Comeback win gives Germany game plan for semis with Spain

Germany's gritty win over France has given them a template for how they should play for the rest of the tournament, defender Rebecca Knaak told reporters on Tuesday ahead of her side's Women's Euro semifinal against Spain in Zurich.

- 

The Germans had a player sent off and conceded a penalty early on against the French, but recovered to draw 1-1 after extra time and win the quarterfinal shootout, pitting the eight-times champions against Spain on Wednesday.

"Really, it's the perfect example for passion, strength, mental strength, all these things that are characteristics that we possess," Knaak told a press conference.

"Of course, on a tactical basis, we are prepared by the coach and the team, but the basic, fundamental characteristic has been built for the Spanish (game) in the French match."

After two first-half red cards in their last two games, coach Christian Wueck is hoping to keep 11 players on the pitch for as long as possible so he can make the most of his attacking talent.

"I think we will chase them (Spain) a lot. We won't have a lot of possession, and we will suffer, but we have to find the right moments and take advantage of the right moments to push our game ... we are strong in possession, and this is going to be the big difference, because we want to play on the ball," he told reporters.