King Klose resuscitates German Giants against Gutsy Ghana

The clash between the two G’s ie Germany and Ghana has been one of the most mouth-watering matches played in the current edition of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The zeal exhibited by Ghana during the course of the match to match the might of the German giants calls for special praise. The shock lead which the African nation managed to gain an hour past into the match with goals from Andre Ayew and Asamoah Gyan was reflective of the fact that somewhere down the line the scorching heat of South America is making it difficult for European teams to perform at their level best.

With defending champions Spain and England already out of the World Cup, it would have been a nightmare for the Europeans had Ghana managed to upset Germany in a Group which also consists of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. However, such a catastrophe was avoided by none other than the miraculous Miroslav Klose who within minutes of entering the pitch levelled the score-line and also equalled the world record of having scored the highest number of World Cup goals alongside Brazilian Ronaldo. With that touch, the winner of the Golden Boot in the 2006 FIFA World Cup also became the only third player to score in four separate editions of the FIFA World Cup, the other two being Pele and Uwe Seeler.

Germany’s search for that elusive 4th World Cup has certainly taken a backseat because of its draw with Ghana but Joachim Loew’s men have a natural advantage courtesy their drubbing of Portugal in the 1st game. One interesting observation is that Germany has not won the FIFA World Cup ever since its reunification in 1990. The triple crowns which rest with the Germans were won singlehandedly by West Germany. Considering the fact that Germany has now emerged as arguably the most powerful nation in Europe under the leadership of Angela Merkel, it has become imperative for the German football squad to stamp its soccer supremacy in Brazil in order to strengthen German might not only in Europe but also across the entire world.

Right since the 2002 FIFA World Cup when Oliver Kahn exhibited one of the best goal-keeping efforts in a world cup tournament eventually earning him the Golden Ball, Germany has remained the most consistent side on the grandest stage of football with two consecutive third place finishes in 2006 and 2010, respectively. While many might compare the German National Football Team with South African National Cricket Team owing to the inability of both the sporting powerhouses to deal with big matches, there is no denying of the fact that despite their hard loss to Spain in the semi-final in 2010, it was Germany who went home as the real team to beat following their annihilation of both England and Argentina.

Jurgen Klinsmann has to be credited for having changed the manner in which the Germans approached football. The goal-scoring spree which the Germans have been on since the past couple of years is completely opposite to the defensive style of play which has traditionally been associated with them. The fixture against USA will provide the Germans with much needed opportunity to regain momentum and prepare them for the knockout stage. With Klose defying age and Schweinsteiger showing signs of recovery, the current German squad with the likes of Muller and Lahm may well have the honour of engraving their names next to the likes of Gerd Muller and Franz Beckenbauer.

(I don’t usually write on sports but whenever I do, I do it for you.)