Germany took a decisive step nearer the 2010 World Cup finals with a 2-0 win in Azerbaijan to open up a four-point gap at the top of European qualifying group four.
Goals early in each half from Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose sealed victory for Joachim Loew's side, who have played a game more than closest rivals Russia.
Germany's trip to face Russia in Moscow on October 10 is likely to decide who tops the group, but Wednesday's win gives the Germans breathing space as they retained their unbeaten record in qualifying.
Loew was able to call on the services of captain Michael Ballack, who had been an injury doubt, and his team took just 12 minutes to get on the scoresheet.
Bayern Munich star Schweinsteiger picked up the ball just outside the penalty area and blasted home a long-range shot.
Minnows Azerbaijan could create little threat and Germany doubled their lead just after the break when Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez smashed a shot at the Azerbaijan goalkeeper Farhad Veliyev and Klose headed the rebound into the empty net.
It made up for his first-half miss when the Bayern Munich stalwart drove his header over the bar with an empty net at his mercy.
[CNN]
In Mannheim, German fans endured a 0-0 in their next-to-last test before the start of the European Championships in Finland. "We had many chances, but we were unable to score", German coach Silvia Neid said, following the game against a resilient Japanese team.
Germany had the advantage, but Birgit Prinz, Inka Grings and Simone Laudehr all missed the goal by hitting the post.
In Finland, the German women start with the match against Norway on August, 24th. In group B, France (August 27th) and Iceland (August 30th) are the other two opponents. The German group matches all take place in Tampere.
Four days ago, the defending European champions had been impressive, defeating the Netherlands 6-0 in front of a capacity crowd in Mannheim. Against Japan, the German team needed 15 minutes for their first scoring opportunity. Then, Nadine Angerer had to show her skills against Shinobu Ohno to prevent the guests from taking the lead.
Following the haltime break, the DFB-team picked up the pace, resulting in two shots on the crossbar by Inka Grings (47.) and Simone Laudehr. When Kozue Ando hit only wood as well, the scoreless tie was ready to go into the books.
[DFB.de]
Two goals by Sandro Wagner and a stellar performance from Mesut Özil inspired Germany to a 4-0 win over England in the Euro Under-21 championship final on Monday.
England began strongly but the Germans grabbed the opening goal in the 23rd minute when Ozil provided Gonzalo Castro with a delicate pass and he chipped the ball above replacement keeper Scott Loach.
The highly promising Ozil made it 2-0 three minutes into the second half with an stunning free kick from over 30 yards. England, coming off a thrilling shootout win over Sweden in the semis, had several chances to reduce the deficit, Lee Cattermole nearly finding the target with a fine long shot which hit the crossbar in the 58th minute.
Winger Adam Johnson ran on to a ball by James Milner and almost flicked the ball into the net with his heel but defender Andreas Beck stopped it on the goal line. Wagner missed an open goal after he failed to get full contact on another fine ball from Ozil in the 79th minute, but he soon made up for his mistake by shooting through keeper Scott Loach's legs. Four minutes later he curled the ball past Loach for his second goal of the night.
More pictures from the game:
[DFB.de]
Mario Gomez hammered in four goals as mighty Germany drubbed the UAE 7-2 in an international friendly on a warm, humid night at Al Nasr's Maktoum Stadium.
Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski celebrating a goal. © Bongarts/GettyImages
The spirited UAE team did a good job in matching the Germans till the 28th minute. But once Heiko Westermann had opened the scoring two minutes from the half hour mark, the floodgates opened and the hosts did not know what hit them.
Mohammad Shehi had the first chance on the German goal as early as in the third minute when he connected with a cross from Esmail Al Hammadi only to see an alert Manuel Neuer, who was making his international debut, equal to the occasion.
Neuer made his international debut at Dubai. © Bongarts/GettyImages
But as the match progressed, the Germans started taking over and Lukas Podolski could only watch in dismay as his shot rebounded off the upright in the ninth minute. Instead, it was defender Westermann who capped off a fine exchange of passes by Trochowski and Philipp Lahm to open the scoring on the night.
And once the Germans got that first goal they seem to have found their rhythm as they went on scoring at ease. Podolski unselfishly passed on to an unmarked Gomez to tap into an empty goal for the second in the 34th minute, while Trochowski finished off a swift move on the right to make it 3-0 by the 38th minute. Gomez scored his second with a clinical finish from close range in injury time as the Germans walked off at halftime with a 4-0 cushion.
Gomez completed his hat-trick within two minutes of the second half and Bastian Schweinsteiger added his name to the score sheet in the 52nd minute to make it an embarrassing 6-0.
Schweinsteiger, with the ball, fighting off UAE players. © Bongarts/GettyImages
The Germans eased back a bit after this onslaught, allowing the home side some amount of space upfront. Esmail Al Hammadi was the first to exploit this rare liberty as his powerful grounder from inside the box in the 54th minute caught Neuer off-guard to finally get UAE on the score board.
Substitute Nawaf Mubarak managed to secure a second for the home side in the 73rd minute when his long distance strike beat the Schalke custodian, with the ball shaving the woodwork on its way in.
But Gomez, who transferred to Bayern Munich from VfB Stuttgart at the end of the season, had the last say when he provided a stylish finish to the game with a goal from an almost impossible angle in stoppage time to record his fourth of the match to end the game at 7-2.
The four goals ended Gomez's international goal drought in spectacular fashion. His last international goal came more than a year ago against Switzerland in a friendly international in March last year. After a disappointing Euro 2008 on a personal level, the striker had fallen into a rut and this four goals would be a big boost of confidence to him.
This was the final match of the season for the German national team. Their first game next season would be played against Azerbaijan in Baku on the 12th of August.
Stay tuned to German Football Team as we continue to bring you the latest news and updates from the German national team's preparations for World Cup 2010!
Germany’s demanding football fans have to be satisfied with a 1-1 tie in Shanghai, on the very first appearance of a German national team in China.
Although the two nations are 95 places apart in the FIFA World Rankings, China had the better chances but were denied by a combination of Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke and poor finishing.
