Germany: we shouldn’t be target of revenge

By: 10 years ago

Wolfgang Niersbach, left, president of German Football Federation (DFB), watches as national soccer team head coach Joachim Loew, talks to journalists during a news conference in Santo Andre near Porto Seguro, Brazil, Saturday, June 28, 2014. Germany will face Algeria in their round of 16 match of the 2014 soccer World Cup in Porto Alegro on Monday. AP

PORTO SEGURO, Brazil — Germany coach Joachim Loew thinks the “Disgrace of Gijon” was too long ago for Algeria to seek revenge in Monday’s second-round World Cup match in Porto Alegre.

Loew says only two of his players were even born at the time of the notorious match at the 1982 World Cup in Spain between Germany and Algeria, which ended in a convenient 1-0 win for Germany that eliminated Algeria.

The coach says he sees no reason why Algeria would seek “to punish” this generation of Germany players and was irritated by the use of word “revenge.”

Germany has played only twice against Algeria and has lost both times.

Loew says he expects a very tough match against a “highly dangerous and aggressive” opponent but says his team is “on fire.”