Mesut Ozil has insisted that he benefited from the three changes that German coach Joachim Low made to his starting lineup for the 4-2 Euro 2012 quarter-final win over Greece on Saturday evening.
The Real Madrid midfielder had struggled to make an impact on the tournament during the group stages.
However, following the introduction of Miroslav Klose, Marco Reus and Andre Schurrle into the team, Ozil believes that his level of performance improved.
"That game came as a relief to me. I was able to show what I was capable of," Ozil told Bild am Sonntag. "I've certainly benefited [from the changes].
"We had a lot of open players, and there was a lot of movement, which makes my game easier."
Germany will face the winner of tonight's England vs. Italy match in Thursday night's semi-final.