Just five minutes into the game, the hosts shocked Germany by taking the lead. Hao Junmin scored on a shot from short distance, leaving German keeper Robert Enke little chance for a save. Germany responded three minutes later, when Lukas Podolski tied the game on a clever assist by Bastian Schweinsteiger. It was the 33rd goal during Podolski’s international career, letting him share eleventh place in Germany's all-time goalscorers with 1954 World Champion Fritz Walter.
China continued their aggressive and fast-paced style of football. Led by first-time captain Philipp Lahm, the German team, decimated by injuries and even more cancellations due to the DFB Pokal final this weekend, had no easy pickings against the Chinese. Enke saved a shot by Zhao Xuri (21.). Hannover’s goalkeeper displayed courage and attitude, as he played without bandages despite the head lacerations he had received in the Bundesliga finale.
Christian Gentner from German champions VfL Wolfsburg and striker Cacau were the 25th and 26th debutants during the reign of Joachim Löw. With German captain Michael Ballack absent because of the FA Cup final, Gentner played next to Thomas Hitzlsperger in midfield. Center defense was manned by Robert Huth and Arne Friedrich, who celebrated his 30th birthday in Shanghai. Cacau substituted teammate Mario Gomez after 64 minutes.
Six minutes from time Bastian Schweinsteiger had the biggest opportunity to score the winning goal, when he broke free in front of the Chinese goal, but shot the ball just wide.
Germany now fly to Dubai where they will face the United Arab Emirates in their second and final tour match next Tuesday.
[DFB.de]
Germany took another ominous step towards South Africa 2010 but at least Wales' youngsters were not humiliated.
Wales boss John Toshack can at least be thankful for that small mercy after the soul-searching which followed Saturday's embarrassing home defeat to Finland.
But the points in World Cup Group Four were always heading to a Germany side which was never stretched.
Michael Ballack blasted home an early 30-yarder to set the tone for the night at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, with the unlucky Ashley Williams scoring an own goal for Germany's second.
It could have been more but at least Wales showed spirit and fight and regained some of their lost pride.
Toshack made five changes from the side which lost so miserably to Finland.
He lost skipper Craig Bellamy earlier today with a recurrence of his knee problem, while Jason Koumas was out with a hip problem.
Elsewhere he axed Chris Gunter, Carl Fletcher and David Edwards, bringing in Sam Ricketts following suspension, Ashley Williams, Robert Earnshaw, Sam Vokes and Aaron Ramsey, for his full debut.
Germany made just one change from the side which beat Liechtenstein, Simon Rolfes taking over from Marcell Jansen (flu).
Wales were captained by Simon Davies in Bellamy's absence with a totally reconstructed side around the Fulham man.
Germany did not need any help from the officials but that was precisely what happened after just 11 minutes when Ballack unleashed a swerving drive from 30 yards that crashed into the top corner past Wayne Hennessey.
However, that came from Germany being allowed to take a throw on the left that was clearly a Wales ball. Neither linesman or referee Terje Hauge reacted and the ball was instantly fed to the Chelsea man to score.
Half a dozen Wales players complained bitterly to the Norwegian referee, but to no avail.
To their credit Wales side were running and fighting for every ball as the Germans' passing game threatened to overrun them.
And they were getting forward. Ramsey, 18, up against Ballack in midfield, was looking for space and trying to keep possession of the ball and had two efforts on goal charged down on the edge of the box.
And Wales had a decent chance to equalise after 21 minutes. Ricketts crossed from the right, Vokes headed down and Earnshaw saw his close-range effort blocked by Robert Enke.
Joe Ledley then surged into the box to be brought down by Serdar Tasci, the defender looking to handle the ball as he fell.
Germany's menace increased and Hennessey plunged to his left to keep out a 20-yarder from Thomas Hitzlsperger after a tapped free-kick. Then Mario Gomez drove just wide from outside the box.
Hennessey saved superbly from a fierce shot from Lukas Podolski, the Germans looking dangerous every time they came forward.
But Wales were showing spirit and when Gareth Bale lifted a free-kick into the box, James Collins rose to head narrowly wide.
After an encouraging first half Wales did not need a stroke of bad luck just three minutes into the second period.
But that is what happened.
Collins had held up Gomez on the right and looked to have run the ball out but the Stuttgart striker kept the ball in.
His low cross to the near post was then stabbed past Hennessey by Williams' out-stretched boot for Germany's second.
Gunter came on for the limping Ricketts after 53 minutes, with Wales going close three minutes later as Earnshaw controlled the ball well in the box, turned away from Tasci and forced Enke into a fine save to his right.
Ched Evans took over up front for the hard-working Vokes after 62 minutes.
Germany sent on Piotr Trochowski for Podolski, with Wales replacing Lewin Nyatanga with David Cotterill, but the game was over with the visitors toying with their hosts at times.
Rolfes was booked for a foul on Ramsey before Heiko Westermann replaced the Bayer Leverkusen defender. Germany sent on Patrick Helmes for Bastian Schweinsteiger with four minutes to go.
Wales boss John Toshack blasted Norwegian referee Terje Hauge after his side's 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Germany in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
Toshack claimed Germany's first goal was a "ridiculous decision that you would not see in Cardiff park football."
He said: "The first goal was a ridiculous decision, the throw was for Wales and the linesman had given it.
"Aaron Ramsey was trotting across to take it from an area of the midfield where Ballack was waiting so when the ball was passed by Ballack, Ramsey was not in any position to defend against him.
"As for the handball, it was a penalty and should have been a red card. If that had happened it may not have been so easy for Germany.
"The referee produced decisions you would not see on Llandaff (Cardiff) playing fields in park football.''
Toshack added: "Mind you, whether we would have scored a penalty is another matter, we have missed three already in this campaign, but that is not the point.
"It is tough enough playing against one of the best sides in the world without getting those decisions from the referee, we didn't deserve that.
"As for the performance, and considering we lost our captain Craig Bellamy with a knee injury, I can't have asked for more from my team against such a top team."
