Australian manager Holger Osieck was delighted with his players after they claimed an upset 2-1 win in Germany on Wednesday.
What made the friendly victory even more impressive was the fact that the Socceroos trailed at half-time, through Mario Gomez’s 26th minute strike.
A change in strategy at half-time saw Australia start well, before a Blackpool wing-back David Carney goal and a Luke Wilkshire penalty produced a famous victory for the visitors.
“I’m really proud of the boys, they did a great job,” Osieck told Fox Sports after the victory.
“The only thing I said after the game was thank you, from the bottom of my heart!”
The win holds extra significance for Osieck, who was born and raised in Germany.
He explained how he wanted his side to keep the ball more in the second half and was pleased with the results.
“(In the first half) we played to our structure pretty well and our set-up was good but when we were in possession we gave the ball away too easily,” he said.
“So I asked the players to keep possession and not to give it away easily. I think that worked pretty well.”
Osieck also praised the attitude of his squad at half-time, adding that it was easy to motivate them.
“They were really upbeat. That is what I wanted to see. I’m really happy about our performance, especially the second half.”
“The boys did very well and it’s a reason to be proud.”
The win was Australia’s first over Germany in four attempts.
Tue 29 March, 2011
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