June 14, 2006
NEUVILLE CUISINE
Veteran crushes Poland in stoppage time

DORTMUND, Germany -- Veteran striker Oliver Neuville stunned Poland in stoppage time, sliding in to slam David Odonkor's cross past goalkeeper Artur Boruc and give Germany a 1-0 win before a packed house Wednesday at Westfalenstadion.

The goal spoiled a virtuoso performance by Boruc, who turned away shot after point-blank shot, especially after defender Radoslaw Sobolewski was ejected in the 75th minute after receiving his second yellow card of the match.

Both Neuville, one of Germany's most celebrated veterans, and the youngster Odonkor came in as second-half substitutes. Odonkor entered the game in the 64th minute and made an immediate impact with darting runs down the right side. He produced two corner kicks in his first three minutes on the field, and sent a dangerous cross into the area for Miroslav Klose in the 72nd.

Neuville got off to a slower start, being whistled twice for offside before settling into a rhythm with his running mates. But he was there when it counted.

The winning goal came after a potentially devastating 90th-minute sequence for Germany that saw both Klose and team captain Michael Ballack send shots harmlessly off the woodwork -- the first time Boruc had been beaten all day.

Although Germany controlled the tempo for much of the second half, Poland came up with the most dangerous chances early on, including an on-target right-footer by Ireneusz Jelen that forced netminder Jens Lehmann to make one his few saves of the game. Ballack and Christoph Metzelfer collected yellow cards for thwarting Polish breakaways by "professional fouls" near midfield.

Ultimately, though, the tide turned Germany's way, and Boruc was all that kept the scoreline even into the closing seconds of the match. In the 65th minute, he blocked a long free kick by Torsten Frings and, seconds later, a dangerous follow-up shot from Klose. In the 80th, he thwarted an artful run by Philipp Lahm into the left side of the box, blocking first Lahm's 15-yard shot and then an equally lethal attempt by Neuville.

The game got off to a slow start. Both teams appeared more interested in inflicting bumps and bruises than pursuing goals in the early minutes, an unpopular strategy with the crowd, who booed and whistled every backpass to the goalkeeper or long ball to nowhere. But the longtime rivals soon got down to playing soccer, and produced an exciting, if scoreless, first half.

Ballack, just returned from a calf injury, brought the crowd to its feet early, cutting a pass behind his defender to an onrushing Klose, who forced Boruc to make a sprawling save in the 10th minute.

Poland was poised to counter in the 20th, but both Ebi Smolarek and Ireneusz Jelen were taken down at the top of the German penalty area. There was no call by the referee, and the Germans were soon back in Boruc's face. Lahm, who made his World Cup reputation with a booming goal against Costa Rica in last Saturday's tournament opener, showed an equally deft touch with the soft chip, arcing a beautiful looping ball into the area, where Klose sent a header just wide from seven yards out.

Poland-born Lukas Podolski had two golden opportunities for Germany before halftime. In the 35th minute, he settled the ball, spun past his defender and launched a wicked left-footer, but Boruc made the save. In stoppage time, Podolski made a perfectly-timed run through a line of defenders onto another of Lahm�s left-side crosses, shooting just wide from inside the six-yard box.

While Poland held their own defensively through the intermission, they mounted far fewer dangerous attacks. Lehmann picked off a 23rd-minute corner kick, made an easy save on Jelen's 27th-minute shot and watched a later shot by Maciej Zurawski sail high.

Germany
Jens Lehmann; Arne Friedrich (David Odonkor-63), Philipp Lahm, Petr Mertesacker, Christoph Metzelder; Bastian Schweinsteiger (Tim Borowski-76), Torsten Frings, Michael Ballack, Bernd Schneider; Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski (Oliver Neuville-70).

Poland
Artur Boruc; Marcin Baszczynski, Jacek Bak, Michal Zewlakow (Dariuz Dudka-82), Bartosz Bosacki; Radoslaw Sobolewski, Jacek Krzynowek (Mariusz Lewandowski-76), Ebi Smolarek, Arkadiusz Radomski; Maciej Zurawski, Ireneusz Jelen (Pawel Brozek-89).

Goals
Germany -- Oliver Neuville 91+

Discipline
Poland -- Jacek Krzynowek (yellow card) 3
Poland -- Radoslaw Sobolewski (yellow card) 28
Germany -- Michael Ballack (yellow card) 58
Germany -- David Odonkor (yellow card) 68
Germany -- Christoph Metzelder (yellow card) 70
Poland -- Radoslaw Sobolewski (yellow card) 75
Poland -- Radoslaw Sobolewski (red card) 75
Poland -- Artur Boruc (yellow card) 89

Attendance -- 65,000