Germany levels Portugal
The first 45-minutes might have been a little boring, but the second half more then made up for it. With just one half left for Germany to give their home fans a great final match, Bastian Schweinstieger gave his side everything they could ask for.
His first goal was a swerving shot that seemed to shift directions a half dozen times in the air on its way past Ricardo and into the back of the net.
He then gave his team a two goal lead when he sent a free-kick into the box only to find Portugal's Armando Petit who sliced it into his own goal. The look on Schweinstieger's face after the goal was priceless. The pure shock at his good luck delighted him.
Yet he wasn't done yet. In the 78th minute, he fired a 25 yard shot that easily beat the goalie. What a last match for the host nation.
In goal, Oliver Kahn made a couple fabulous saves. The one goal that slipped passed him was a fantastic header off Nuno Gomes, which he had no chance of saving.
Come the end of the day, the Portuguese really did not leave the pitch with much to cheer about. The Germans dominated them. Ronaldo was lacking in the attack, while the defense was as confused as could be. The only bright moment was Figo's time on the pitch. It is a shame him and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari fought before the match, thus denying him a starting spot.
Yet in the end, the big winner of the day, if not the tournament, was Jurgen Klinsmann. He took a team that was a quarterfinalist on a good day and made them into the third best team in the world. He also changed the image of German soccer from one of boring efficiency to an attacking powerhouse that plays with the ball. And he did all this with little support from anyone involved in German soccer.
Germany was lucky to have Klinsmann, but now the question becomes will he stay. He's a national hero, but does he really want to stick around for four more years or will he want to try his magic elsewhere (say the US)?
His first goal was a swerving shot that seemed to shift directions a half dozen times in the air on its way past Ricardo and into the back of the net.
He then gave his team a two goal lead when he sent a free-kick into the box only to find Portugal's Armando Petit who sliced it into his own goal. The look on Schweinstieger's face after the goal was priceless. The pure shock at his good luck delighted him.
Yet he wasn't done yet. In the 78th minute, he fired a 25 yard shot that easily beat the goalie. What a last match for the host nation.
In goal, Oliver Kahn made a couple fabulous saves. The one goal that slipped passed him was a fantastic header off Nuno Gomes, which he had no chance of saving.
Come the end of the day, the Portuguese really did not leave the pitch with much to cheer about. The Germans dominated them. Ronaldo was lacking in the attack, while the defense was as confused as could be. The only bright moment was Figo's time on the pitch. It is a shame him and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari fought before the match, thus denying him a starting spot.
Yet in the end, the big winner of the day, if not the tournament, was Jurgen Klinsmann. He took a team that was a quarterfinalist on a good day and made them into the third best team in the world. He also changed the image of German soccer from one of boring efficiency to an attacking powerhouse that plays with the ball. And he did all this with little support from anyone involved in German soccer.
Germany was lucky to have Klinsmann, but now the question becomes will he stay. He's a national hero, but does he really want to stick around for four more years or will he want to try his magic elsewhere (say the US)?
Labels: Oliver Kahn
posted by Mike H at 10:09 PM
1 Comments:
Petition
I have just read and signed the online petition: "FIFA World Cup: Flopping Penalty and Concurrent Replay" hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com at:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/fifaexec/
I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might agree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider signing yourself.
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