The Hindu : Sport : Germany outplays Ecuador, tops group

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Wednesday, Jun 21, 2006

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Sport

Germany outplays Ecuador, tops group

Ian Ball

BERLIN: Miroslav Klose scored two goals on Tuesday to help Germany to a 3-0 win over Ecuador and first place in Group A of the World Cup.

Lukas Podolski also scored for Germany, which has nine points from its three group matches and will face the runner-up from Group B in the second round on Saturday in Munich.

The last time Germany won its first three matches at a World Cup was in 1970 in Mexico. Ecuador will face the winner of Group B in the second round on Sunday in Stuttgart.

German coach Jurgen Klinsmann showed how seriously he was taking this match by making just one change with Robert Huth drafted in for the injured Christoph Metzelder.

As expected skipper Ballack was in the starting line-up despite being a yellow card away from missing last 16 tie.

In contrast Ecuador coach Luis Suarez made five changes, omitting captain Ivan Hurtado, who was carrying a caution, and star striker Agustin Delgado.

"Our goal was to win the group and we achieved this," Klinsmann said. "We are looking forward to the knockout stage.

"Our strikers are in really good shape, they are working hard and scoring. But it will be more difficult to score in later rounds so they will have to work even harder," Klinsmann added.

Holding firm

Germany's once vulnerable defence has not conceded a goal in two straight games.

Klose, who has scored nine World Cup goals in his career, put Germany ahead when he scored in the fourth minute.

After a German corner, the Ecuadorian defence could not clear the ball away from its half and it was sent back to defender Per Mertesacker, who flicked it over to the far post. Bastian Schweinsteiger crossed it back onto the path of Klose, who drove it inside the far post.

Klose celebrated with his trademark somersault, a gesture he says is reserved for important goals in big games. "Miro has been in great form for months," Klinsmann said of Klose, who led the Bundesliga last season with 25 goals.

The striker, who also scored twice in Germany's 4-2 opening win over Costa Rica, had several other shots on goal and another attempt stopped by Ecuador goalkeeper Cristian Mora.

By then, the early pace had considerably slackened off and even the capacity crowd of 72,000 appeared to slumber in the afternoon heat. Then, the German team suddenly came alive again.

Captain Michael Ballack chipped a pass to the edge of the Ecuador box, Klose shook off two defenders, rounded Mora and coolly slotted home.

Edwin Tenorio gave German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann his first real test of the match in the 49th with a long-range shot that Lehmann tipped over the crossbar.

Luis Valencia then nearly took the German captain out of the game with a vicious kick that hit Ballack in the left foot. After some treatment, Ballack stayed in the game.

Klose's partner in Germany's attack, Podolski, nearly brushed the post after a quick German move in the 54th.

With Ecuador trying to get back into the game, Edison Mendez tried another long-range shot that Lehmann parried.

Completing the tally

By trying to go forward, Ecuador left gaps in its defence and the Germans exploited it in the 57th after stopping an attack.

Schweinsteiger carried the ball forward and waited to time his pass to Bernd Schneider perfectly. Schneider then curled a cross into the box, finding the galloping Podolski, whose poked shot rolled inside the right post.

Mendez curled a free kick from 20 yards out over Lehmann's goal but Ecuador was unable to get close to the German goal.

"Today there were more negative things than positive ones, and that makes me think that we have a lot to improve. Everybody played badly today," Suarez said.

"We didn't have possession of the ball. We had problems, especially in the final quarter of the field. It happened all the time, we recovered a ball only to again lose right away."

Suarez is hoping for better in the second round.

"We are going to show that what was said about us in the first two matches was true. I hope we will do nothing of what was seen in this match," Suarez said.

The German team rarely plays in the Olympic Stadium — but has its sights on another trip to the historic arena, on July 9 in the World Cup final. "We like returning to the stadiums we know and hopefully we'll be back here," Klinsmann said. — Agencies

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