German left-back Philipp Lahm said Tuesday that It was bitter to lose so close to the end of the match and It's hard to explain it.
Italy ousted hosts Germany 2-0 in the World Cup semifinal with two goals in the last minute of extra time.
Lahm, who scored the first goal of the 2006 World Cup in the opener against Costa Rica, played so actively in today's duel that it was hard to identify him as a defender or an attacker.
"We had good chances to score. We didn't lack any freshness at the end, we were still fit, everyone could still run," said the 23-year-old Bayern Munich defender.
"There were two very good teams out there. There weren't many chances. It was a balanced match. We had our chances too," Lahm said.
"It's hard to find an explanation. We're naturally very disappointed. There is a lot of disappointment to lose here in Dortmund against Italy.
"We had set ourselves the target of reaching the semi-finals, but once you've reached that you want to go all the way," he said.
Lahm loves to cut inside onto his favored right foot as he surges down the left wing. He played his early football with Bayern Munich before heading to VfB Stuttgart on loan in the 2002/03 season.
He matured rapidly in two seasons at Stuttgart, then made his international debut against Croatia and played every minute of UEFA Euro 2004 for Germany.
A torn cruciate ligament briefly halted his progress, but he has come back strong and, in 2005, he returned to Bayern Munich.
Italy ousted hosts Germany 2-0 in the World Cup semifinal with two goals in the last minute of extra time.
Lahm, who scored the first goal of the 2006 World Cup in the opener against Costa Rica, played so actively in today's duel that it was hard to identify him as a defender or an attacker.
"We had good chances to score. We didn't lack any freshness at the end, we were still fit, everyone could still run," said the 23-year-old Bayern Munich defender.
"There were two very good teams out there. There weren't many chances. It was a balanced match. We had our chances too," Lahm said.
"It's hard to find an explanation. We're naturally very disappointed. There is a lot of disappointment to lose here in Dortmund against Italy.
"We had set ourselves the target of reaching the semi-finals, but once you've reached that you want to go all the way," he said.
Lahm loves to cut inside onto his favored right foot as he surges down the left wing. He played his early football with Bayern Munich before heading to VfB Stuttgart on loan in the 2002/03 season.
He matured rapidly in two seasons at Stuttgart, then made his international debut against Croatia and played every minute of UEFA Euro 2004 for Germany.
A torn cruciate ligament briefly halted his progress, but he has come back strong and, in 2005, he returned to Bayern Munich.
