Germany coach Rudi Voller has admitted his side were lcuky to beat the United States to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.

“I am happy that we made it into the semis, but it was a fortunate win for us,” Voller said.

“The USA gave us a troubled time throughout the match and they were able to play at a high tempo throughout.

“I thought my lads would walk out there full of confidence, but it was the other way round andthe USA were the ones who played brightly. We were never able to control the match as we never changed the tempo. Instead of speeding up, we could only slow down.

“Our midfield was slow and hardly anyone wanted possession, that was disappointing to see,” Voller added.

Asked about US claims for a penalty, Voller was commendably honest, saying: “I believe the ref must have overlooked it, as it was handball and, therefore, it should have been a penalty.”

“All my players worked really hard, they fought well and every single one of them pushed to his limit,” he said.

“There were hardly any celebrations in the changing room at the end because they were so exhausted.

“People have to understand that we don’t have a team capable of outclassing our opponents. We can’t play like Brazil, we have torely on hard work.”