~*~Michael Ballack FC~*~ pls join us! - Page 73

Saturday, 2008-05-31
Ballack crowns great performance with winning goal

Germany will go into Euro 2008 with both morale and optimism intact, thanks to a deserved 2-1 victory over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen. In their final preparation match, the Germans fell behind in the first half, but after the break goals from substitute Oliver Neuville and captain Michael Ballack - the best player on the pitch - turned the match around.

Bosko Jankovic brought the visitors ahead on 18 minutes, pretty much against the run of play because Germany dominated the game and pleased the crowd with attacking football. There were many chances, but they all went begging. Mario Gomez couldn't get to a Marcell Jansen cross (35') and Michael Ballack twice missed with a header (15', 38'). Germany also were denied a penalty when Torsten Frings was clearly brought down in the box and so the team might have lost the crucial last match before the tournament: with 54 minutes on the clock, the Serbs created their second and final opportunity of the game when a low cross from Antonio Rukavina found Jankovic - who hit the crossbar from five yards out.

Thus Germany were let off the hook - and turned things around. First Ballack set up Jansen, whose cross Neuville converted from close range (74'). Then Ballack crowned his excellent performance by converting a free kick. He found a hole in the wall and struck home from 18 yards to win the game (82'). "We desperately wanted to win this match," he said after the final whistle. "We have been working very hard and today there was a distinct improvement over the match on Tuesday."

German chancellor Andrea Merkel visited the team in the dressing room after the match to wish the side the best of luck for the tournament. The players will now be given two days off, before the squad takes off for Switzerland on Tuesday morning.

Sunday, 2008-06-08
Germany win opener 2-0
Germany managed a picture-book start to Euro 2008: two Lukas Podolski goals beat Poland 2-0 and won Germany first place in group B ahead of Croatia (who beat hosts Austria 1-0 earlier in the day). The Germans were especially strong in the first half, then ran into some problems after the break until Podolski's second goal settled things.

Ironically, the Poles had their best opportunities until the final moments during the first half, when Germany were pretty much in command. With less than a minute gone, Krzynowek got to a loose ball at the edge of the box but fired over the bar. And on 36 minutes, a Lobodzinski cross found Zurawski who shot wide.

Apart from these scares, the Germans were in the driver's seat. Mario Gomez could have brought the side ahead with only four minutes gone, when he couldn't properly get to a Miroslav Klose square ball and missed the target by inches. Fifteen minutes later, Gomez played a fine through ball that set up Klose who presented Podolski with an easy tap-in (20'). Yet the scorer hardly celebrated at all - Podolski was born in Poland, after all. "Poland is still close to my heart," he said after the final whistle. "So there were mixed feelings."

During the remainder of the first half, Germany created a few additional chances, but as the second period kicked off, the German game disintegrated. Poland were now very much in the game and won many challenges, yet the team didn't get any clear-cut opportunities. A wonderful German move on 70 minutes signalled that Joachim Lw's side was back in the match: Torsten Frings set up Philipp Lahm on the right wing whose cross was met first time by Michael Ballack - but a stunning save from Poland's keeper Boruc denied the Germany captain. A mere two minutes later, substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger chased a stray pass, won the ball against all odds in the box and set up Podolski, who volleyed home with authority to make it 2-0 (72.).

This decided the game, even though Jens Lehmann was finally called into action eight minutes frome time, when he parried a Saganowski header from close range. At the other end, Podolski came close to completing a hat trick but his powerful shot went over the bar. "We were highly focused and made very few mistakes," Ballack said. "I think it was, by and large, a deserved victory. It's always important to win the opening match at a tournament, that builds confidence."

Germany fielded:

Lehmann, Lahm, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Jansen, Frings, Ballack, Fritz (55', Schweinsteiger), Podolski, Klose (90', Kuranyi), Gomez (75', Hitzlsperger)