AFP, Herzogenaurach

An emotional Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann said Saturday the team’s “belief in ourselves has returned” despite a 2-1 extra-time elimination by Spain in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.

Germany pushed Spain all the way in Stuttgart on Friday, coming from a goal down to send the game into extra time when Florian Wirtz scored an 89th-minute equaliser.

The host nation had a penalty claim denied late before conceding a Mikel Merino goal in the 119th minute.

The tearful coach praised the team after almost a decade of failures at major tournaments and said the performances, built on passionate home support, had bridged gaps between fans and the national team.

“The faith has grown, (the fans) believe in us again,” Nagelsmann told reporters at Germany’s base camp in the Bavarian village of Herzogenaurach.

“A few months ago it would have been unthinkable for us to come back from a goal down.

“You can tell I’m fighting back tears because it was very emotional. I’ve always said we need the fans behind us across the country.

“From March onwards, it was clear that the fans felt something. When we see the videos of fans, it’s emotional. We would have liked to have given the supporters even more.”

Nagelsmann took over in September after Hansi Flick became the first coach in Germany history to be sacked.

After two successive World Cup group stage eliminations and a last 16 loss to England at the Euros in 2021, Germany won just three of 11 games in 2023, giving rise to fears of a disastrous showing on home soil.

The 36-year-old coach however steadied the ship, bringing in a host of new players and dropping several big names from the squad.

Friday’s loss was Germany’s first defeat in 2024 after an eight-game run which included wins over France, the Netherlands and Denmark.

Asked if he had successfully reset the nation’s hopes, Nagelsmann said: “I think we all saw that the hard drive has been cleaned.

“I don’t know if it has definitely been completely erased, but it definitely has been cleaned.

“We are much more solid and our belief in ourselves has grown.”