France goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris hailed his German counterpart Manuel Neuer as the best in the business ahead of the sides' clash in the World Cup quarterfinals on Friday.
With Germany's defence pushing high up the pitch in their last-16 win against Algeria, Neuer often found himself coming well out of his area to clear the ball.
And Lloris was impressed with the manner in which the 28-year-old Bayern Munich star coped as a 'sweeper-keeper'.
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"When the team pushes so high up the pitch, you have to be able to play further forward and perform the role of a 'libero'," Lloris said ahead of the game at the Maracana Stadium. "Neuer is certainly the most complete goalkeeper in the world and is capable of doing that role. He did it remarkably against Algeria."
Germany coach Joachim Loew echoed Lloris' sentiments, comparing his ability on the ball to that of a top-class outfield player.
"That is the class of Neuer, he can move up and he has a feel for long passes. If you move up and are attacked quickly, you can be caught out by 60 metre-long passes. Manuel is a perfect player in this regard and has the same technical skills as a midfielder. He has a feeling for distances which makes him so valuable and so effective."
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