The head coach of the German national team Julian Nagelsmann commented on his team’s defeat in the semifinals of the Nations League against the Portuguese national team.
"A deserved victory for Portugal. They were better than us. We missed too much even in the first half. If we do not play at a hundred percent, we cannot compete with the best teams.
This was one of our worst matches in the last one and a half years. We lacked aggression and active actions overall. One or two players were too passive in attack. We need a hundred percent from every player. I think we lost the match in the first half. At that time, we had a lot of free space to develop the game. Portugal defended not so aggressively, but we attacked not as sharply as in the ten previous matches. Everything was too slow, with an abundance of small mistakes.
This defeat is part of our journey. Losing is disappointing. But when you try to develop as a team, such unpleasant moments are inevitable. It is a natural part of a long journey. It is important to learn the lessons from the lost match. If we do that, then we will take a step forward," quoted Nagelsmann by the official UEFA website.