Bellamy returned to Manchester today for treatment and Toshack added: "It has flared up again, he felt it in training yesterday.
"We waited until today to see if it had improved but Craig was still complaining about it today.
"He has gone back for treatment and he should be fit for Manchester City's UEFA Cup game against Hamburg shortly."
Toshack also lost midfielder Jason Koumas before the game, seemingly with a hip injury that has been worrying him since Christmas.
But there was also speculation that the Wigan man was unhappy with criticism of him from Toshack in the build up to the Finland game at the weekend and it is understood that the pair held discussions yesterday.
After Germany's second win in five days, manager Joachim Low said: "It was extremely important that we won these two games.
"We now have 16 points from 18 in this group with four games left. That means I am absolutely content with the situation."
Low also played down an on-pitch row between Ballack and Lukas Podolski that needed to be ended by the referee in the second half.
Low said: "I have not had the chance to talk to them about it, but if a captain gives out orders on the pitch it is the duty of any players to carry them out."
Germany opened a four-point lead over Group 4 rivals Russia with a convincing 4-0 win against Liechtenstein here in Saturday's World Cup qualifier as captain Michael Ballack led the charge.
The Chelsea star was winning his 91st cap and guided his country to a comfortable victory which leaves Germany top of the group with 13 points ahead of second-placed Russia, who have nine points and face minnows Liechtenstein next Wednesday in Vaduz.
Germany were without several first-choice stars including striker Miroslav Klose - the top scorer at the 2006 World Cup - and back-injury victim defender Arne Friedrich, but the comfortable win was badly needed.
Home defeats to Norway in February and England last November had dented the team's confidence and tiny Liechtenstein, ranked 151st in the world and rooted to the bottom of the group, were never going to test their hosts.
It was Ballack who opened the scoring after just four minutes. Bayern München's midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger floated in a cross and Ballack drilled his shot past Liechtenstein goalkeeper Peter Jehle.
The Germans made it 2-0 five minutes later when Lukas Podolski's shot was saved by Jehle, but midfielder Marcell Jansen won the race to the ball and fired home.
It remained 2-0 at half-time, but Germany stepped up the pace after the break as both Podolski and Schweinsteiger struck in less than two minutes. Podolski drilled his shot at Jehle who parried and when the ball bobbled loose, Schweinsteiger had the simplest of tap-ins on 48 minutes.
With Klose out with an ankle injury, Stuttgart's Mario Gomez partnered Podolski up front and when Gomez's shot was saved, Podolski fired home from nine metres out to make it 4-0 after 50 minutes.
A well-organised Norway took advantage of some diabolical defending to beat Germany 1-0 in Dusseldorf tonight.
Christian Grindheim's goal in the 63rd minute earned Egil Olsen's side a deserved victory against a lacklustre Germany, who followed up their defeat to England in Berlin late last year with a second straight loss on home soil.
The victory will have boosted Olsen's hopes of keeping the Norway job on a permanent basis.
Germany coach Joachim Low left the major experimentation for the second half, picking the experienced Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings in the centre of his midfield with first-choice strikers Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose also starting.
And they both combined for the first chance of the game in the 11th minute with Gomez going close to opening the scoring.
In fact, the Stuttgart striker, who was on target twice for his club in the Bundesliga last weekend, probably should have done better when he was found unmarked at the far post by Klose, but he volleyed the ball back across the face of goal.
Norway packed 11 men behind the ball and waited for their chances on the break.
With the Germany defence failing to convince for the whole 90 minutes, every time the red shirts did surge forward, a goalscoring opportunity seemed certain.
Like in the 13th minute when Thorstein Helstad raced past Per Mertesacker, who only just managed to recover in time to block the Norway striker's shot.
The guests should have been given a penalty in the 21st minute when Heiko Westermann failed to use his brakes as he charged into Daniel Braaten just inside the penalty area.
Germany were let off the hook once again 60 seconds later when Rene Adler made a remarkable one-handed save to deny Helstad as the German defence was again all at sea.
There were still a few chances for the home team in the first half with Piotr Trochowski and Philipp Lahm both going close from similar positions after cutting into the left-hand side of the penalty area.
Gomez was the hosts' most dangerous player and he went closer than any other player in a white shirt to scoring in the 58th minute with Norway goalkeeper Rune Almenning Jarstein making a fine save on the stretch to deny him.
Five minutes later, Norway went ahead with the German defensive frailties laid bare.
Helstad missed the chance to divert Morten Gamst Pedersen's low cross into the back of the net, but it did not matter as the ball still found its way through to Grindheim, who had an easy finish at the far post.
Low awarded Mesut Ozil his first cap with 12 minutes to go, securing the Werder Bremen midfielder indefinitely as a Germany international, but that remained the only positive on a disappointing night in the Dusseldorf Arena.
The 45,000 fans who had braved the freezing, snowy conditions in reaching the stadium found little comfort inside the heated, fully-covered arena and they made their disapproval clear, whistling for much of the second half.
And Germany left the field to a chorus of boos as they made a disappointing start to the year 2009.
Germany lost 1-0 to Spain in the finals of the Euro 2008 tournament. Spain put on a commanding display throughout the game and after Fernando Torres scored in the 33rd minute, Germany were never able to really get back into the game and threaten the Spanish goal.
Heavyweights in European football who produce a constant stream of individual talents, Spain had not won a major tournament since 1964 but finally shook off their tag of being chokers, not able to cope with the pressure of the highest stage.
They have also been perceived as a nation divided by their regions - the lyrics to their national anthem are not used - but full-back Sergio Ramos had kept mentioning the word "united'' this week, and when Torres secured the Henri Delaunay for them they were just that.
Just shy of his 70th birthday, Luis Aragones will now leave his post as coach, probably for Fenerbahce, as a champion. Vicente del Bosque has been tipped to take over and he will inherit a young squad who have their sights on the World Cup.
