ACTUALITE |
12.06.2002
Germany 2, Cameroon 0
SHIZUOKA
Miroslav Klose and Germany had plenty of reasons to celebrate.
Klose set up one goal and scored another to lead three-time champion Germany to a 2-0 victory over African and Olympic champion Cameroon on Tuesday, clinching a berth in the second round of the World Cup.
Klose gave himself a birthday present -- albeit two days late -- just in time to keep Germany`s championship hopes alive.
``The coach told me that I would have to earn my own present, so I did,`` said Klose, who celebrated his 24th birthday Sunday.
Coach Rudi Voeller said Saturday there would be no special celebration for Klose`s birthday and that the striker would have to give himself the gifts preferably on the field against Cameroon.
Klose delivered, showing both his scoring and passing ability.
``We gave them too much space in the first half, but in the second we were a lot more concentrated,`` Klose said.
Germany played one man short after 40th minute when Carsten Ramelow received his second yellow card. Cameroon also finished with 10 men after Patrick Suffo was expelled in the 77th. Spanish referee Antonio Lopez Nieto handed out 16 yellow cards, evenly split between the teams, in the bad-tempered games.
There were 53 fouls, 31 by Germany.
``Strangely enough, only after the red card did we manage to play better,`` Voeller said.
``We had great problems at the start, we felt this immense pressure we were under,`` added Voeller, whose team needed at least a draw to advance. ``In the first half, they were clearly better, they put us in trouble with their fast players and neat dribbling. But in the second half, we switched from a three-man to a four-man defensive line and we played the way we wanted to play.``
Germany, which topped Group E after an 8-0 win over Saudi Arabia and a 1-1 draw with Ireland, will face South Africa, Spain or Paraguay in the round of 16 at Seogwipo, South Korea on Saturday.
Ireland, which beat Saudi Arabia 3-0 in the other Group E match in Yokohama, also advanced.
Substitute Marco Bode, playing his first and last World Cup before retiring, scored in the 50th minute, hitting the ball into the right corner of the net after a superb run and a well-placed pass by Klose.
``Klose did great work, shaking three or four Cameroon defenders to deliver a perfect pass,`` Voeller said.
``When I came in, our priority was to beef up our defense, we were a man down`` said Bode, who came in at the start of the second half for striker Carsten Jancker. ``It was nice for me today, but the important thing is that we advanced.``
Klose clinched it in the 75th, powering in a header off a cross from midfielder Michael Ballack. Ballack has set up four of Klose`s five goals, all of which have been headers.
On a muggy and windy night, tempers flared.
Ramelow received a second yellow card after cutting down Samuel Eto`o as the Cameroon striker broke through on goal. Suffo was sent off with a second caution for a foul on Ballack. Midfielder Dietmar Hamann and defender Christian Ziege were also cautioned, and, like Ramelow, they will miss Germany`s second-round match.
``We have enough good players to jump,`` said captain and goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.
Kahn had the save of the first half, blocking Salomon Olembe`s effort from close range. A header by Lauren in the 73rd minute hit the post.
Playing in its fifth World Cup, Cameroon`s Indomitable Lions only have advanced once. The team reached the final eight in 1990.
``It`s a big disappointment because there were such high hopes and we didn`t do better than last time ... again,`` said striker Patrick Mboma.
``We weren`t here to play three games, we were here to do something really great, and we`re very disappointed.``
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