Neuer relishes Netherlands clash

Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was delighted with the 1-0 win over Portugal in their Euro 2012 opener.

A Mario Gomez goal just under 20 minutes from time proved to be the only difference between Paulo Bento’s men and a below-par German outfit on Saturday.

Neuer described his country’s defensive performance against Portugal as ‘very good’ and is looking forward to the next match against Netherlands.

“We were very good defensively. Portugal created most of their chances via dead-ball-situations. I didn’t have much to do for most of the time,” he told Goal.com after the game.

“At the end they had to force something and they had two chances. But we trust our defenders.

“It does not matter who plays at the back. The players on the pitch did their job. Especially Mats Hummels, who made some clearances in important situations when he headed the ball away. It was close one or two times – and he was pretty solid.”

Neuer is already thinking about Germany’s next match, a mouth-watering clash with Netherlands on Wednesday.

“For us, it was important that the next match will be no final for us. We keep our heads up and we can go into the next match against Holland in a positive way.

“Generally speaking, the first match day isn’t decisive for a tournament.”