German Chancellor Angela Merkel showed support for her country in the World Cup semifinal and sympathy for Chinese soccer fans when visiting Tsinghua University.

"We surely hope to win, but Brazil is the host", said Merkel diplomatically when asked her prediction for Wednesday's (Beijing time) semifinal. She then humorously pointed out that the number of Chinese watching the World Cup may be 100 million, greater than that of the entire German population.

After the university visit Merkel was to return immediately to Germany, just in time for the big match but said she felt sorry for local fans as it would not kick off until 4 am (Beijing time).