Coach praises Miroslav Klose impact

Miroslav Klose was praised by Germany coach Joachim Low after he equalled Ronaldo's all-time World Cup goals record of 15 in the thrilling 2-2 draw against Ghana.

- Honigstein: Klose saves Germany

Klose replaced Mario Gotze in the 69th minute and made an immediate impact, scoring two minutes later to equal the record in his fourth World Cup finals.

"I'm awfully happy for Miroslav Klose," Low told his postmatch news conference. "He was only on the pitch for two minutes, and this is sensational for his career.

"We know that he has had a difficult season and has been injured a few times. For me as a coach, it is great to know that I have this kind of player on the bench and that he can make a decisive move at any time.

"He is precisely the kind of man who is ready for the physical aspect of the game. It is a great feeling for me, and for the team as well."

Low also confirmed that Thomas Muller, who suffered a cut in a clash with Ghana's John Boye, was not likely to face an extended absence, telling reporters: "Muller has a cut above the eyebrow. He was bleeding, but I don't think he needed stitches."

The coach said he was not worried by Germany's performance, even though they had shown some defensive frailties.

He said: "We wanted to play in a disciplined and compact way in the first half. We knew Ghana had to win this game, so the first half was well-organised. In the second half, it was an open exchange of punches.

"It was fascinating to see such a fast game. Both teams made mistakes and errors, but both teams wanted the victory. We had lots of goalscoring opportunities. For the coach, it is up and down and like a seesaw, just as it is for the spectators.

"The ground is extremely hard. The ball sometimes gets stuck, and players who like to play with the ball close to their feet often have difficulties with the pitch. Our players, namely the technically skilled ones, had problems.

"When you have an African team in front of you, they are physical and admirably fast. We have shown that we can play at a fast pace, but I am not really worried as to our physical performance.

"The situation has not changed for us. We cannot lose the last match, but we are still in a good position to progress."

Manuel Neuer was more critical of Germany's display, but said he believed the result would serve to keep their feet on the ground.

"We boosted Ghana with our own mistakes," he added. "That should never be happening to us at a World Cup. That's why we only got one point today.

"Ghana are not the best team tactically, and if we'd played the ball around better we wouldn't have had any problems. The Portugal result [a 4-0 win for Germany] was too handsome, and this has brought us back down to earth."