Soccer-Comeback win gives Germany game plan for semi-final with Spain
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 quarter-final 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.
The Germans have also been disrupted by injuries during the tournament, but Knaak said the sense of togetherness in the squad lessened the impact of losing players.
"I think it says a lot about the team that we accepted every situation as it came along. There's so many different, unusual situations, and we adapted, we accepted those situations, and we supported each other," she said.
"And at the end, it doesn't really matter who plays next to whom. We are a team, and we have the squad exactly for those reasons, so that we can adapt."
England play Italy in the first semi-final in Geneva on Tuesday, with the final in Basel on Sunday.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor, editing by Ed Osmond)
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