Germany's Mats Hummels (R) celebrates with his teammate Thomas Mueller after scoring a goal against France. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Germany broke French hearts for the third time in the World Cup when they triumphed 1-0 at the Maracana on Friday to become the first country to reach the semi-finals in four successive tournaments.
But, unlike the dramas of their memorable semi-final victories over France in Spain in 1982 and Mexico four years later, this success, secured by Mats Hummels' 13th minute header, lacked real excitement and was based more on solid defending and team work.
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