2010 FIFA World Cup Results: Germany Fantastic in Victory Over Australia

AP Photo/Gero Breloer

Doubt crept into the minds of German soccer fans heading into the World Cup. Germany had the odds stacked against them.

There were all of the injuries, including one to captain Michael Ballack, on-top of an already supposedly thin German lineup. There was the large number of young and inexperienced players with high expectations put on them. There was the tough group draw, having to go up against Australia, Serbia, and Ghana.

However, after their 4-0 takedown of Australia in their first match of the tournament, Germany showed that they are still a world-class squad.

Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose were both coming off of rough club seasons but a return to the World Cup, where the two traditionally shine, brought out the best of them, and in turn, the team. Podolski blasted a shot past Socceroos’ goalkeeper Max Schwarzer in the eighth minute and Klose scored another header goal—his 49th in a Germany uniform—off a Philipp Lahm cross in the 26th minute.

Australia’s star midfielder Tim Cahill was sent off in the 56th putting the team down to 10 men and Germany took advantage of having an extra man. Thomas Muller and substitute Cacau scored three minutes apart in the second half to make the game not only a German victory, but a statement to the rest of the opposition that they are a force with which to be reckoned.

The youth movement looked impressive.

Muller (20), Mesut Ozil (21), Sami Khedira (23), Holger Badstuber (21), and Manuel Neuer (24)—all under 25-years-old and made their National Team debuts no earlier than February 2009—all started and were big contributors.

Neuer recorded the clean sheet in goal and Badstuber was part of the defensive line that helped him earn the shutout. Khedira was effective in midfield. Muller got the goal, but did a great job getting up and down the flanks, giving the Aussies’ fullbacks fits.

The most impressive was Ozil. He was extremely active in front of the goal and made a number of dangerous runs. He wasn’t able to put the ball in the back of the net, but he was a major threat and made Australia put a lot of focus on him, opening things up for teammates.

Another reason Die Mannschaft looked so good was because of their surprising cohesion and team chemistry. The squad put on a passing clinic, sending the ball crisply inside and outside, putting perfect crosses into the box and in front of the goal. There were great one-two passes and just simply some beautiful ball movement.

All players were on the same page and gelled nicely. They looked like a team firing on all cylinders.

It’s only one game, and there are still two difficult matchups against Serbia and Ghana to come before even thinking about the tough competition in the knockout stage, but Germany looked like the most dangerous team thus far in the tournament.

2010 FIFA World Cup: Group D Preview

Group D of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is one of the strongest, yet under the radar, groups. Other groups may get tons of media attention—Group A for host South Africa’s possible chance to advance out, Group C for the match between the United States and England, and Group G being the Group of Death with powerhouses Brazil, Ivory Coast, and Portugal—but Group D has the strongest collection of teams top to bottom.

Germany is a big favorite to come out on top, but Australia, Ghana, and Serbia all are more than capable of upending Die Mannschaft.

Australia

2006 was the first time the Socceroos made the World Cup since 1974. It was a strong coming out party, as the team made it to the Round of 16 before losing a heartbreaker to eventual champions Italy on a dubious penalty kick call in stoppage time.

They further displayed their talent in qualifying. After dominating the Oceania region, Australia moved to Asia and finished first with an undefeated record.

With an experienced squad that features a number of players competing in top European leagues, namely the Premiership, the Aussies will look to build on an impressive outing last time around. A good run in the World Cup could also improve their chances of winning the hosting vote for the 2022 games.

Australia has a good defense, but the question is: who will score?

The team typically plays a formation with a lone striker and, during qualifying, defender Brett Emerton tied midfielder Tim Cahill for the team lead in goals. They will need more offensive players to step up to improve on their 2006 finish.

Germany



The Germans will be playing in their 15th straight World Cup. They have the most top three finishes in the history of the tournament. The last time they failed to reach the second round was 72 years ago.

With a strong history of successful teams and players, they are favorites to win Group D for good reason.

However, 2010 may prove to be a more difficult journey than per usual.

Already having a very young and inexperienced team, Germany will be without five potential starters—goalkeeper Rene Adler, defenders Heiko Westermann and Christian Träsch, midfielder Simon Rolfes, and midfielder and captain Michael Ballack—due to injury.

Expectations and pressure on the young members of the squad will now be intensified. The players have a long line of success to follow, but will it all be too much of a burden to handle for those with such little experience?

Key Players: Philipp Lahm (D), Mesut Ozil (M), Miroslav Klose (F)

Ghana



The lone African nation to reach the round of 16 in 2006, Ghana was a popular dark horse pick for 2010.

While not household names, the Black Stars have a talented roster with a number of players from the top leagues in Europe.

Ghana’s biggest positive is its strong youth movement. In 2006, they were the youngest team, with an average age of 24 years old. This squad will add a number of players from the team that beat Brazil to win the 2009 U-20 World Cup, who also were featured prominently on the squad that went to the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Hurting Ghana’s chances is the absence of star player Michael Essien. The midfielder is one of the best players in the entire continent of Africa and is a key player for English Premier League side Chelsea, but he will miss the tournament due to injury.

Does Ghana have enough firepower without the extremely skilled Essien? And much like Germany, will too much pressure be put on the rising youngsters?

Key Players: John Paintsil (D), Stephan Appiah (M), Asamoah Gyan (F)

Serbia



Competing for the first time as Serbia (previously played as Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, and Yugoslavia prior to that), the country looks to be a strong contender.

The White Eagles finished first in their qualifying group (ahead of 2006 World Cup runner-up France) and combined a rock-solid defense with a new emphasis on offense, as the Serbs were the fifth highest-scoring team in European qualifying.

Even more important is the locker room atmosphere. The Serbian team is notorious for imploding at major tournaments, however this squad finally seems to have gelled together under the helm of head coach Radomir Antic, a characteristic that shouldn’t go overlooked.

Serbia’s recent form has been disappointing, however. They were beaten last week by New Zealand, who although being a team in the 2010 World Cup, is one of the weaker opponents in the tournament and was ranked 63 places lower than Serbia. The team followed that match with another goalless effort, this time drawing with Poland.

It is not the right time for a team to start struggling. Even worse, all is quiet in the locker room now but, if the Serbs continue to struggle, is another locker room blowup to come?

Key Players: Nemanja Vidic (D), Neven Subotic (D), Dejan Stankovic (M)


Photo Credits.
Tim Cahill: AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan
Philipp Lahm & Miroslav Klose: AP Photo/Frank Augstein
Stephen Appia: AP Photo/Ermindo Armino
Nemanja Vidic: AP Photo/Darko Bandic