While Portugal appeared destabilised by Chelsea announcing Luiz Felipe Scolari as their new coach during these finals, there were no signs of the same happening to Spain following Fenerbahce's statement revealing Aragones as their new boss on the eve of their semi-final.
They finish as the tournament's top goalscorers, helped by Torres who took the Premier League by storm with 33 rookie goals for Liverpool.
He was not on the top of his game for the whole of the tournament, but the 24-year-old stepped into the shoes of David Villa when Spain needed him.
"Viva Espana'' sang their fans before the sangria started flowing.
This was billed as a clash of Germany's efficiency and power versus Spain's fluidity and creativity which were on display as Russia were swept aside in the semi-finals.
Germany's drive came from Ballack, with the Chelsea midfielder passed fit despite carrying a calf injury on the eve of the final.
'Against the odds we will win the trophy', read one headline from a German newspaper on the day of the game - and Ballack was seen as the key to their chances.
They had been inconsistent in the group stages, then stuttered past Turkey after outmuscling Portugal.
Only Ballack's level of performance had been high throughout all of it but he ends the tournament a 'nearly man' again.
Six years ago he missed the World Cup final through suspension just after Bayer Leverkusen missed a trio of chances for silverware.
This season Manchester United pipped him to the Premier League and Champions League - and he finds himself the bridesmaid once more.
Facing Ballack was a Barcelona-bred wall of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas in midfield, with Arsenal's youngster getting his chance following Villa's injury.
But before they were allowed to impose themselves on the game, Germany had already wasted two early chances.
Ramos lost his bearings and gifted a pass straight to Miroslav Klose, whose poor touch let him down as he sped past Carles Puyol - and the opportunity had gone.
Then Thomas Hitzlsperger was teed up on the edge of the area by Klose but could not get purchase on his shot.
Spain started to move through the gears after their double reprieve, never looking back after they were let off the hook.
Their opening chance came after a Xavi pass had split the German defence to find Iniesta on the left. When the cross came over, Christoph Metzelder sliced towards his own goal and Jens Lehmann, the oldest player to feature in a European Championship final, athletically tipped around the post.
The post came to Lehmann's rescue when Torres climbed above Per Mertesacker to meet Ramos' centre - but the Liverpool man was not made to wait long for his goal.
It came 12 minutes before the break when Xavi played the ball beyond Philipp Lahm. The full-back was favourite to clear but Torres used pace and muscle to get around him and chip over Lehmann before celebrating his goal by sucking his thumb.
It could have got worse for Germany had David Silva not volleyed over wildly when found at the far post by Iniesta.
And German fans feared the worst when Ballack was forced off with a cut eye, but he returned after getting the bloodied injury treated twice. He was also booked along with opposing captain Iker Casillas for talking back at the referee.
Spain had chances to make it comfortable after the break, with Lehmann saving from Ramos' header and Iniesta getting a drive cleared off the line.
Their own indiscipline almost cost them when Silva butted his head towards Lukas Podolski - but no card was shown.
Torres was taken off in the 78th minute, with his job already done in waking the sleeping giants of European football.
Germany won Turkey 3-2 to book a place in the finals of Euro 2008 after a fantastic strike in the 90th minute by Philipp Lahm. Klose scored in the 79th minute with a header that looked like it was going to be the winner but Turkey once again leveled in dramatic fashion in the 86th minute. With the game looking to go into extra time, Germany decided it was time for them to take a page off the Turks. Lahm made a run down the left and played a nice one-two with Hitzelsperger to end up nicely placed with just the goalkeeper to beat. He cooly sent the Turkish goalkeeper diving the wrong way, slotting the ball into the net at the near post.
Thus, the result ends the Turkish fairytale that has dominated headlines at Euro 2008. Turkey had come back 3 times in the last 3 games with late goals and it looked like it was going to happen again when Semih Senturk scored in the 86th minute to level things at 2-2. The much-weakened Turkey side had dominated the first half but were only level at half-time after Germany's Bastian Schweinsteiger had cancelled out Ugur Boral's 22nd-minute opening goal within 4 minutes.
The second half was a more evenly-matched game and looked to be going to extra-time after Germany striker Miroslav Klose and Semih Senturk of Turkey had each scored in the final 11 minutes. Germany took the lead through Klose in the 79th minute. Rustu was coming out from his goal to claim Lahm's lofted cross into the area, but Klose beat both the goalkeeper and Topal to the ball to send a glancing header into an unguarded net. Astonishingly, the Turks managed to net yet another late goal 4 minutes from time when it seemed like Germany were all set to go into the finals. Sabri sent over a low cross and Semih managed to poke the ball past Lehmann at his near post.
But there was still time for Lahm to smash home the winner as three-times European champions - twice as West Germany in 1972 and 1980 - reached the final, where they will meet either Spain or Russia.
Germany stormed past Portugal 3-2 in the quarterfinals, scoring 2 goals in the first half and adding 1 in the second. Schweinsteiger, Klose and Ballack were all on target for the Germans and they held on in a tense last 10 minutes of the game as Portugal scored a late goal to try to revive their hopes. However, it was too little too late for Scolari's men and they are now out of Euro 2008.
Before the match begun, there was much talk about Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo as everyone expected him to shine in the game. However, his opposite number in the form of Bastian Schweinsteiger stole the show with a commanding performance to put the Germans through to the semifinals. The Bayern Munich winger scored one and setup two others from free kicks to snuff out the hopes of the Portuguese.
Germany now face either Turkey or Croatia in the semifinals, with a possible rematch of their group stage loss to Croatia, forcing the Germans to fight to the end of the group stage so that they could progress.
Joachim Low, banned from the touchline due to a sending off in the last group match, made three changes to his starting lineup. Fritz, Gomez and Frings, who was suffering a broken rib, were taken out in favor of Schweinsteiger, Thomas Hitzlsperger and Simon Rolfes. Scolari, on the other hand, started with the same eleven that had breezed through the first two group games.
Germany controlled the tempo and the possession in the early stages of the game. Hitzlsperger had the first shot with a ninth-minute free-kick but Deco blocked it, and the Stuttgart midfielder let rip another left-footed effort towards the goal moments later which went into the side-netting.
