Jogi Loew, the German side's coach had a dilemma for this friendly. His midfield director, Bastian Schweinsteiger, is out, due to a broken collar bone, at least until aft the Christmas break. Lahm, team captain and Manuel Neuer were given well deserved rests and Miroslav Klose was also out due to injury. The game gave Loew the opportunity to experiment with the team.
Andriy Yarmolenko opened the scoring for the Ukraine in the 28th minute. The second Ukrainian goal came just nine minutes later when German defender Mat Hummels lost possession just outside the Ukrainian penalty area and a 70 meter counter Yevhen Konoplianka resulted in the Ukraine's second goal. The surprise was complete.
Toni Kroos, who played an impressive game, despite the absence of Lahm, Mueller and Schweinsteiger, narrowed the score to 2-1 in the 39th minute, restoring hope for the German side.
However the Ukrainian side was not deterred. Zieler had to reach behind him for third time, in his national side debut, when Serhiy Nazarenko, took a precise pass from Shevchenko and put a curling shot into the net from just outside the 16 metre area, one minute into extra time.
The second half started with a 3-1 deficit for the German side. Loew substituted Rolfes and Schuerrle into the game, however he stuck withe the first half formation with three defenders. Early in the second half Shevchenko almost put the game out of reach for the German side, when he just fired wide of the German net.
Twenty minutes into the second half Rolfes narrowed the score to 3-2 and Loew reenforced his attack by bringing Thomas Mueller and Lukas Podolski on the field. Mueller did not disappoint and got the equalizer in the 78th minute with a shot well out from the lefts side, putting the ball just inside the right goal post.
While many errors were made by the German side, the comeback showed the class of the German side, which was able to bounce back and at least equalize. Zieler's debut was a little disappointing for him personally, but it takes a whole team to defend. He made several good safes in the second half. The German defence, at times, seemed like an open book, permitting quick counters by the Ukraine.
While the back three played relatively well, they were often too far forward and caught off guard by the quick counters. Two of the Ukraine goals were achieved after corner kicks.
Germany, rated third in World soccer, meets the Netherlands, rated second, on Tuesday. Juergen Loew is sure to make some changes and will in all likelihood go back to a 4-4-2 system. Miroslav Klose may be available and Manuel Neuer should be back in the net. Mueller, Kroos, Gotze and Ozil are sure to feed the strikers, Gomez and Klose.
A well played game which was very enjoyable to watch.....will be looking forward to Tuesday's game....appreciate this update...thanks
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed a well played game, with action on both sides of the field, although the Ukraine relied mostly on counters. There was a hole in the German defence, which was often caught too far forward. In the second half that improved somewhat.
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