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FIFA World Cup - Group A: Poland/Germany/Costa Rica/Ecuador

metirish Jun 01 2006 11:45 AM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jun 01 2006 04:03 PM

Germany are a very interesting team this time around, from bad results in recent warm up games, like getting hammered 4-1 by Italy in March and on Tuesday falling behind 2 - 0 to Japan before the hosts equalised late in the game. Juergen Klinsmann the coach is under a lot of pressure, not least because of player and manager disputes, his demotion of Oliver Kahn as the # 1 'Keeper caused huge controversy in the football world, Kahn as much as any player to ever play for Germany is a revered figure. Another problem for Klinsmann is the fact that he lives in LA with his American born wife and kids, this has caused resentment not just among fans but respected football figures and tabloid media in Germany, of course the bad results don't help, Klinsmann brushed such stuff away by saying he spends two weeks of every mointh in Germany and communicates with his staff and players via e-mail and phone. Here is a quote form a former German great Stefan Effenberg. ] "I know Klinsmann and he will not give an inch," said Effenberg who has led calls for Klinsmann's removal. "The rest of the world is laughing at us and the others are losing respect." Enough of that, lets look at the key players. Michael Ballack(Captain) is one of the great midfield players in the world, recently signed with Chelsea. Jens Lehmann (Arsenal) goalkeeper is a great shot stopper although prone to a bit of madness between the sticks. Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart) will be a key player in midfield. Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen) will be expected to bag the goals. A historical look at Germany. Winners 1954, 1974, 1990 Germany as hosts will command respect but recent performances at major tournaments not counting 2002( beaten finalists) leave a lot to be desired,they were knocked out of USA ’94 by Bulgaria, trounced at France ’98 by Croatia, and finished bottom of their group at Euro 2000, even worse they failed to win a game at Euro 04. Host Cities Greats of German Football Any list of the games great players would have "Der Kaiser" Franz Beckenbauer in the top 3, probably the most respected person in the game he was a driving force behind Germany 06.He became the first man to win the World Cup as player and manager when he led his country to glory in 1990 . Lothar Matthaus .One of the great all-round midfielders ever Matthaus played in five World Cups between 1982 and 1998 leading his Country to a revenge victory in 1990 against Argentina, they lost the 1986 final to them. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, simply one of the great goal scores.Twice European Player of the Year, 1980 and 1981,he was runner-up twice in the 1982 and 86 Wold Cups.Rummenigge scored 54 goals in 85 games for Germany. 'Gerd' Müller . With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances and 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games he was by far the most successful striker of his day , Muller scored the winning goal for the 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the 1974 final. Oliver Bierhoff became the first player to score the first golden goal in the history of major international football, for Germany in the Euro 96 final. I could list more German players as they have had loads of great ones but I think five is enough for now. I think Germany will do no better than the quarter-finals, even with the home support, the good players they have now are not in the class of the former greats, expect ultra-high security for these finals, police forces in Europe are expecting a lot of trouble in Germany, they do what they can with sharing a data base of known hooligans but how can you stop them form going to Germany, plus the German hooligans are notorious. All in all here's hoping for a great Wold Cup. please feel free to give me more good stuff on Germany. 09/06/06 - Germany v Costa Rica Munich, 5pm Poland v Ecuador Gelsenkirchen, 8pm 14/06/06 Germany v Poland Dortmund, 8pm 15/06/06 Ecuador v Costa Rica Hamburg, 2pm 20/06/06 Ecuador v Germany Berlin, 3pm Costa Rica v Poland Hanover, 3pm

Willets Point Jun 01 2006 11:51 AM

Great job metirish. Prost!

MFS62 Jun 01 2006 01:28 PM

Great job, Irish. My meager attempt at anything meaningful for Australia pales by comparison. Later

Edgy DC Jun 01 2006 02:32 PM

]Jens Lehmann (Arsenal) goalkeeper is a great shot stopper although prone to a bit of madness between the sticks. Please elaborate.

metirish Jun 01 2006 02:41 PM

Lehmann has been known to have a rush of blood to the head like in the recent Champions League final he got sent off after 18 minutes becasue he brought down Samuel Eto who was clear on goal,it's a tough call for the 'Keeper but it's happened before with him, also he's not that great on crosses into the box, like form corner kicks.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 05 2006 04:58 PM

