Before the World Cup group final of the German national soccer team against Costa Rica on Thursday (8:00 p.m. CET in the FAZ live ticker for the soccer World Cup on ARD and on MagentaTV), Hansi Flick did not let himself be looked at. “Nice try,” replied the national coach when asked whether he would start Spain’s hero Niclas Füllkrug. And Leroy Sane? “Another nice try,” said Flick and smiled.
In the chain in front of captain Manuel Neuer, who will set a goalkeeper record with his 19th World Cup game, only the filling of the right-back position is actually open. Lukas Klostermann, who came on as a substitute against Spain like Füllkrug and Sané, is “always a good option,” said Flick. Niklas Süle should again defend in the center next to boss Antonio Rüdiger, on the left David Raum.
Like Leon Goretzka and Thilo Kehrer, the man from Leipzig had only trained individually on Tuesday, Kai Havertz had a cold. Now “everyone is fit,” said Flick. Like last Sunday against Spain, the national coach will probably rely on a three-man midfield. “We think it worked well,” he said. In the center of attack, Thomas Müller should be given preference over “Fullness”.
“100 percent” trust in Frappart
In the game against Costa Rica, Stéphanie Frappart will be the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup game. Flick trusts the French referee “100 percent”. He thinks “she deserves it because of her performance,” said Flick. “We’re looking forward to this game and I hope she’s looking forward to this game too.”
The situation for the national team is not entirely new: Croatia’s Ivana Martinčić was the referee in the World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein a year ago. “For me it’s the most normal thing in the world, I’ve never paid attention to whether it’s a man or a woman whistling,” said international Lukas Klostermann. The nomination of Frappart was not an issue in the DFB selection.
