Somebody had better heat up the old cliche about never writing off the Germans. This was a sensational response to their many doubters, who bore witness to exactly what had been demanded: a performance of furious intensity, channelled aggression and boundless invention that puts their name back in the conversation from nowhere. If Germany can match this standard over the coming three weeks, Joachim Löw could yet sign off by winning Euro 2020.
What a turnaround that would be given the brickbats flung his way during an entropic three years since their early World Cup exit. On Tuesday they gave France too much respect and the sense was that Hansi Flick’s first job, when he takes over next month, would be to place a rocket under the self-esteem of a football power listing to such an extent. But they were unrecognisable here in overwhelming Portugal and turning back the clock to those days when, faced with opponents who might be considered peers, they would simply crank up the volume.
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