Germany came alive in the second half and beat the US 4-1 on Wednesday for a morale-boosting victory less than three months before it kicks off the World Cup at home.
All four goals came after a sloppy, goalless first half that could inspire little confidence for Juergen Klinsmann's team, a three-time World Cup champion that was coming off a 4-1 loss in Italy three weeks ago.
Substitutes Bastian Schweinsteiger and Oliver Neuville scored in the 46th and 73rd respectively, with Miroslav Klose and captain Michael Ballack completing the victory with two more goals in the next six minutes.
Steve Cherundolo got the US goal in the 86th.
"We are not going to scream with joy now. We know that we can play better, that we have to be stable, not play two such different halftimes," said Klose, Bundesliga's leading scorer with 18 goals.
"We are of course pleased with the result," Ballack said. "But it was very tough at the start. The first goal broke the tension and we played well after that."
"The fans were expecting goals from the start and we didn't score. We wanted to prove ourselves after the first half," he said.
Germany needed a big victory to silence critics who blasted the team and the coach after the loss in Italy.
"I told my players at halftime that we have to put them really under pressure and we switched the formation in the second half because we were not getting enough space in the front," Klinsmann said. "In the second half it was fun to watch. We played with heart and soul."
"It was an important victory because now we'll be able to prepare in peace for the World Cup. Some of the criticism in the past few weeks was justified but some comments were below the belt," he said.
A near capacity crowd of 64,500 saw Brian Ching test Oliver Kahn after 10 minutes with a volley from the edge of the penalty area but the German goalkeeper held onto the ball.
Germany replied when Ballack released Klose on the right and he set up Lukas Podolski, but the striker shot wide from close range.
Ballack then narrowly missed with a header.
After weathering the early storm, the Americans got back into the match and Jimmy Conrad, left unmarked on the left, shot wide.
The Germans pressed forward but struggled to create dangerous chances against the well-organized US defense. After 30 minutes, the crowd started getting restless, directing whistles and jeers at Klinsman's team.
The halftime whistle brought a chorus of jeers, this time directed at both teams for a lackluster game.
Schweinsteiger replaced Podolski at the start of the second half, reducing Klinsmann's forward line to two strikers and reinforcing the midfield.
The move paid off immediately. Schweinsteiger took a free kick and sent a dipping ball. Striker Miroslav Klose tried to flick it past Kasey Keller but couldn't quite reach it. Keller was hindered enough, however, and the ball bounced past his stretched arms into the net.
Chris Klein replied with a free kick from 20 meters, but placed the ball right into Kahn's hands.
In the 66th, Kahn dived right and made a reaction save on the line to foil Johnson's header from close range.
After that, it was all Germany.
Neuville connected with a volley from the edge of the area to make it 2-0, then Klose chipped the ball over Keller in the 75th, before Ballack headed past the US goalkeeper in the 79th.
"I don't think too many players played themselves onto our World Cup roster tonight, to be honest with you," US manager Bruce Arena said.
Cherundolo acknowleged the US team broke down midway through the second half.
"We lost our organization," Cherundolo said. "We were not concentrating when you have to be on your toes. The first half we played very well and we had them under control."
Cherundolo was credited with the US goal, sending a long ball to Eddie Johnson. Kahn came out to challenge and collided with Johnson, allowing the ball to bounce over him and into the goal.
"There is no reason for euphoria, but it's good for self-confidence," Klinsmann said.
Lineups
Germany: Oliver Kahn; Arne Friedrich (Patrick Owomoyela, 83), Christoph Metzelder, Per Mertesacker, Philipp Lahm; Michael Ballack, Sebastian Kehl (Fabian Ernst, 83), Bernd Schneider (Tim Borowski, 67), Gerald Asamoah (Oliver Neuville, 67); Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski (Bastian Schweinsteiger, 45).
US: Kasey Keller; Cory Gibbs (Heath Pearce, 76), Gregg Berhalter, Jimmy Conrad; Pablo Mastroeni (Ben Olsen, 73), Kerry Zavagnin, Steve Cheundolo, Bobby Convey, Josh Wolff (Chris Klein, 17); Eddie Johnson, Brian Ching (Taylor Twellmann, 60).
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic on Saturday tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters, falling in his first match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp as two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced. “No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said after 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat. “It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” he said. “But congratulations to my opponent — just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.” Djokovic is just the latest in Van de Zandschulp’s string of superstar victims. He
Taiwanese badminton player Lin Chun-yi had to settle for silver in the men’s singles at the Orleans Masters in France on Sunday after losing in the final to his French opponent. The 25-year-old Lin, ranked world No. 14, lost to Alex Lanier 13-21, 18-21 in a match that lasted 42 minutes at the Palais des Sports arena. It was the first time that the two players were facing each other in their professional careers. In the opener, Lin was slow to warm up, which gave the 20-year-old Lanier an opportunity to take an early lead with seven consecutive points. Despite
Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday held their nerve to beat Liverpool 4-1 on penalties and reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after their tie finished one-apiece on aggregate, while Bayern Munich saw off Bayer 04 Leverkusen to complete a 5-0 win over both legs. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha fired Barcelona into the next round as the Catalans bested SL Benfica 3-1, and Inter booked a last-eight meeting with Bayern by seeing off Feyenoord 2-1. At Anfield, Ousmane Dembele netted the only goal of the night as PSG bounced back from Liverpool’s late winner last week to force the tie to extra-time and penalties. Maligned
Taiwan’s Lin Chun-yi on Wednesday inflicted a first-round defeat on former badminton world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen at the All England Open. Lin came out of top after a back-and-forth first game before Axelsen dominated the second, but the Dane was not able to keep that form in the decider as Lin reeled off six points in a row on the way to a 21-19, 13-21, 21-11 victory. “If I don’t play my best, everyone can win against me,” said Axelsen, the world No. 4. “Today’s opponent played a fantastic game; it was disappointing, but that is how it is.” “I just tried
RSS