Tired Germans Share The Spoils

First Team
Thursday, 22.11.2007 / 08:38

In their last qualifying game for Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria, Germany played out a dull, 0:0 draw with Wales.

In their last qualifying game for Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria, Germany played out a dull, 0:0 draw with Wales. The final Group D table sees Joachim Loew’s men take second place with 27 points behind the Czech Republic (29 points). The German coach kept faith in the Werder Bremen trio of Clemens Fritz, Per Mertesacker and Tim Borowski over the full ninety minutes.

 

44,000 fans packed into a capacity filled Frankfurt Stadium sawa the home side have problems early on and fail to produce the sort of football they did when they beat Cyprus 4:0 on Saturday. The Welsh eleven, which, just as Loew’s side, had many personnel problems, presented themselves in mobile and determined fashion, putting together some good passing moves against an all too passive German side.

 

The only real point of interest in the first fifteen minutes came as Tim Borowski released a shot from 20 meters out after a pass from Clemens Fritz. The midfield man saw his effort strike the post, rebound out to hit the goalkeepers shoulder and then ricochet back off the post again before falling kindly for a relieved Wayne Hennessey in the Wales goal.

 

The incident failed to have any real effect on the following proceedings though. Germany, who made two changes to the side which beat Cyprus at the weekend with Gonzalo Castro replacing Arne Friedrich on the right side of the back four and Tim Borowski filling in for Piotr Trochowski in the centre behind the strike duo of Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez. Lukas Podolski, who was the man of the match on Saturday, again took a place on the left wing.

 

The duo of Podolski and Philipp Lahm on the left failed to develop the sort of pressure they displayed against the Cypriot team at the weekend. At the other end, Per Mertesacker and Christoph Metzelder had little trouble dealing with the Welsh attackers. Their best chances in the first period fell to Robert Earnshaw with a header (19’) and a low drive by Carl Fletcher (35’) but Jens Lehmann was never tested.

It took until the 34th minute before the hosts again created something dangerous as Mario Gomez rose to head a Lahm cross just wide of the post.

 

After the break, Joachim Loew made a change in the midfield with Simon Rolfes from Bayer Leverkusen replacing VfB Stuttgart’s Thomas Hitzlsperger and later Roberto Hilbert coming in for Castro but there was to no change in the outcome of the tie. With 19 minutes to go, German captain Miroslav Klose came close with a header but there was to be no joy for the Frankfurt crowd.

Not even the introduction of experienced striker Oliver Neuville from Borussia Mönchengladbach could boost the German side at in the end, the points were shared in a very forgettable 0:0 draw.

 

John Muldoon

 

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