Coach Loew hails Germany's next generation of stars after their 1-0 win over Chile to clinch first Confederations Cup crown; says his team's achievement will be remembered forever
German players celebrate with the trophy after their win 1-0 win over Chile in the Confederations Cup final on Sunday. Pics/AFP
Joachim Loew claimed Germany's youthful squad would go down in history after they won the Confederations Cup by beating Chile 1-0 in the final on Sunday.
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Lars Stindl pounced on a defensive error to score the only goal of the game midway through the first half at the Zenit Arena in St Petersburg, although Chile outplayed Loew's side for long periods.
The South American champions created and missed a string of chances and although Stindl's goal came against the run of play, Germany head coach insisted the achievement, secured without many of Germany's first-choice stars, would never be forgotten.
"It is worth a lot, because Germany has never won this trophy in our history," he said.
"So this team and this victory will go down in history. The team absolutely deserved it and that's why we're all super happy. It's heavier than the World Cup. "Before the match, (Chile midfielder Arturo) Vidal had said that winning this cup would mean they are the best team in the world. Well, this cup means that at the moment Germany is still the best team in the world. And with such a young side," he said.
Loew included just three World Cup winners in his squad for the Confederations Cup, but his experimental line-ups excelled throughout the tournament to add another major trophy to their cabinet. "Jokingly, we could say that now we have to think about which of the players we left at home we can still add to this team next year.
"Seriously though, we have created alternatives, by giving young players experience in such games as has happened here. Winning here and at the European U-21 Championship does not guarantee the World Cup next year. Germany always belong to the favourites and we will be capable of handling that," he added.