Germany assistant coach Hansi Flick was delighted with the way in which his side played during their 3-2 Euro 2008 quarterfinal win over Portugal and revealed what little extra he had at stake in last night's game.
Though the first goal was a fast and precise team move, Germany's decisive second and third goals were straightforward set-pieces, something Flick saw coming: "I had a bet and said today we would score from a set-piece. There were two of them, so maybe I should double the stake," he said after the game.
"I was certain we would score from a dead ball as Portugal take risks in those situations. We have so many players who are very good in the air and we showed we're excellent from set-pieces.
"We are very proud of the way we played from the first minute to the last.
"We fought hard, we had excellent attacks and we should feel very happy. Germany are a real tournament team and can be very focused when it comes to the crunch.
"We had problems on the flanks against Austria and it was important for us, whether it was Simao or Cristiano Ronaldo, to get them under control.
"We also wanted a solid centre, so we had Simon Rolfes and Thomas Hitzlsperger in the middle.
"We wanted to form triangles with the two central midfielders and the wingers. It helps give you solidity in defence and we left Portugal little space."
