FIFA World Cup: Must play like we did against Brazil, says Per Mertesacker

Centre-back Mertesacker warns Germany that they will lose vs Argentina in the final today if they don’t repeat their semis show

Rio de Janeiro: Per Mertesacker thinks Germany will lose the World Cup final if they do not perform to the exact same standard as they did against Brazil.


Germany's Per Mertesacker looks on during the match against Portugal at Arena Fonte Nova. Pic/Getty Images  

Germany pulled off one of the biggest shocks in the history of football when they hammered Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals last week.

The comprehensive nature of the win means Germany will go into today's final against Argentina as big favourites, but Mertesacker has warned against the idea that Germany should already be regarded as world champions before the first whistle.

'Repeat Brazil show'
"We must stay focused and play the same way that we did against Brazil, otherwise we have no chance," the Germany defender said.

"Our performance against Brazil was nearly 100 per cent. If you look at the stats, the passing, the goals we scored, everything was so fluent. But if we drop five per cent then we will have no chance," he warned.

The streets of Germany were packed with jubilant fans who had stayed up to watch Joachim Loew's team rip the hosts apart with a ruthless attacking display on Tuesday.

Mertesacker wants the memories of that night in Belo Horizonte to be put to the back of his teammates' minds by today though.

"(Winning 7-1) is dangerous for us," the Arsenal centre-back said. "We can't lose our focus now because we scored seven goals.

"We must keep calm and be aware of the situation. Our main target is to win the final.

"We want to finish on a high. We want more history. We don't want to just settle for this result before the final."

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