Familiar tinge to Porto Alegre no home comfort for Germany against Algeria

Joachim Loew’s men downplay the fact they are in a city rich in German ancestry, writes Gary Meenaghan from Porto Alegre

Germany coach Joachim Loew shown at a team training session on Sunday ahead of their Monday match against Algeria at the 2014 World Cup. Armando Babani / EPA / June 29, 2014

Even before you arrive in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, a cultural change is perceivable. Boarding a flight in, say, Rio, a lack of Havaianas flip-flops and Quicksilver board shorts is noticeable. Where the plane lands, there is little need for them. Where the plane lands is winter – it is cold and it is wet.

Yet it is the sight of Stetsons and pointed leather shoes that provide the biggest insight into the continental change that comes with a two-hour flight south. This is Gaucho country; home of the cowboys who roam the South American pampas.

Yet Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, is also Brazil’s largest German-rooted community and home to prominent figures such as Dunga, the captain of Brazil’s 1994 World Cup-winning side, and Gisele Bundchen, the supermodel who will walk the World Cup trophy on to the pitch at the Maracana on July 13.

North of the city is Novo Hamburgo (New Hamburg), but it is no longer the case that entire communities speak a foreign language or that the German tricolour hangs in place of the Brazilian flag.

There is, however, a certain Germanic tinge to things. Businesses carry names, such as Leindecker Imoveis, Schneider Churrascaria and Chopp Stuebel. The population looks more European, with whiter skin and fairer hair.

A Brazilian journalist yesterday said that one in three residents has German ancestry and should you find one who speaks a little English, they may even converse with a German accent.

The Estadio Beira-Rio, on the banks of the Guiaba River, will host Monday’s last-16 match between Germany and Algeria. The media centre has a wooden interior not dissimilar in style to the kind of place you might expect to find in rural Bavaria, but Joachim Loew, the German coach, is not expecting to feel any home advantage. He believes only 4,000 tickets have been sold to travelling German fans.

“I don’t know whether we will have a majority of fans because Algeria already had nearly 10,000 people in this stadium,” he said in regard to his Arab opponents’ 4-2 win over South Korea. “What we have seen in the matches of Algeria is that their supporters are extremely fanatic and have enormous enthusiasm because – for the first time in their history – they have reached the round of 16.”

A comment such as that might well rankle with the Algerians.

In Algiers, much has been made about the chance for their country to revenge Germany’s collusion with Austria at the 1982 World Cup. Back then, the two teams deliberately played out a 1-0 win to enable both to progress at the expense of an impressive Algeria side, who were eliminated and have never since come as close.

Former Algeria midfielder Lakhdar Belloumi, who scored his country’s winning goal in the surprise 2-1 victory over West Germany in Spain, said the current side are well aware of the history.

“The Germans and Austrians contrived to make sure we didn’t go through, and now the present team has a chance to gain revenge,” he said. “The idea of doing that will not put pressure on them, it will inspire them.”

Loew refused to be drawn on the matter. “Forget it,” he said. “That is not something that we have even spoken about. I know in Algeria it is a subject that is constantly talked of, but the Algerian players were not even born yet. It is a thing that happened over 30 years ago and is no longer a subject for us.”

The 42,000 spectators in the stands – whether they are Algerian, German, Brazilian or German-Brazilian – will be familiar with the majority of Die Mannschaft’s roster, but the same cannot be said of the Algerian team. When Philipp Lahm was asked to pinpoint the opposition’s dangermen, he sidestepped it with all the aplomb he shows on the pitch.

“I know the players, but I don’t want to pronounce their names wrongly,” he said. “We have studied them and done video analysis. They are a team that will certainly show they deserve to be here. They don’t want to concede, never want to lose a duel.

“They are an unpleasant team to play against and would rather foul than lose the ball. We have to unleash our performance and attack and defend aggressively.”

Loew said he is treating his opponents like every other national team Germany has faced, regardless of whether they are European, South American or North African.

He has had individual profiles created for each of Algeria’s players and said his technical team have been studying North African football for several years.

“We know how they train, we know they have a strong French influence,” he said. “We know many of their players played and trained in France.

“We know a lot. The names may not be decisive, but we are aware of the quality and speed of the players.”

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