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IBARAKI, Japan (Ticker) -- Robbie Keane scored in the second minute of injury time to lift Ireland to a 1-1 draw with Germany in a crucial Group E match. The luck of the Irish appeared again as a long, desperate pass toward the box found the head of substitute Niall Quinn. He directed it into the path of Keane, who chested the ball down and blasted from close range off goalkeeper Oliver Kahn and the left post before hitting the back of the net. "I put Quinny on to do just that, get one of those lovely little flick-ons from a diagonal ball," Ireland coach Mick McCarthy said. "We had to take a chance to get a goal. We threw people forward to get a goal and it paid off. To be honest I think we've been the better side tonight. We've got passion and commitment and we're not a bad side." The result leaves the group wide open, with Ireland, Germany and Cameroon in strong contention to secure one of the two second-round berths. But Germany remained top of the group with four points and will conclude group play with a tough match against Cameroon on June 11. Ireland has earned two points in as many matches, but faces a much easier game against Saudi Arabia the same day. "I've just said to the players 'you've got to play the Saudis now and finish the job off' (and reach the second round)," McCarthy said. "I am delighted for Robbie because center forwards are judged on goals. It doesn't matter to them if they play well. For them, they want to score goals, that's their business and he's scored a very vital one for us tonight." Thursday's Cameroon-Saudi Arabia encounter may turn out to be a pivotal encounter in this tightly contested group. Miroslav Klose scored his World Cup-leading fourth goal in the 19th minute, giving Germany a 1-0 advantage. Michael Ballack found himself with tons of space on the left flank and sent a long cross to Klose, who lunged forward to head the ball past goalkeeper Shay Given. Ballack leads the tournament with three assists. Klose already has knocked in four headers during the tournament. That matches the World Cup record for goals scored via header, which is held jointly by Hungary's Sandor Kocsis, fellow German Gerd Muller and Czechs Andrzej Szarmach and Tomas Skuhravy. Ireland created several opportunities after the break and never stopped trying to equalize until Keane's goal finally came. The Irishmen came close to knotting the contest earlier, when Damien Duff had his point-blank shot steered aside by Kahn. Keane and Duff also battled throughout the Cameroon match and their hard work sparked the Irish again on Wednesday. Keane just missed connecting on a bicycle kick prior to the interval. Matt Holland had another quality chance in the first half. Shooting from a similar spot that produced his goal against Cameroon, the midfielder's 20-yard blast traveled just wide of the net. The Germans missed a number of second-half scoring chances, but they made the tactical mistake of trying to hold their one-goal advantage by relying on defense instead of pressing for an insurance goal. However, their best opportunity fell to forward Carsten Jancker, who received a pass from Ballack just behind the Irish defense. Jancker successfully chipped over Given, but the ball trickled wide. Klose also nearly added to his tally, getting his head on a corner kick. But the ball sailed out of play. Despite the physical nature of the match, referee Kim Nielsen did not issue a single yellow card, tolerating much of the rough play. In addition to the memorable equalizer, Ireland captain Steve Staunton reached a personal milestone, becoming the first player to record 100 caps for the Republic. "I thought Steve Staunton had a superb game tonight and all the lads worked very hard for each other with a great team spirit," McCarthy said. Germany still holds the edge in its all-time series against Ireland, 7-6-2. |
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