GERMANY   8                       SAUDI ARABIA    0                 World Cup football home page
Klose 3, Ballack, Jancker
Linke, Bierhoff, Schneider
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This World Cup match between the Germany and Saudi Arabia took place on Saturday 1 June at Sapporo, Japan at 12.30pm (BST- British Summer Time). To see the German squad please click here. The team that played in the match is shown below:
 
The German team was:                                                                                 *booked during game
 
                                                        Oliver Kahn
                                              
 
                   Thomas Linke            Carsten Ramelow             Christoph Metzelder
                                                    (Jens Jeremies 46)

      Torsten Frings    Bernd Schneider      Dietmar Hamann*    Michael Ballack  Christian Ziege*
 
 
                                         Carsten Jancker           Miroslav Klose
                                        (Oliver Bierhoff 66)      (Oliver Neuville 77)
                                             
 
 
The Saudi Arabian team was Al-Daeyea, Tukar, Ahmed Al-Dossary, Zubromawi, Sulimani, Noor*, Abdallah Al-Shahrani, Al Owairan (Ibrahim Al-Shahrani 46), Al-Temyat (Al-Khathran 46), Al-Jaber, Al Yami (Abdallah Al-Dossary 78)

This was the biggest win by any team in the World Cup for twenty years since the World Cup 1982 - it was also Germany's biggest win ever at the World Cup. Before the match the press was suggesting Germany had the weakest World Cup sides in years after the 5-1 home loss to England in the qualification game and other recent poor performances (including a home 1-0 loss to Argentina in a tough friendly game). In this match the German players proved that they will still be one of the favourites to win the World Cup.
 

                                                  
                                               Klose got a hat-trick in the game


Germany had already missed several chances before they scored and Carsten Jancker also had a goal harshly disallowed. After twenty minutes, however, Miroslav Klose started off the rout.

1) 20 minutes: Jancker misses an overhead kick at a cross from the left wing - the ball falls to Klose who headed in unchallenged at the far post to make it 1-0.

2) 25 minutes: Ballack gets to the by line on the left wing and crosses to Klose who jumps highest and heads in again at the far post.

3) 40 minutes: Ziege crosses a good ball to Ballack from the left side of the midfield. The Saudi Arabian defenders let Ballack head the ball into the net unchallenged from just outside the six yard box.

4) 45 minutes: A cross from the right is flicked on by Klose into the path of Jancker  - Jancker gets in front of the defender to score through the goalkeepers legs.

5) 69 minutes: Schneider runs down the right wing, gets past his marker to the by line inside the penalty box and chips the ball up to Klose - the ball goes over the head of the first defender and Klose heads home from six yards out to get his hat-trick.

6) 73 minutes: A Ziege corner is headed into the top of the net by Linke at the near post.

7) 84 minutes: Substitute Bierhoff is put clear and scores by hitting the ball to the right of the goalkeeper (who was about to dive to his left)  from well outside the penalty box.

8) 90 minutes: Schneider gets Germany's eighth goal by hitting in a central free kick from just outside the penalty box - this was an excellent free kick and the ball went into the top corner of the net to the goalkeepers left.

Saudi Arabia were very poor in this match and gave Germany too much respect with very few tackles. By contrast, Germany showed that they are still a strong side and did not give the Saudi Arabian side a chance to get into the match.

Germany now go top of Group E after the Republic of Ireland drew 1-1 with Cameroon earlier today.