New Delhi: Germany booked a berth in the last four of the FIFA World Cup for a record 13th time after a 1-0 win over France at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janerio. Matt Hummels 12th minute header was all that separated the two European giants at the end of 90 minutes.
Germany has become the first country to reach four consecutive World Cup semifinals The journey started in 2002 World Cup, which took place in South Korea and Japan. Exceptional performances in the early going resulted in Germany finishing the group stage with the best goal differential of any country at plus-10.
They ultimately advanced to the final match but lost 2-0 to Brazil. Nonetheless, German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn earned the Golden Ball award, marking the first time a goalkeeper was named the World Cup's best player.
Germany played host to the next World Cup and won all three games in pool play to claim Group A. In fact, by winning their opening match against Costa Rica, 4-2, Germany played in the highest scoring game to begin a World Cup.
Under former national team star and previous manager Jurgen Klinsmann, the 2006 German squad blended experienced internationals like captain Michael Ballack and striker Miroslav Klose with an exciting new generation including Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski.