Simao made Jens Lehmann work for the first time just before the quarter-hour mark when he found himself well placed on the right-hand side of the area following good build-up play from Pepe and Deco, but the former Arsenal stopper confidently held on to the winger's effort. Gomes then looked to put Cristiano Ronaldo through but Arne Friedrich got across swiftly to put the ball out for a corner.
Portugal's best chance in the first half came when Jose Bosingwa fired in a cross from the left towards Joao Moutinho. It arrived at an awkward height for the Sporting Lisbon midfielder, who seemed unsure of what to do with it and ended up diverting the ball over the bar with his knee. The miss proved costly as the Germans went a goal up shortly after in the 22nd minute.
It was a wonderfully worked goal too, some swift one-touch passing between Philipp Lahm, Ballack and Lukas Podolski advancing the ball down the left, with Podolski bursting clear to drive in a low cross which Schweinsteiger converted with a sliding finish. Löw had told the midfielder he had a "debt" to his team-mates after his red card against Croatia and he certainly made sure he repaid it by opening the scoring against Portugal.
Four minutes later, Germany doubled their advantage when Schweinsteiger, now on fire from his earlier goal, floated in a perfect free-kick and Klose glanced a header past the onrushing Ricardo.
As if things couldn't get any worse, Portugal suffered a further blow to their dimming hopes when Moutinho hobbled off with a knee injury, to be replaced by Raul Meireles.
The Portuguese slowly began to find their way back into the game again, as Ronaldo and Simao combined well just after the half-hour to force Per Mertesacker into a scrambled clearance. Gomes halved the deficit in the 40th minute, reacting first to fire into the bottom-left corner off the right boot of Christoph Metzelder after Lehmann had parried a Ronaldo shot towards the middle of his goalmouth.
That goal set-up an interesting last 5 minutes of the first half as the Germans tried to restore their lead when Ballack cut in well from the left onto his right foot, but Ricardo saved well at his near post to deny the German captain.
The second-half began in a rather ragged fashion as Friedrich and Lahm were both shown yellow cards for tackles on Ronaldo and Simao respectively. Hitzlsperger had a chance five minutes after the restart but sent his left-footed strike high over the top. Pepe then gave up a good chance to draw level when he headed over in the 57th minute after Deco had flicked on a corner.
The Portuguese immediately paid for their wastefulness when Ballack met Schweinsteiger's free-kick from the left to head past Ricardo in the 62nd minute, restoring the two-goal cushion they had earlier.
Portugal's hopes of going through looked decidedly dim after that, although Scolari tried to turn things around with less than 30 minutes left by throwing on attackers Nani and Postiga.
Podolski almost put the result beyond doubt 12 minutes from time when his fierce long-range drive whizzed just past the right-hand post with Ricardo not able to react to the shot. Nani then set up fellow substitute Postiga to head home a second late in the game to give Portugal a slim chance to level things in the last 3 minutes of the game.
Germany pulled everyone back to form a solid defensive wall against Portugal in the dying minutes as they tried to fend off the few remaining attacks mounted by the Portuguese. However, there was no way past for Portugal and Germany, under the temporary guidance of Löw's assistant Hans-Dieter Flick, are now through to the semifinals of European Championships for the first time since their 1996 triumph.
The game also brings Luiz Felipe Scolari's five-year reign as the Portugal coach to an inglorious end as the team crashes out, unable to improve on their past two outings in the European Championships. He now heads off to become Chelsea manager on July 1.
Germany are now through to the quarterfinals with the only goal of the game coming from captain Michael Ballack in the 49th minute. It was a venomous free-kick that gave Austria goalie Macho no chance at all, as it went straight into the corner of the goal.
Now with 6 points, Germany go through to the quarterfinals to face Group A winners Portugal, in Basel on Thursday. Croatia won the group with 9 points after they beat Poland 1-0 and is set to face Turkey in their quarterfinal match up.
Germany, just needing a draw to stay in the tournament, started off brightly in the first 5 minutes, with Gomez missing a shot that could very well contest for the title of "Miss of the Tournament". Klose crossed for him just at the byline and from a meter out in the center of the goal, he somehow scuffs his tap-in, chipping the ball high into the air, allowing Garics to head it away from right under his own bar.
Austria managed to give Germany a few nervous moments as well, although the final ball into the penalty area was always lacking in quality. Neither side produced any clear cut chances as the first half wore on, with Germany looking somewhat nervous in their performance.
Austria's strategy was mainly focused on counter-attacking Germany on the break and the tactic almost paid off in the 19th minute when Erwin Hoffer was put through on goal, only for his control to let him down, giving Jens Lehmann the chance to gather.
Germany's only other good chance in the first half came when Lukas Podolski let fly a shot from the edge of the penalty area that forced a good save from Juergen Macho, at full stretch low to his left.
There was also some action off the pitch as well towards the end of the first half, with both coaches being sent off to the stands by the refree after some bickering between the two.
Shortly after the restart, Ivanschitz pulled down Philipp Lahm as the left-back drove forward. Up stepped Ballack, who took a thunderous free kick from outside the penalty area with his right foot, blasting it straight into the top right corner.
However, even with the lead, Germany remained cautious throughout the rest of the match, preferring to keep procession when they got the ball, rather than attacking Austria on the break. Austria were unable to come up with anything in response and, in the end, the hosts had to bow out to a 1-0 defeat.
As the match closed out, Germany had a few more chances to put themselves up by another goal, but Neuville and Klose would have been disappointed not to open their goal-scoring accounts at this tournament.
Even as Germany celebrates reaching their first quarterfinals at the European Championships since 1996, they will move on to the quarterfinals knowing that they have to up their game a few more notches to stand any chance against a strong Portugal team.
Croatia has stunned Germany by winning 2-1 today. Germany went down to goals from Srna and Olic in the 24th and 62nd minute before Podolski tried to spark a fightback with a goal in the 78th minute. However, Croatia managed to hold on and are now on the verge of qualifying for the quaterfinals.
