English player John Terry purposefully dragged out of position by German defenders.

The World Cup ended a while ago, but this article detailing how German students studied hours of game film to provide their team with critical analysis of their opponents was too good not to post.

Thanks to their analysis, Germany defeated a strong England side in the Round of 16 (4-1), then went on to beat the South American favorite, Argentina with a score of 4-0!

“We knew what to expect from England,” said Philipp Lahm, the Germany captain, speaking at their training ground Thursday. “We changed our tactics and were optimally prepared and that’s why we won.”

While soccer is little understood by the average American – it is a world away from American football with constant stoppages and set plays – there is still plenty of strategy in advancing the ball and creating scoring opportunities.

If anything, film analysis is more important in soccer where playing tendencies are not as clearly defined by standard statistics.

Ultimately, Germany lost a close game to Spain – the eventual Champions – and finished third, but I’m confident they would not have been as successful had they not spent time watching their opponents and preparing to win.

Click through to read the rest of the article.