GERMANY 2-2 IVORY COAST
Löw hails resilient Germany on emotional night
Germany coach Joachim Löw praised his side for their performance in Wednesday night's 2-2 draw with the Ivory Coast in what were difficult circumstances just days after Robert Enke was laid to rest.
The whole Germany squad on Sunday attended a funeral service for Enke, who committed suicide last week, and they only had two days to prepare for Wednesday's match at Gelsenkirchen's Arena AufSchalke.
This, as well as the emotional strain, ensured difficult conditions for the final friendly match of the calendar year, but Löw said the attitude of his players had been exemplary.
"It was not easy to play after the events of the last days," he said. "But we were able to focus our concentration on this game and we played well.
"I was very happy with my team in the first half as we were tactically disciplined and able to create chances.
"Their lucky goal in the second half knocked us out of our rhythm, but we did not let our heads drop after going behind we saw that we really wanted to score, which we managed in the end."
Since Saturday's game against Chile was called off as a mark of respect for Enke, Löw's plan to take a look at both Tim Wiese and Manuel Neuer over a full 90 minutes had to be altered with both playing just 45 minutes.
Wiese kept a clean sheet in the first half while a few hairy moments, including the error for the equaliser, saw Schalke number one Neuer disappoint in front of his home fans in Gelsenkirchen.
But it was a particularly difficult evening for the goalkeepers, standing where Enke had been expected to stand next summer.
"It was a very hard week for us," admitted Wiese. "Our thoughts have always been on Robert. I've slept badly and it was a really tough situation."
Neuer added that life "somehow has to go on" and that Wednesday's game may have helped some players and fans in their mourning.
"It was important to have played this game and got in another test in view of the World Cup and maybe now we can start to look forwards," he said. "I think for some of the players this was a relief after the mourning, but it has been one tough step."
Ivory Coast coach Vahid Halilhodzic blamed himself for his side's inability to hold on to the win. They led 2-1 going into stoppage time when Lukas Podolski's second goal earned the hosts a draw, but Halilhodzic had not realised that he could still use another substitute and perhaps waste a bit more time by doing so.
"I have to be honest and I am a bit disappointed and annoyed with myself because it is my fault that Germany equalised," he said. "I should have made a change two or three minutes earlier, but I did not realise we could change six men so I am a bit annoyed with myself."