Poland: Could Be Contenders Poland could be one of the most interesting teams in the tournament this year. Some have called this version of Bialo-czerwoni (the “Red and White”) Poland’s best overall group of talent since the 1974 team surprised the field going 7-1 to finish in 3rd place – also in Germany – and put Polish soccer on the world map. However, critics say, this is a solid team without the kind of world-class superstar to “take it to the next level” if you believe that sort of thing is important. It appears as if coach Pawel Janas is in the first group: His controversial decision to leave Thomasz Frankowski off this year’s squad is evidence of either sheer genius or utter stupidity: Time will tell. Frankowski scored a team-best 7 goals in qualifying. But it could also herald that Poland’s other scorers, Maciej “Magic” Zurawski and Euzebiusz “Ebi” Smolarek, are ready for their world closeup. Zurawski is a scoring star for Glasgow Celtic; and Smolarek is a versatile marksman for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. These two are very capable of turning opportunities and mistakes into goals. Smolarek, known as ‘The Hash Bomber’ since a marijuana arrest, will play for the enemy in his pro team’s home city when Poland meets host country Germany in Dortmund June 14. Noting Poland’s considerable reputation for unbridled hooliganism, this match already has the attention of the authorities, who’ve run “simulated riots” in preparation. Real football fans, Polish and otherwise, are of course repulsed by this kind of behavior and view hooligans as the mooks chanting “Yankees Suck” at Met games, only a thousand times worse. In reality, poor economic conditions facing young people correlate with hooliganism more than the success of their teams, but that’s a discussion for another thread. Janas made another, though somewhat less surprising, decision by not choosing Liverpool’s Jerzy Dudek to serve between the pipes and instead the ‘keeping will go to some combination of Artur Borec (Celtic) and Tomasz Kuszczak (West Bromwich Albion). Borec has played better in warm-ups, including a 1-0 victory over Croatia Saturday, and will get the start when the action kicks off against Ecuador on Friday. Fans admire his CAHNfidence and leadership, as well as good success against penalty shots, but worry he can get too CAHNfident at times. Either way Kuszczak is a fine backup, so Poland ought not to worry too much. Dudek was in goal in an ’02 World Cup that Poland entered into with high hopes and left humiliated, including a 4-zip loss to host South Korea. Janas was named national team coach following that disappointing performance and brings a strong record as a player and manager to the helm. He was coy about whether the 5-man midfield employed against Croatia in the warmup was a configuration the Poles would continue to use in the tournament. Midfielder Jacek Krzynowek (Bayer Leverkusen) is a Polish fan favorite who’s atomic shot against Real Madrid was a highlight of last year’s Champions League. The rest of the Poles are worker bees whose honey is solid if unspectacular: defenders like Mariusz Jop (FC Moscow) and Marcin Baszczynski (West Ham United). The midfield features bruiser Radoslaw Sobolewski (Wisla Krakow); Arkadiusz Radomski and rising star Sebastian Mila (both of Vienna). Most commentators seem to be picking Poland to finish second in Group A and then lose their first quarterfinal (to England); and a top-16 finish is about all the reasonable fans are hoping for. But you never know. If you’re in New York for the games, be sure to visit Greenpoint, Brooklyn which has more Poles than all of New Jersey and Connecticut combined and in fact is the Polishest place in the United States. They’ll be gathering all over, but try the Polonia Sports Bar (the one with the giant soccer ball on the sign) and the Zweic neon signs, just north of McCarren Park at Bergen and Manhattan Aves.

Edgy DC Jun 05 2006 05:17 PM

Kazimierz Deyna was a deadly shooter from 30 yards out who played with Manchester City after winning two championships in his native country. He played for the Polish national team 102 times, scoring 45 goals, often as the team captain. His greatest accomplishment was losing weight and serving as the Polish POW representative on the Allied Team in John Huston's Victory (1981). He died in a car wreck in 1989 in the US, and was posthumously chosen by the Polish Football Association as the Polish Football Player of All Time. So there.

