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Ozil blasts 'bored' England stars

Mesut Ozil has been one of the stars of the World Cup © Getty Images

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Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil has revealed that beating England is the highlight of his tournament so far, and couldn't believe the England players' claims that they were 'bored' between games in South Africa.

John Terry told a press conference during the tournament that 'there is a little bit of boredom kicking in' while Wayne Rooney claimed the team were 'sick of darts and snooker' at their remote training base.

But ahead of Wednesday's semi-final with Spain, Ozil laughed off these claims of boredom. He said: "If you find the greatest tournament on earth boring, then you probably shouldn't be there.

"Beating England 4-1 has to be my highlight because it showed that, despite what people may say or write, Germany is still one of the best footballing nations in the world. "

Ozil accepted that there can be no debate about Frank Lampard's 'ghost goal' but believes only one team turned up to play that day.

"If the ref doesn't see it, he can't give it - but clearly it was a goal," said the 21-year-old. "It was disappointing for England, but I don't think it would have changed the outcome of the match. We were the better team."

Germany go into their semi-final match with pre-tournament favourites Spain in great form, having disposed of England and Argentina in ruthless style, scoring eight goals in the process.

But there are some reports of unrest in the German camp, with Philipp Lahm and the man he replaced as captain, Michael Ballack reportedly clashing over the leadership of the team, with Lahm reluctant to give up the captaincy after the tournament.

The full-back said yesterday he had no intention of giving up the armband when Ballack is fit again after the tournament - just as the former Chelsea midfielder flew home.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.