Loew relishes Mexico test at Confederations Cup

Germany's Joachim Loew said he is looking forward to facing Mexico on Thursday in the Confederations Cup semifinals after the world champions pipped Chile to top spot in Group B.

The Germans play Mexico in Sochi for a place in next Sunday's final in Saint Petersburg while Chile meet Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the other last-four clash on Wednesday in Kazan.

"Mexico is going to be a tough game, they are a very flexible team with very good players," said Loew, who became the first head coach to achieve 100 international wins.

"We don't often play central American sides, so that will be interesting for us, but we need to be on our guard."

Germany's Timo Werner, 21, netted twice in Sunday's win over 10-man Cameroon which saw them finish two points clear of Chile, who rallied for a 1-1 draw with Australia in Moscow.

After Kerem Demirbay opened the scoring in Sochi, Werner struck either side of Vincent Aboubakar's consolation effort on 78 minutes.

Cameroon had Ernest Mabouka sent off in controversial fashion on 64 minutes for a dangerous tackle on Liverpool's Emre Can.

Referee Wilmar Roldan initially dismissed Sebastien Siani before the video assistant referee rectified his error.

Loew, in his 150th match in charge of Germany, maintained his impressive record of reaching the semifinals of every tournament over the last decade.

Meanwhile, Werner is eyeing Confederations Cup glory with Germany and hopes his two goals against Cameroon are enough to see him start Thursday's semifinal with Mexico.

"Mexico will be tough to play, but we have also been good so far and I think we have a chance to go beyond the semifinals," said RB Leipzig's Werner.

"We're in the semis, so the next aim is to reach the final.

"To say we want to win the final would be over ambitious, but it wouldn't be enough just to play in the third-place match."

The fleet-footed striker has a sharp eye for goal and justified Loew's faith with a man-of-the-match performance, which could be rewarded with another start against Mexico.

"Timo Werner really put in a lot of leg work," said Germany's head coach.

"At the start, our attacks somehow didn't come to much, on so he wasn't able to really shoot on target.

"It was a different story after the break, he was much more present in the box, that's where he's dangerous, he has a killer instinct.

"Both goals were nicely taken and he really earned them."

Werner is one of only three players have now so far scored twice at this Confed Cup.

He is in the company of global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and teammate Lars Stindl, whose place Werner took in Germany's starting line-up against Cameroon.

The inexperienced Germans made a nervous, hesitant start in Sochi and after a frustrating first-half of missed half chances and scuffed shots, Werner's game clicked.

"I needed some time before scoring, I was a bit annoyed because leading up to (the goals), I had a couple of situation which weren't ideal," said Werner.

"I got a couple of good passes, so I have to thank those guys who provided those.

"The man-of-the-match award is a great distinction for me, I am happy we won in Sochi and can have an extra day to prepare for the semifinal.

"Of course, the fact we can stay here helps, it's nice to be by the sea."

Werner only made his debut in March and is soaking up the experience of playing in Russia a year before the World Cup.

"The Confed Cup is a huge experience for all us young players," he said.

"We've all got a glimpse of what it is like to be in a big tournament, we're looking forward to every match and the challenges."

While German coach Loew praised his inexperienced side for overcoming Cameroon, the Africans' coach Hugo Broos lashed out at tournament organisers in Russia with just a year to go before they stage the World Cup.

The Belgian praised the "excellent" standard of the stadiums, but said heavy traffic hampered training sessions when they played in Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

"On three different occasions we had to start our session an hour late, because we were stuck in traffic, even though we had a police escort from the hotel," said Broos.

"That must be reviewed and sorted out, because in one year's time, when the World Cup is here, teams should not be stuck in traffic.

"It's not that you start an hour late, everything gets pushed back and on one occasion we ate at 10pm at night, which is far too late."

Source: .khaleej Times