Fritz, 'Merte' and 'Boro' Help Germany To 4:0 Win

First Team
Sunday, 18.11.2007 / 11:47

In their penultimate qualifying game for Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland the German national side notched up a clear and deserved win. Trainer Joachim Loew’s men took on Cyprus in Hanover and ran out barely tested 4:0 (2:0) winners

In their penultimate qualifying game for Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland the German national side notched up a clear and deserved win. Trainer Joachim Loew’s men took on Cyprus in Hanover and ran out barely tested 4:0 (2:0) winners thanks to goals from Clemens Fritz (2’), Miroslav Klose (20’), Lukas Podolski (53’) and Thomas Hitzlsperger (82’). It was a successful evening for the Werder Bremen representatives. Aside from Fritz’ goal, there was another very stable performance from Per Mertesacker at the heart of the defence and Tim Borowski returned to the international scene as a substitute in the 66th minute for Hamburg’s Piotr Trochowski.

 

After the game, Per Mertesacker commented: “The potential within the team was clear to see. It was a new look team again tonight but we still mastered the challenge. Of course we have a lot of hard work to do if we are to do a job at the Euro 2008 but we proved tonight that we are capable of that.”

 

44,500 spectators at a capacity filled AWD-Arena in Hanover saw the German side get off to a lightening quick, dream start. Lukas Podolski went on a mazy run on left and dribbled past three Cypriot defenders before crossing back across the box to where Clemens Fritz dived in with a flying header to make it 1:0 with just 73 seconds of the match played. It was the second goal for the Werder full-back in his tenth international game.

 

The Grman side appeared to have shaken off the disappointment of the 0:3 defeat by the Czech Republic in their last game and went about their task in concentrated and determined fashion despite having booked their ticket for Austria and Switzerland when they drew 0:0 with Ireland in October. In the early phases of the game, VfB striker Mario Gomez had a couple of chances to double his teams lead but headed over and shot narrowly wide in quick succession. With twenty minutes played, Podolski again broke down the left and picked out Clemens in the centre who selflessly rolled the ball back to Miroslav Klose. The Bayern Munich striker slotted between two Cyprus defenders to make it 2:0. It was the strikers 36th goal in just 71 appearance for the German national side.

 

Coach Joachim Loew was without first choice players such as Michael Ballack, Torsten Frings, Bernd Schneider, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Marcell Jensen meaning he was forced to rely on his second stream of players. The situation gave HSV’s Piotr Trochowski a chance behind the strikers with Lukas Podolski playing wide on the left and Thomas Hitzlsperger mopping up in front of the back four. The trainer did have the World Cup back four of Per Mertesacker, Christoph Metzelder, Arne Friedrich and Philipp Lahm available to him but they were seldom tested in the first period. That was also the case for Jens Lehmann who returned between the posts having sat out a suspension against the Czech’s.

 

In the 53rd minute, the inspired Lukas Podolski made it 3:0 as he got on the end of a pass from Klose to hammer past Cypriot keeper Antonis Georgallidis from close range. It was the Bayern strikers 24th goal in 43 appearances in the German national shirt.

 

VfB Stuttgart’s Thomas Hitzlsperger had the last word in an entertaining game of football when he made it 4:0 in the 82nd minute. Again Podolski was involved, breaking to the back line and cutting the ball back to the centre where Hitzlsperger needed only to roll the ball into an empty net. It was the end of an expected, yet convincing win for Loew’s men who will take on Wales in Frankfurt on Wednesday in a game which has little genuine importance.

 

John Muldoon

 

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