Commenting on his team’s 2-1 semi-final loss to Italy yesterday, German coach Joachim "Jogi" Löw said that after allowing the first goal, the German squad stopped playing in an organized fashion.

“I had to make changes at half-time. We needed to take certain risks to change the equation,” said Löw.

The German coach praised his players and said that the squad had won 15 games in a row and had made great strides in the last two years.

“We had a great run in the competition and life goes on. We were playing against the best teams of the continent. We will still have opportunities to shine," he concluded.

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said his side had prepared well for yesterday’s match and carried out its plans in timely fashion.

The coach singled out Mario Balotelli, the scorer of both goals, and Antonio Cassano as top players last night.

Prandelli cautiously added that his guys don’t have the luxury of celebrating and that they have to focus on Sunday’s final with Spain.

“Spain is a fantastic side but we will prepare just like we did for our game with Germany. I believe it will be a wide-open game and this will create a level playing field for us.”