Sami Khedira turned down a reporter's offer of flight passes to take him and his Germany teammates home from the World Cup in Russia, insisting they would not be needed until after the final.
Germany are in a precarious position in Group F after suffering a 1-0 defeat against Mexico in their opening game on Sunday, but Khedira said Joachim Low's squad remain confident of progressing to the knockout stages.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Die Mannschaft face Sweden on Saturday before their final group game against South Korea on Wednesday and Juventus midfielder Khedira rejected suggestions that their campaign could be over after just two matches.
When a Swedish reporter cheekily handed him tickets for flights back to Germany, claiming he would need them after the defending champions lose on Saturday, Khedira said: "We don't need it. We don't want to go back home. We are thinking to win this game.
"After this bad start, we know that it's super difficult, but we know that we are a strong team. We analysed the game, we saw Sweden play and we are sure that we are winning this game."
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