Edgy DC Jun 05 2006 05:20 PM

True fans will be rooting for Poland while donning their Karol Wojtyla "throwback" jersey.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 05 2006 10:11 PM

POLAND! Boruc Jop Bak Lewandowski Sobolewski "Magic" Ebi

Edgy DC Jun 05 2006 10:37 PM

Your picture of Woof isn't showing.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 06 2006 10:18 AM

Jop was pretty good back in the 80s:

Johnny Dickshot Jun 08 2006 02:00 PM

Stopping in for some peiorgies the other night, noted one local Polish restaurant is selling admission ($15) to the place for tomorrow's 3pm opener with Equador. The winner of this match will be the overwhelming favorite to take 2nd in the group which includes presumed champion (and host) Germany and patsy Costa Rica. The loser will have to run up the score with Costa Rica and hope for a draw with Germany. As noted above, the Poles will employ the triumphant 5-man midfield, according to this article. GO POLAND! ]World-Poles return to 1974 blueprint for success Thu Jun 8, 2006 11:48 AM BST By Patrick Graham BARSINGHAUSEN, Germany, June 8 (Reuters) - Two weeks after his death, Poland have returned to the blueprint which gave coach Kazimierz Gorski's "Eagles" third place in the last German World Cup and launched the Polish game's golden era. Gorski's 1974 side came within a whisker of the final, felled only 1-0 by winners Germany on a flooded pitch that killed the flowing counter-attacking football which had made them the tournament's sensation. The same model gave current coach Pawel Janas third place in the 1982 finals in Spain. Under pressure after some poor warmup performances in the run-up to the finals, he has returned to Gorski's formula of massed defence and fast breaks, which made stars of players like Zbigniew Boniek and Kazimierz Deyna. "I wasn't even born in 1982, never mind 1974, but I've got all those games on tape at home," the Poles' 21-year-old keeper Lukasz Fabianski told Reuters. "I've watched them over and over again and I'd give anything to be able to do something which connects us to those teams." NEW SYSTEM Janas played a more open game in a qualifying group in which they finished second to England after losing twice to Sven-Goran Eriksson's men. The 4-4-2 formation used, however, made them one of Europe's top scorers with 27 goals in qualifying. But they have consistently struggled against the continent's top rank, and defeats by Columbia and Lithuania in the run-up to the finals led Janas to switch to a defensive five-man midfield, dropping one striker in favour of a second holding midfielder. He will almost certainly use the formation against hosts Germany next week, and are leaning towards it for their Group A opener against Ecuador on Friday. "I think it's that sort of aggressive defence that will be the way of beating Ecuador," said left-back Michal Zewlakow, a revelation with Anderlecht this season, and one of just four players left from an embarrassing early exit in Korea in 2002. "We're still getting used the new system. The most important thing is to be able to flow between formations, from 4-4-2 back to 4-5-1. We've looked for that elasticity and I think we're getting it now." In front of a flat back four, Arkadiusz Radomski and Radoslaw Sobolewski will look to break up the play in the middle of the park and feed the team's two main creative forces -- playmaker Miroslaw Szymkowiak and striker Maciej Zurawski. Borussia Dortmund's Ebi Smolarek and Wolfsburg midfielder Jacek Krzynowek will be asked to defend hard but break fast on the wings, just as Andrzej Szarmach and Robert Gadocha did in Gorski's 1974 side. Szarmach, described by team mate Wlodzimierz Lubanski as someone who would "put his head where I'm scared to put my foot", was back in Germany for a friendly with journalists on Wednesday. "Do they have a chance with this system? Of course there's always a chance," he told Reuters on the edge of the box midway through the second half. "The key is always to fight for it. That's what we did."

Johnny Dickshot Jun 08 2006 09:19 PM

Johnny Dickshot Jun 09 2006 12:37 PM

1st Match (Germany-Costa Rica) on NOW!!! 2-1 Germany, 34th minute

metirish Jun 09 2006 01:13 PM

If you are interested in reading some funny play by play go here.. http://football.guardian.co.uk/worldcup2006/minbymin/0,,1788052,00.html

metirish Jun 09 2006 01:24 PM

Germany go up 3 to 1 as Klose scores again.

metirish Jun 09 2006 01:35 PM

Follow Polnad V Ecuador live from 2:30 http://football.guardian.co.uk/worldcup2006/minbymin/0,,1788059,00.html

metirish Jun 09 2006 01:37 PM

Costa Rica pull a goal back to make it 3-2, by all accounts the German back line is brutal. Germany wins 4 - 2, from what I read they look shaky at the back but good going forward.

