I’ve waited a long time – nearly 10 years in fact – but finally I was able to cover my beloved Socceroos playing against Germany, in Germany! After such a long wait, I can definitely say it was worth the suspense. From an Australia supporter perspective, it was both entertaining and satisfying. But first… I should probably explain a bit about why I was there.

Together with my DW colleagues Barbara Mohr and Peter Wozny, I journeyed to Kaiserslautern to cover the evening of the game and to do a heap of social media reporting ahead of the fixture. It was a bit of a new experiment for us, focusing on video production and exclusive social media content.

We uploaded a video of returning captain Bastian Schweinsteiger juggling a ball at practice straight to Youtube, and also translated and posted quotes from Joachim Löw on the news of the day: the tragic crash of Germanwings flight 4u9525. At the training sessions – normally pretty drab affairs – my colleague Barbara took some great photos and they were really popular with our users. I was responsible, amongst other things, for filming the press conference of Aussie coach Ange Postecoglou.

I also wrote two online reports that went on to our regular page. But our most well-clicked item from after the game was a short mixed-zone video of Andre Schürrle speaking English. It shows: the people often want different content to what you might expect, on platforms that are convenient for them.

And the game itself… well, as I say, it was entertaining and satisfying. Australia were actually in the lead in the second half and – despite the fact that it ended in a 2-2 draw – it was a really good showing from the Socceroos. I’d go as far as to say that it was a sign of just how much the Aussies have matured as a team, especially since I first saw them here on these shores nearly 10 years ago in the 2006 World Cup. Back then, their Germany stay finished in Kaiserslautern. This time – thankfully – it wasn’t at the hands of a dubious penalty against Italy.