich also paid tribute to the Spanish team. "They are a very good team and we had a very strong opponent today. But we also proved our strength, just the result is a bit regrettable."