Elster88 Jun 09 2006 01:57 PM

Costa Rica was offsides on their second goal. The back two defenders cleared out, and it was clear offsides on the replay, but probably too close for the refs to see without the perfect angle at full speed.

metirish Jun 09 2006 01:58 PM

yeah, from the text I read he was a good 2 yards offside.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 09 2006 02:25 PM

Costa Rica is supposed to have been a real lightweight. Surprised they scored twice cheating or no.

Elster88 Jun 09 2006 02:38 PM

350-1 to win it all.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 09 2006 03:51 PM

Ecuador leads Poland 1-0 @ halftime. Poles have more chances but can't convert

A Boy Named Seo Jun 09 2006 04:09 PM

I don't have the ESPN's at work, so I'm watching it on Univision, trying to improve my Spanish at the same time. Sor far I know "GOL!!!" = "Gooooaaaaal!!!". Baby steps.

Elster88 Jun 09 2006 04:41 PM

Delgado scores for Ecuador in the 81st minute. 2-0. Looks like this one is over.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 09 2006 04:47 PM

Frayed Knot Jun 09 2006 04:51 PM

There is no joy in Greenpoint, Poland nation is shut-out

Johnny Dickshot Jun 14 2006 02:18 PM

Bialo-czerwoni square off in a do-or-die match with host Germany today 3 p.m. They are probably going to die, but perhaps desperation brings about a miracle. Not only are they huge underdogs, but face xtra pressure because if they lose, Germany will be sitting so pretty to advance #1 from this group they might not care what happens against Ecuador, whom Poland wishes nothing but bad fortune for. Do you believe in miracles?

metirish Jun 14 2006 02:20 PM

We can only hope the Poles will be dancing after the game.

Willets Point Jun 14 2006 02:21 PM

If Germany defeats Poland will England and France declare war on Germany?

Johnny Dickshot Jun 14 2006 02:21 PM

We can hope.

metirish Jun 14 2006 02:51 PM

Trouble in the stadium for this one... ] Poland Boruc, Bosacki, Baszczynski, Bak, Zewlakow, Sobolewski, Krzynowek, Smolarek, Radomski, Zurawski, Jelen. Subs: Jop, Gancarczyk, Kosowski, Szymkowiak, Rasiak, Kuszczak, Mila, Dudka, Lewandowski, Giza, Fabianski, Brozek. Germany Lehmann, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Ballack, Frings, Schneider, Podolski, Klose. Subs: Jansen, Huth, Kehl, Nowotny, Neuville, Kahn, Asamoah, Hitzlsperger, Borowski, Hildebrand, Odonkor. Skirmish, we said? Yep. Some German fans have greeted their Polish visitors with Hitler salutes, while 40 "problem" Poles have been detained for wielding "dangerous objects" (problem poles, perhaps). Yes, that’s the level I’m working at tonight. It’ll have to do, I’m afraid. Preamble This one qualifies as a local skirmish alright. And it’s not one the Poles have enjoyed historically, having lost 10 of the last 14 and won sod all. They don’t need all the points tonight – in fact, even if they lose they’re not knocked out quite yet – but realistically a draw’s the minimum requirement. That’s going to be a tall order, because the Poles were painfully inept against Ecuador, and while Germany are also a total shambles at the back, they looked pretty dangerous going forward against Costa Rica. Adding insult to injury, of course, is the fact that the German front line of Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski are basically Polish. Well, OK, they’re Polish. http://football.guardian.co.uk/worldcup2006/minbymin/0,,1788255,00.html

Willets Point Jun 14 2006 03:01 PM

Yippy skippy! I find a link to listen live online. In English too.

Willets Point Jun 14 2006 03:48 PM

At the half, Benedict XVI 0:0 John Paul II

Johnny Dickshot Jun 14 2006 03:50 PM

Poland rocks. The feellas at the Guardian blog don;t seem too impressed, but I'd guess they don;t have much love for either team

metirish Jun 14 2006 03:56 PM

I like the Guardian text but not this guy that's doing it today, Barry Glendenning and Paul Doyle are much better...

metirish Jun 14 2006 04:09 PM

Willets thanks for the link.....you have no idea how many times I looked for a site to hear audio of the games.

