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Germany opens World Cup with win
June 09, 2006Five minutes and seven seconds — that’s all it took for the World Cup’s first goal to be scored in the opener.
And boy was it beautiful.
Germany’s Philipp Lahm laced a spin-free shot from the corner of the 18-yard box, which nestled into the upper 90 portion of the goal frame.
You could watch the remaining 63 games and possibly not see a better one.
Germany looked good offensively in their 4-2 win over Costa Rica, despite captain Michael Ballack missing the game with a calf injury. And how about Miroslav Klose, who scored twice on his 28th birthday.
What worries me with the Germans is their defense. Twice they Paulo Wanchope score while playing the offsides trap, a strategy they looked out-of-sync on the entire match.
The Germans should have no trouble winning Group A, but faulty play in the back will cost them in the long run.
Ecuador’s 2-0 victory over Poland wasn’t nearly as fun to watch, but it gives the tiny South American team a chance to advance to the second round for the first time.
I know Poland has had some problems with Germany in the past — World War II rings a bell — but the Poles didn’t even show up for the game until after halftime.
Then they lose to a country who hasn’t won a game without playing in its 9,000-feet mountains in four years. Poland finally hit the post twice in the waning moments, but what took so long?
Stat of the day: With Germany’s win, host teams are 14-0-5 in World Cup openers. The U.S. tied Switzerland 1-1 in its opener in 1994.
Looking ahead: England versus Paraguay should be the best game, although 8 a.m. is a tad early for a Saturday. Sweden then squares off with Trinadad and Tobago, followed by Argentina-Ivory Coast at 2 p.m.
My quest: I’m making it a goal to watch all 64 games (I was able to view 32 in 2002’s World Cup, despite the trying kickoff times).
Since I don’t go to work until 4 p.m., this World Cup fits my biological clock perfectly. Two games down, 62 to go — although I will admit I nodded off for a couple of minutes in the second game because I stayed up until 4 a.m. watching the Mavs’ game replay on Sportscenter.
Posted by Zach Duncan at 06:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
