VIENNA, June 29 (Xinhua) -- German players should hold their heads high after they lost to Spain 1-0 at the Euro 2008 final, German coach Joachim Loew said here after the match on Sunday. "The players are obviously disappointed, but we need not head down about that," Loew said at the mixed zone after the game. "For Germany, going into the final is something special. The Spaniards had the best chances today and they deserved the win," Loew said. In the meantime, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who came here to watch the final on the spot, praised the German squad. "In the final is already a great success," she said. "We have fought, but it has not quite enough. We were at the World Cup third in the European Championship Second - let's see how it with a view to the World Cup 2010 continues," she added. Germany captain Michael Ballack said after the match that his team had made several mistakes, which resulted in the loss. "The team has played a great Championship. Unfortunately, today we have one to two mistakes too much. We wanted, but we could not," he said. "We can be proud of the excellent level of the game. For all its disappointment - the team has done a great thing," he added.