Frayed Knot Jun 14 2006 04:17 PM

Germany wants to party like it's Nineteen Thrity-Nine

Willets Point Jun 14 2006 04:32 PM

Crap, Sobolewski gets a 2nd yellow card and Poland is reduced to 10.

Willets Point Jun 14 2006 04:48 PM

Neuville scores for Germany in stoppage time. It's all over for Poland. :(

OlerudOwned Jun 14 2006 04:49 PM

Germany blows 2 wide open chances off the cross bar, but comes right down the pitch again and scores in Stoppage Time. Suxx to be Poland.

Rotblatt Jun 14 2006 04:50 PM

Poland floods the box to play for the tie, but it's not enough as the Germans mount a relentless attack. 2 shots off the post, an illigetimate goal from an off-sides player, then FINALLY the Germans score to take the lead 1-0 just before stoppage time. Amazing.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 14 2006 04:56 PM

Dagnabbit. The peirogies have spoiled.

Willets Point Jun 14 2006 05:03 PM

Let's go Costa Rica!

Willets Point Jun 15 2006 09:41 AM

An early goal for Ecuador puts them up 1-0 on Costa Rica. Its not looking like there will be a strong CONCACAF representation in the knock-out rounds (unless the US can beat Italy and Trinidad & Tobago continues to perform miracles).

Willets Point Jun 15 2006 10:13 AM

Crap! Ecuador scores again at the top of the 2nd half. Costa Rica is doomed.

Willets Point Jun 15 2006 10:26 AM

The 2nd goal was by Delgado. Good name. :)

Willets Point Jun 15 2006 10:52 AM

Ecuador adds another a goal. They have 5 total versus 0 against. They may just finish first in this group!

Willets Point Jun 15 2006 10:57 AM

Kaviedas celebrated his goal by pulling a mask out of his shorts and putting it on his head as he ran around. I need to see the video replay of that. It's a good thing he scored a goal, it would be annoying to have a mask stuffed down your shorts for 90 min for no good reason.

Willets Point Jun 20 2006 10:18 AM

Ecuador surrenders their first goal of the Cup to Klose at 4 min. Germany up 1-0. If Germany wins they win first place in Group A. Ecuador takes first place with a win or a tie.

Willets Point Jun 20 2006 10:26 AM

Poland and Costa Rica playing for pride in the other Group A match. Kind of sad actually, I was rooting for these teams and hoping at least one of them would advance but it is not to be.

Willets Point Jun 20 2006 10:31 AM

The Sun's off-tube commentary is now off-line -- just stock footage of fan noise and a bad guitar riff.

Willets Point Jun 20 2006 10:47 AM

Closing in on half-time: Klose scores his 2nd goal of the day, Germany up 2-nil. Poland & Costa Rica tied at 1-1.

Elster88 Jun 20 2006 10:50 AM

Willets Point wrote: Poland and Costa Rica playing for pride in the other Group A match. Kind of sad actually, I was rooting for these teams and hoping at least one of them would advance but it is not to be. Me too, but I figured it would be Germany and Ecuador moving on.

Willets Point Jun 20 2006 11:06 AM

My pre-Cup prediction was Germany and Poland. I expected Ecuador to finish last which shows you how much I know.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 20 2006 11:18 AM

I apologize to anyone (myself included) whose expectations for Poland were exaggerated by my sunny-side-up preview.

Willets Point Jun 20 2006 11:20 AM

Germany's Poldolski (which is definitely a Polish name) scores and Germany is up 3-0. I think first place in the group is settled.

Willets Point Jun 20 2006 11:44 AM

A Wanchope goal is called back because he was offside. Too bad. He's become one of my favorite players in the Cup.

Willets Point Jun 20 2006 12:04 PM

Group A is complete Team MP W D L GF GA Pts Germany 3 3 0 0 8 2 9 Ecuador 3 2 0 1 5 3 6 Poland 3 1 0 2 2 4 3 Costa Rica 3 0 0 3 3 9 0 In the second round Germany will face the 2nd place team of group B which will be determined in this afternoons games from among England, Sweden and Trinidad & Tobago. Ecuador will face the 1st place team of group B which will be either England or Sweden.

Edgy DC Jun 20 2006 12:08 PM

Three goals per game. Not bad.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 22 2006 12:07 PM

I'll get behind Ecuador at this point.