Darijo Srna beat Marcell Jansen to poke home a curling cross from the left in the first half for the opening goal. Ivica Olic doubled the scoreline early in the second period with a relatively simple tap in.
Germany pulled one back in the 78th minute through Podolski but Croatia managed to hold on for a famous victory that revived memories of their 3-0 triumph over Germany in the 1998 World Cup quarter-finals, a match that had featured their coach Slaven Bilic. They went on to finish 3rd place in that World Cup.
To add insult to injury, substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger was sent off in injury time after a retaliation against a tackle, albeit a soft one. He is now suspended in the next game against Austria.
Croatia top the group with six points, ahead of Germany on three. Poland and Austria, beaten in their opening matches, are playing later on Thursday.
Bilic's team kept things tight early on and looked dangerous when they went forward. Danijel Pranjic gave Germany a warning of what was to come when he whipped in a cross that the defence struggled to clear. The same player then headed over the bar, with keeper Jens Lehmann beaten, and Christoph Metzelder had to rescue full back Jansen with a last-gasp sliding tackle to deny Olic.
The first goal came in the 24th minute, Srna proving too sharp for Jansen, as Lehmann was powerless to stop the ball from heading goalwards. The goal completely changed the complexion of the game and Germany could not respond with a goal before the 1st period was up.
Croatia nearly made it 2-0 when Olic headed down and Niko Kranjcar blasted over. The Germans went close with a few chances of their own from a Michael Ballack free kick and a header from Metzelder that flashed over.
Coach Joachim Löw sent on David Odonkor in the 2nd half to add pace on the right and Ballack shot over from the edge of the area early in the 2nd half as he looked to inspire his team.
The second goal had an element of luck about it but it was reward for the excellent attitude Croatia showed. The ball came from a cross by Ivan Rakitic that had deflected off Lukas Podolski. Lehmann managed to push the ball away, only to see it rebound off his left upright towards the front of his goal. Olic reacted faster than the two German centre backs to tap the ball into the net.
Bastian Schweinsteiger was sent on shortly after to replace the ineffective Mario Gomez and he immediately tried to make a mark on the game. However, Croatia managed to hold on even after Podolski's late strike for Germany. Coach Löw put on Kuranyi late in the game and changed his squad's formation to a 4-3-3, in a bid to find the goal that would level the game.
But it was a matter of too little too late for Germany and they now have much to think about as they regroup for the last game against Austria.
Lukas Podolski scored both goals against Poland as Germany started off their Euro campaign strongly with a resounding 2 goal win.
Bayern Munich team-mates Miroslav Klose and Podolski - two of three Poland-born players in the Germany squad - combined in the 20th minute for the latter to put Germany ahead, before Podolski scored the insurance goal midway through the second half.
The victory put Germany on top of Group B on goal difference, after Croatia won their game against co-hosts Austria by a single goal, a 4th minute penalty scored by Modric. The win also continues Germany's impressive unbeaten record against the Poles, which now stands at 12 wins and four draws.
Germany, one of the tournament favourites despite not having won a finals match since that 1996 triumph in England, suffered a nervy start when from the first attack of the match goalkeeper Jens Lehmann spilled a cross after colliding with team-mate Per Mertesacker. Fortunately for the former Arsenal custodian, though, Poland midfielder Jacek Krzynowek blazed the loose ball into the massed ranks of German fans behind the goal.
Joachim Low's side did not have to wait long to create their opening opportunity though, and it really should have resulted in the first goal of the game. A Michael Ballack through-ball sent Klose away, but instead of taking the chance himself the striker opted to slip the ball inside to Mario Gomez, who with the goal gaping was unable to stretch enough to get a clean connection and his effort dribbled agonisingly wide of the post.
An entertaining start continued with Poland captain Maciej Zurawski just failing to get on the end of a low cross from the right as the German defence again looked uncomfortable under pressure.
Germany took the lead not long after though when Klose again broke the Poland offside trap, with Gomez sending the striker clear. Once more Klose unselfishly opted to set up a team-mate, and this time his pass across the face of goal took Celtic's Artur Boruc out of play and allowed Gleiwitz-born Podolski the simplest of tap-ins.
The Germans were deserving of the lead at this point of the game, but Poland were not without their chances and Wojciech Lobodzinski saw his low drive held by the diving Lehmann, before Zurawski dragged a decent chance wide of the far post during a strong period for Leo Beenhakker's men.
At the other end Gomez missed a similar chance for Germany following good work by Clemens Fritz down the right before Mariusz Lewandowski saw Lehmann save his long-range piledriver with what was the final effort of a decent first period.
The half-time introduction of the lively Roger Guerreiro gave Poland a spring in their step at the start of the second period, but despite giving the German back line plenty of think about, the Poles were still playing catch-up as the game entered the final 30 minutes.
Poland may have been enjoying plenty of possession, but Germany were looking threatening on the counter-attack and substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger tested Boruc with a low drive before the Polish goalkeeper produced a brilliant fingertip save to deny Ballack in the 70th minute. The Chelsea man looked certain to score after latching onto Philipp Lahm's cut-back, but Boruc was equal to the Germany skipper's rising shot to keep Poland in touch.
Boruc's good work was undone soon after however when Germany pounced on a defensive mistake from Pawel Golanski to double their lead. Golanski took too long in attempting to clear the ball and Schweinsteiger was able to block before feeding the ball inside for Klose. Klose, who turns 30 on Monday, was unable to grab himself an early birthday present as he mis-hit his shot, but the ball spooned up nicely for Podolski who slammed an unstoppable volley into the roof of the net.
That left Poland with a mountain to climb to avoid defeat in their first appearance at the European Championship finals, but Beenhakker's side almost gave themselves a lifeline when Guerreiro's near-post cross was glanced goalwards by Marek Saganowski. However, Lehmann blocked Saganowski's header and Poland were unable to capitalise on the subsequent loose ball.
