With Ireland and Cameroon already drawing
their match 1-1, Germany knew that a win against Saudi
Arabia would put them top. But they didn't take anything for granted.
The German's played the ball around giving
everyone a feel of the ball early..... and then the floodgates opened.
Carsten Jancker proved himself a menace to the
Saudis in the first ten minutes, before Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack made their
presence felt.
-- GOAL -- 1-0
Michael Ballack floated a ball into the area from the left, Jancker tried an overhead
kick, missed and Miroslav Klose headed in the loose ball -- 20 mins.
-- GOAL -- 2-0
Almost a carbon copy of the first goal, Michael Ballack crossed from the left for Miroslav
Klose to head in his second -- 25 mins.
Sami al-Jaber tried to remind the Germans that
he was still around, although he posed no real threat to Ollie Kahn.
-- GOAL -- 3-0
The third German goal is headed in as well.... this time it's Michael Ballack
though. The height and strength of the Germans is way too much for Saudi Arabia -- 40
mins.
-- GOAL -- 4-0
At last, Carsten Jancker gets on the scoresheet and rips his shirt off in celebration --
45 mins.
Half-time: Germany 4 -- Saudi
Arabia 0
At the start of the second-half, the question
on everybody's lips was would Germany go for the jugular or hold back and save themselves
for more competitive games ahead.
It seemed a little like the later until they
got bored.
-- GOAL -- 5-0 Miroslav Klose became the tournament's leading scorer by heading for the
third time, this time a cross from Bernd Schneider on the right -- 69 mins.
-- GOAL -- 6-0
Defender Thomas Linke made it six for Germany, with yet another headed
goal, and neutrals around the world started to feel embarrassed for Saudi Arabia; apart
from American fans who felt that here was a good candidate for their 32nd place in the
tournament -- 73 mins.
Klose might have felt disappointed not to get
his fourth goal, a couple of minutes later, before making way for Oliver Neuville.
-- GOAL -- 7-0
Michael Ballack slipped the ball through to Oliver Bierhoff (on for
Carsten Jancker) who made Saudi Arabia look like a bunch of schoolboys with his lethal
finish -- 84 mins.
-- GOAL -- 8-0
And to add insult to injury, Bernd Schneider fired his direct free-kick
over the wall and into the roof of Mohammed al-Deayea's goal.
