Ballack's rocket

Well the title says it all. Then again there wasn't much else of note in the Germany vs Austria match. Apart from the rocket of a freekick which Michael Ballack drove home, the match didn't have that many highlights.

The two clear openings created by Austria were wasted by Erwin Hoffer, his first touch letting him down on the first occasion and his indecisiveness proving costly on the second. Austria did have their spell of dominance, stringing passes together and bursting forward without really threatening the German goal. They did manage to win a decent amount of corners but never really found the one killer ball to a striker. Jens Lehmann did not put a foot wrong all game and collected most of Austria's crosses cleanly. Mario Gomez's incredible miss early in the first half summed up his tournament so far. And this is Germany's player of the year, expected to take Euro 08 by storm. He's certainly been off colour in the tournament and Joachim Löw must have baffled many observers by starting him yet again after two dismal performances earlier in the group stage. I doubt he'll make the same mistake again in the quarters. Especially since they have Portugal to deal with. Needless to say, missing against Austria isn't as costly as missing against Cristiano Ronaldo and co. They must step up a gear to have any chance against Portugal who will have their rested stars back for the game. On a lighter note, the sending off of both the team coaches was rather amusing. After arguing with the fourth official, they shook hands and took their seats in the stands, Löw even appearing to be venting his frustration with the German chancellor. So much for separating politics and football.

Moving onto Poland vs Croatia, from what I saw, there were two key points to note in this game (I didn't watch this match as I was watching the other one and only managed to catch highlights). First was Ivan Klasnić's goal, completing his miraculous return to international football. Undergoing a second kidney transplant after his first replacement was rejected, his long road to glory finally came to an end last night when he scored the winner against Poland. His emotional celebration showed just how much it meant to him and he has reiterated many times how grateful he is to just simply being able to play football again. Such a story isn't one you come across everyday and his comeback will surely be a source of inspiration for many. The second point of note was another brilliant performance from Polish keeper, Artur Boruc. His stock will have surely risen after his many saves that kept Poland's scorelines respectable. Celtic had better brace themselves for a barrage of bids for the Polish custodian from Europe's top clubs. Even though Poland may have fallen at the group stage of a major tournament yet again, Boruc can be satisfied with his 3 outstanding performances.

Anyway, may Romania progress from the Group of Death tonight. With the Dutch likely to rest key players, it may not be too much to hope for.