Podolski had a chance to grab himself the match ball with two minutes remaining, but he fired over with his less-favoured right foot from 15 yards out, but although he did not get his hat-trick, he had already done enough to earn Germany the points.
Veteran striker Oliver Neuville and captain Michael Ballack sealed a 2-1 win over Serbia in the hosts' final Euro 2008 warm-up. Germany were down 1-0 at half-time before Neuville and Ballack struck to give Germany the perfect send off to Euro 2008.
Chelsea midfielder Ballack unleashed a free-kick on 82 minutes to complete Germany's come-back after Neuville had equalised after Serbian midfielder Bosko Jankovic had grabbed the first-half goal. Borussia Moenchengladbach forward Neuville, 35, scored his first international goal in almost two years on 74 minutes to equalize as the hosts looked to be heading for defeat.
With a week until his side begin their Euro 2008 campaign against Poland in Klagenfurt on June 8, this was the result Germany coach Joachim Loew wanted. After his side surrendered a two-goal lead in their 2-2 draw with minnows Belarus on Tuesday night in Kaiserslautern, Loew had promised an improved performance and his side delivered despite their early set back. Although Serbia - who lost out to Portugal and Poland in Euro 2008 qualification - led the home side for 74 minutes, Germany largely dominated the game.
The hosts fell behind on 18 minutes when a superb pass from midfielder Sasa Ilic split the defence and centre-back Christoph Metzelder was sluggish to respond as midfielder Bosko Jankovic sprinted into the penalty area. The 24-year-old made no mistake and drilled his shot through the legs of Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann to give his side the lead.
The hosts responded by laying siege to the Serbian goal with Ballack and striker Mario Gomez both going close. Ballack headed straight at Serbian goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic on 38 minutes while earlier Gomez had scuffed his shot with the goal at his mercy as the German attack poured forward.
Hertha Berlin defender Arne Friedrich came on at the break for Bremen's Per Mertesacker and striker Lukas Podolski took over from defender Philipp Lahm as Germany went all out for a goal. But it was the Serbians who rattled the cross-bar with Lehmann beaten early in the second-half.
Germany finally got the break through they craved when Ballack slid a pass into defender Marcell Jansen on the edge of the Serb's penalty area and he rocketed a cross in for Neuville to smash past Stojkovic on 74 minutes. And Ballack rifled his free-kick through a Serbian wall of defenders to give Germany the lead.
Germany squandered a two-goal lead to draw against Belarus in their penultimate Euro 2008 warm-up friendly on Tuesday evening. The result leaves coach Joachim Low with much to think about as he still has to make his final squad selection of 23 players, out of the 26 he has currently chosen, for Austria and Switzerland by midday on Wednesday.
Miroslav Klose, a player guaranteed to make the final cut, put Germany ahead in the 10th minute while an own goal from Vladimir Korytko doubled their advantage 10 minutes later. Vitali Bulyga got one back after an hour and managed to grab an equaliser for battling Belarus two minutes from the end.
Low gave David Odonkor his first start since October in a midfield that also included captain Michael Ballack, who had just joined up with the team on Monday. Bayern Munich pair Klose and Lukas Podolski formed the attack with Mario Gomez left back at training camp in Mallorca due to a calf problem, while Real Madrid's Christoph Metzelder gained match practice at centre-back and Thomas Hitzlsperger slotted in at left-back.
And it did not take long for Low's new-look team to settle as Klose opened the scoring early on. Klose looked marginally offside when he received the ball from Podolski but kept his cool to round Belarus goalkeeper Vasili Khomutovski and tap home.
There was no doubt over the legitimacy of Germany's second goal as Korytko fired through his own net from Odonkor's teasing cross. Germany continued to dominate possession with Ballack pulling the strings at the heart of the midfield and almost setting up Klose for a third after 30 minutes.
Low gave Borussia Monchengladbach winger Marko Marin his debut at the start of the second half while Jermaine Jones was also given 45 minutes to prove himself, replacing Ballack at the restart. Jones came close to scoring his first international goal five minutes after entering the fray but his shot from the edge of the area was deflected just wide of the post.
Belarus narrowed the gap after an hour when Bulyga's shot from just inside the penalty area found the back of net despite the best efforts of Jens Lehmann.
Marin showed off some of his skills to dribble past three Belarus defenders and earn Germany a free-kick which Piotr Trochowski curled just side of the post as the home side looked to hit back immediately.
But it was Belarus who had the final laugh through the lively Bulyga, who showed up Metzelder's lack of fitness by outstripping the Madrid man on the edge of the area and firing a low shot beyond Lehmann which the goalkeeper will feel he might have kept out.
Germany will complete their warm-up programme on Saturday (31st May) against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen. They open their UEFA EURO 2008™ Group B bid against Poland in Klagenfurt on 8 June before facing Croatia there four days later. They then visit Vienna to take on co-hosts Austria on 16 June in their final group match.
Lukas Podolski grabbed a brace as Germany continued their perfect start to the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign with a resounding 4-1 win over Slovakia in Bratislava on Wednesday.
Slovakia had beaten Wales 5-1 in their previous qualifier 4 days ago but the Germans steamrolled them by scoring twice in the first 25 minutes, silencing the home crowd as they strolled to an easy victory. Germany, thus, have the maximum nine points and lie second in the group behind the Czech Republic, who were held to a 1-1 draw by the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday, having played one game less.
The visitors attacked at will throughout the match on their way to making it three wins out of three in the campaign. 21-year-old Podolski opened the scoring on 13 minutes. Miroslav Klose set up the goal after sprinting down the right side past three Slovak players before playing the ball back to his unmarked strike partner. Klose was one of four regulars rested by coach Löw against Georgia last Saturday and their freshness showed in an energetic opening.
Germany captain Michael Ballack doubled the lead on 25 minutes, meeting Philipp Lahm's left-wing cross into the penalty box with a diving header. Bastian Schweinsteiger added a third to stretch the lead even further in the 36th minute when Slovak goalkeeper Kamil Contofalsky could not hold Ballack's shot. Schweinsteiger drove home the rebound cementing a game that was never in doubt for the visitors.
