Germany boss Joachim Low insists that consistency was the key to his side’s 1-0 victory over France which secures progression to the last four of the World Cup in Brazil.
Die Mannschaft have now reached the semi-finals of the last four major tournaments during Low’s eight-year tenure.
Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels provided the only goal of the game as he flicked a header beyond Hugo Lloris after 13 minutes at the Maracana in Rio.
Germany boast an impressive record of reaching semi-finals at the World Cup and have now made that stage at 13 of their 20 appearances in the finals.
Low’s squad in Brazil still has five survivors from the 2006 World Cup in Brazil and ten members of the side who finished third at South Africa in 2010.
The 54-year-old believes that keeping together the same core of players has had a positive impact on their achievements on the world stage.
Low said: “The team has changed over last few years and there are not many survivors from 2006 and 2010, but it’s good to have a few changes, not just the same players who have been at the top level for the last eight to ten years.
“We were without Reus, but players like Hummels have come in and done very well.
“We have been working on consistency, invested a lot and we have excellent players.”
Brazil are next up for the European outfit after the hosts booked their place in the semi-finals with a slender 2-1 victory over Colombia, although it came at a cost with Neymar ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a back injury.
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