Voller proud of his players

Germany coach Rudi Voller was a proud man after watching his side’s 1-1 draw with Holland in Oporto last night.

The unfancied Germans belied their recent reputation to produce an impressive performance against one of the fancied teams in the tournament. Indeed, and were it not for a late strike from Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Germany could have emerged with all three points.

“We are Germany, we are the World Cup runners-up and it showed,” Germany coach Rudi Voller said afterwards.

Poor performances in the build-up to Euro 2004 had many fans fearing that Portugal could witness a repeat of their dire efforts in Holland Belgium four years ago.

“Few people trusted us before the game and we didn’t really know ourselves where we stood,” said Michael Ballack.

“That was a solid start and it’s good for our confidence,” added the inspirational midfielder, who was named man of the match.