"A lot of experts said it would be difficult to keep this good run up after the World Cup. We've proven in the last five matches we were able to do just that. We played a super match and deserved to win 4-1," said Podolski after the game. "I've said all along it doesn't interest me at all what happens off the pitch. What's important is what happens on the pitch. The rest doesn't mean a thing."
Slovakia, who had also thrashed Cyprus 6-1, looked devoid of ideas and midfielder Marek Mintal, top-scorer of the Bundesliga in 2005 playing for 1. FC Nürnberg, was starved of service. The hosts did not have any meaningful opening until the start of the second half when Robert Vittek fired over the crossbar from an acute angle.
However, defender Stanislav Varga pulled one back for Slovakia on 58 minutes with a header to spoil keeper Jens Lehmann's shutout. It was the first goal Germany had conceded under new manager Joachim Löw.
Podolski continued his good run when he struck again in the 71st minute to seal the win, rolling the ball into an open goal as Klose once again provided, after the duo sprung the offside trap.
"We had a very good first half. We controlled the match and were able to make our mark. It was a joy to watch the way the energy was flowing. We proved that we can stand up to a strong opponent away as well," remarked Germany coach Joachim Löw. "It was difficult to keep up that high level in the second half. We were a bit careless but what was good was the way we reacted after they scored their goal. We bounced right back and got a fourth."
Löw, who took over from Klinsmann after the World Cup, has won his first five matches in charge and hopes to make it six in the next qualifier against Cyprus on November 15.
Germany warmed up for Wednesday's Euro 2008 qualifier against Slovakia with a 2-0 friendly win over Georgia in Rostock on Saturday. A long-range shot from Bastian Schweinsteiger on 24 minutes and a 67th minute goal from captain Michael Ballack secured victory for Germany who now travel to Bratislava with confidence.
"We played with passion and lots of effort but the team had a lot of changes tonight and we naturally made a number of mistakes," said Germany coach Joachim Löw. "But the win is important and we now go into the Slovakia match full of confidence."
Schweinsteiger fired home a shot from 25 metres in the 24th minute after being set up by Ballack and he duly returned the favour in the second half at the Ostseestadion, finding his captain open on the left side of goal for a 22-metre shot in the 67th.
Bayern Munich marksman Lukas Podolski was sent off on 48 minutes for vicious dead ball kick against Georgia defender Zurab Khizanishvili but will not be suspended for the Slovakia game as this match was a friendly.
The Germans controlled Georgia most of the match but were plagued at times by sloppy defence and were lucky that two Georgia goals were disallowed for offside.
Löw rested several key players in anticipation for the upcoming qualifier against Slovakia, such as World Cup golden boot hero Mirsolav Klose, Philipp Lahm, Bernd Schneider and Torsten Frings. Werder Bremen defender Clemens Fritz and SV Hamburg midfielder Piotr Trochowski both made their debuts in the starting line-up as Low tested out some fresh faces.
'We had to integrate a lot of younger players going into their first match and had some problems in coordination,' Löw added. 'We wanted to give some people a chance to show what they can do. We were a bit lucky that we kept a clean sheet.'
Germany have started their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign with a perfect two wins - a 1-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland and a 13-0 annihilation of San Marino - but should beware of Slovakia who thrashed Wales 5-1 on Saturday.
Joachim Löw's side emerged on top of Group D, after thrashing San Marino 13-0 and keeping a third consecutive clean sheet since the coach replaced Jürgen Klinsmann. Having beaten the Republic of Ireland 1-0 on Saturday, Löw's men established a UEFA European Championship record 6-0 half-time lead in Serravalle before earning Germany's biggest victory since their 16-0 success against Russia at the 1912 Olympics. The final result bettered Spain's 12-1 defeat of Malta in qualifying for the 1984 finals.
Having fielded the same lineup that started against Ireland, Löw was delighted to see his team show the European minnows no mercy. "We started with a good, professional attitude," he said. "You could see that the players wanted to have a lot of fun and enjoy their good performance. They never sat back and always wanted to score - a good omen for the tasks that lie ahead."
As with most David and Goliath ties, the question was always when, rather than whether, Germany would open their account. Podolski provided the answer after eleven minutes and the FC Bayern München marksman went on to become the first German player to score four goals in a European Championship game since German legend Gerd Müller managed it against Albania in 1967. "We knew San Marino were the worst side we would face so we wanted to score a lot of goals," said the player fondly known as 'Prince Poldi' to his fans. "That's what we did."
Germany next face Georgia in a Rostock friendly on 7 October before getting back to qualification business with a trip to more challenging Group D rivals Slovakia four days later. Captain Michael Ballack looked forward with confidence. "When you score 13 goals you have to be happy," said the Chelsea FC midfielder. "We were focused. We want to keep playing attacking football. It is important now that we steady the rest of our game."
Germany gave new coach Joachim Löw the perfect start to his reign with a 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in the first Group D qualifying match of the Euro 2008 campaign on Saturday.
Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski scored the decisive goal on 57 minutes but Ireland will feel hard done by as the free-kick took a cruel deflection off captain Robbie Keane. Group favourites Germany now head into Wednesday's qualifier at San Marino with three points on the board. They should have little difficulty making that two wins out of two when they travel to take on San Marino on Wednesday.
That sort of start would ease the pressure on Löw, who stepped up to replace Juergen Klinsmann after Germany finished third at the World Cup, an event they qualified for automatically as hosts.
"It was a difficult birth but even a difficult birth can produce a beautiful child," Loew said of the narrow victory over Ireland. "The goal was always to get six points from the first two games and we can do that now. It will put us in a very good position."
Loew was particularly impressed to see his patched-together defence keep a clean sheet. Germany were missing all four of their central defenders who played at the World Cup but the new partnership of Manuel Friedrich and Arne Friedrich looked a solid one against the Irish.
Manuel Friedrich suffered a knock to his ankle but should be fit for the San Marino game.
