Germany 2-2 Ghana: A legendary minute for Klose!

With just one minute on the pitch and one touch of the ball, Miroslav Klose made history with his 15th World Cup goal, the winner in a dramatic 2-2 draw with Ghana.

There was no sign of trouble for the Germans in the first 45 minutes: They organized their attacks coherently, quickly, scientifically, and continuously created chances, while Ghana's most notable situation came from a long-range shot by Atsu. Coach Joachim Loew did not change the lineup that crushed Portugal 4-0 in the first match, and after witnessing the relatively impressive first half of the German team, few people thought of a shocking scenario in the second half.

We mostly put our faith in the stability of the German team without any doubts, because history has guaranteed it: Before the match against Ghana, the last time Germany kept the same starting lineup for two consecutive World Cup matches was in 2010. In the first match, they crushed England 4-1, and then “massacred” Argentina 4-0. The German team's strikerless playing style proved to be very flexible: the attacking midfielders Götze, Oezil and Kroos constantly switched positions, while in the “false 9” position, Mueller moved like a ghost and occupied the space very well.

Klose's familiar salto

Ghana played a bit too casually in the first half, and seemed a little overwhelmed by Germany’s well-organized play. Early in the second half, it looked like they were going to collapse against the Germans, when Mario Götze switched roles as “false striker” with Mueller and headed the ball in for the opening goal. Mueller wisely moved to the right wing and crossed the ball accurately to his Bayern teammate. A goal that was the epitome of Germany’s modern, fast and scientific style of play.

But that was the trigger for the bombshell: Ghana suddenly woke up to some powerful, fast football, and this time it was Germany who were overwhelmed. Just three minutes after Götze’s opener, Andre Ayew beat Manuel Neuer with a powerful header that only an African player could have delivered. Ghana then pressed on, and even threw Germany into disarray: their passing was no longer precise and fluid, and they fumbled and stalled when trying to progress the ball forward.

And in one such situation midway through the second half, Asamoah Gyan punished Germany, receiving a pass from Sulley Muntari, who won the ball in midfield before playing a through ball to his teammate. It was a goal that saw Gyan equal the legendary Roger Milla’s record of five goals, previously the highest-scoring African striker in World Cup history.

But the real monument was still out on the pitch. Miroslav Klose appeared calm, but perhaps his heart was on fire. Within two minutes, Joachim Loew brought Klose on for Goetze and Bastian Schweinsteiger on for Sami Khedira, switching to a formation with a striker and creating more pressure. Klose brought on four years of youth compared to the previous World Cup, but a new page in history was waiting to be written.

A minute after entering the field, with his first touch, Klose was like an electric shock for Ghana: He received the ball from a corner kick and equalized the score 2-2 from a “very Klose” situation, at the right time, in the right place, in front of an empty goal. That goal helped Klose equal the record of 15 goals in World Cups held by “fat” Ronaldo. He also became the third player in history to score in 4 World Cups.

At the end of the match, the veteran of the German team almost became the number one scorer in the history of the World Cup, if he had successfully taken advantage of a delicious opportunity at the end of the match. But 2-2 was the final result, and anyway, he entered the temple of legend, at the same time with an extra point, Germany still had the right to decide its own fate in Group G.

According to Thethaovanhoa.vn