Joachim Low celebrates 100th win as Germany boss

25 June 2017 21:59

Germany coach Joachim Low paid tribute to his players, backroom team and management staff after securing his 100th win in his 150th game in charge.

The reigning world champions beat Cameroon 3-1 in the Confederations Cup as Kerem Demirbay's opener and a brace from Timo Werner secured top spot in Group B and set up a semi-final clash against Mexico on Thursday.

Vincent Aboubakar's header for Cameroon when 2-0 down had briefly given the African side hope in Sochi, but Germany could have won by a greater margin and Lo w becomes his country's first coach to reach the 100-win landmark.

"I'm very happy, 100 victories is a nice figure," Low told a press conference on FIFA.com.

"It reminds me also that during my time as national coach I have to tip my hat to those people who have worked closely with me from the very beginning.

"All these people have in certain periods of time have backed me up when it was more difficult. They kept urging me on, so thank you very much to all of them.

"Thanks also to the players, those players who were perhaps not here with us today who played a lot in the past or just a few matches.

"I have to thank all of them because thanks to their achievements, to their commitment, their passion and their excellent attitude, they allowed us to notch up so many victories, to chalk up so much success for the national side. "

Low said the undoubted highlight of his 11-year spell in charge - he took over from Jurgen Klinsmann in July 2006 - was the 7-1 thrashing of hosts Brazil in the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup.

Low's side went on to beat Argentina 1-0 in the final after extra-time.

Low is aiming for win number 101 on Thursday against Mexico in a game his experimental squad will not be taking lightly.

"The upcoming match against Mexico is going to be a difficult one," Low added. " We will have to give it our utmost because Mexico has excellent players."

Low said the use of the video assistant referee which FIFA has introduced for games in the tournament needed "fine-tuning".

Cameroon were controversially reduced to 10 men just after the hour-mark when defender Ernest Mabouka was shown a straight red card for his high tackle on Emre Can.

FIFA officials will have been alarmed when Colombian referee Wilmar Roldan initially sent the wrong player off, Sebastien Siani, on the advice of the video assistant referee before the decision was quickly corrected.

"I think we need to get used to it," Low added. "In some cases it has proved useful when it came to the offside rule and awarding a goal or not.

"I think it ca n be fine-tuned over time so that decisions can be made more quickly. I think that would be great."

Source: PA