A brief appearance as a substitute in two World Cup games: Mario Götze had certainly hoped for a little more minutes when he returned to the German national soccer team. But Hansi Flick had the final hero of 2014 backed.
“Mario is right to be part of this World Cup, he showed that in training,” stressed the national coach before the group final on Thursday (8:00 p.m.) against Costa Rica. Götze was also “an option” against Spain (1-1).
Last Sunday, however, the 30-year-old spent the full season on the bench. At the start against Japan (1:2) Götze was substituted on in the 67th minute.
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“He’s very sure of the ball and knows exactly which area he needs to be in. His last pass in particular is great,” Flick praised the Eintracht Frankfurt professional: “Those are the things we need from him. We’ll see how we integrate it.”
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