The German national side had no problems in sweeping past Switzerland, running out 3:1 (2:0) winners , aided by the Werder Bremen quartet of Torsten Frings, Clemens Fritz, Per Mertesacker and Tim Borowski.
The German national side had no problems in sweeping past Switzerland, running out 3:1 (2:0) winners , aided by the Werder Bremen quartet of Torsten Frings, Clemens Fritz, Per Mertesacker and Tim Borowski.
The German national side had no problems in sweeping past Switzerland, running out 3:1 (2:0) winners , aided by the Werder Bremen quartet of Torsten Frings, Clemens Fritz, Per Mertesacker and Tim Borowski.
Joachim Loew set out his first eleven with Fritz, Frings and Mertesacker in the starting formation (Borowski replacing Michael Ballack at half-time), and took an early lead with a goal by Kevin Kuranyi (7’). Marion Gomez double the lead on his debut with a diving header on the half hour. Torsten Frings finished the scoring for the home side with a directly struck free-kick. The Bremen midfield engine took over the captaincy in place of the injured Michale Ballack for the second half.
After the game, the provider of the second goal Clemens Fritz commented: “We played very well down the flanks tonight – that was done under trainers orders! I got the cross in for the goal really well. I am really delighted that I got to play from the beginning tonight despite the fact that I’m suspended for the next game. Still, I’m really annoyed at myself about the yellow card I picked up against Cyprus.”
The German side made a lightening start against the Swiss in front of a 50,000 strong crowd in Dusseldorf. It was Kevin Kuranyi, returning to the German national side for the first time in 15 months, who stole in to mark his fifteenth goal in his national shirt after eighth minute. Mario Gomez was brought down out wide and from the resulting Frings free-kick, Michael Ballack rose well to head goal wards. The Swiss keeper managed to get a hand to the ball and push it against the crossbar. Kevin Kuranyi reacted quickest to stoop in and head the loose ball home to make it 1:0, and picking up a gash to his eyebrow for his trouble.
Kuranyi joined forces with VfB striker Mario Gomez up front in place of the World Cup pairing of Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski. Klose, who is suspended for the up-coming Euro 2008 qualifier against the Czech Republic, was forced to pull out of the match with a thumb injury which he picked up against Schalke at the weekend and then aggravated in training for Loew’s squad. Lukas Podolski, on the other hand, was unavailable for the tie having received a suspension after being sent off in a friendly against Georgia in October. Aside from the strike duo, the national team coach was forced to replace Bernd Schneider with Clemens Fritz in the starting eleven, after the Leverkusen man suffered an ankle injury.
Kuranyi almost managed a second himself after 21 minutes but had his effort foiled at the last moment by Swiss centre-half Philippe Senderos who cleared for a corner. Debutant striker Mario Gomez brought a quick reaction save from Swiss keeper Diego Bengalio in the 26th minute but the VfB youngster was more successful on the half-hour. The new German number 32 stole ahead of his marker to head a perfectly weighted cross from Clemens Fritz past a hapless Benaglio in the Swiss goal – 2:0.
Michael Ballack had to take his bow just before the break with a suspected hamstring tear and was replaced after the break by Werder Bremen’s Tim Borowski. The substitute almost had an immediate impact as he put a pass back across the box to the feet of Gomez who unfortunately miscued his shot and drove it high over the crossbar. Bayern Munich’s full-back Philipp Lahm had the next chance for the Germany eleven with a low driven shot from the right which curled just outside the post (51’).
The home side were as dominant in the second period as they had been in the first and were soon celebrating their third of the night. Torsten Frings bent in a free-kick from the left which eluded friend and foe to creep inside the far post and make it 3:0 for the World Cup’s third placed team (66’). Five minutes later the Swiss reduced the deficit to a two goal difference again. Marco Streller got a toe to a poorly played back pass by Lahm and rounded keeper Jens Lehmann to slot the ball home from close range making the final score 3:1. A deserved and never threatened win for Joachim Loew’s men.
