The hydration break came at just the right time for Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann in the World Cup opener against Curaçao. After the underdog's surprising equalizer, the coach used the break to reorganize his team.
It paid off, as the German squad took a 3-1 lead by half-time and went on to win 7-1.
"The hydration break was actually a good opportunity to simply show some things on the whiteboard," Nagelsmann said after the match.
The World Cup novelty effectively turns the two halves into a four-quarter format, one that US citizens are very familiar with from other sports such as basketball and American football.
In each half, the referee is supposed to pause the game for 3 minutes after 22 minutes of play. This model was created out of concern for the players' physical strain.
It paid off, as the German squad took a 3-1 lead by half-time and went on to win 7-1.
"The hydration break was actually a good opportunity to simply show some things on the whiteboard," Nagelsmann said after the match.
The World Cup novelty effectively turns the two halves into a four-quarter format, one that US citizens are very familiar with from other sports such as basketball and American football.
In each half, the referee is supposed to pause the game for 3 minutes after 22 minutes of play. This model was created out of concern for the players' physical strain.
15 hours ago
