|
Germany rises up from dead
Two late goals secure comeback draw with Yugoslavia
Posted: Thursday September 24, 1998 05:44 PM
| |
Bierhoff celebrates after scoring the second equalizing goal for Germany against Yugoslavia Clive Brunskill/Allsport |
LENS, France (CNN/SI)
-- Memo to any nation thinking otherwise: Never, ever write Germany off.
After being completely dominated by a technically superior Yugoslavia
team for 70 minutes, the Germans stormed back in the last 20 minutes to
erase a two-goal deficit and clinch a 2-2 draw in both teams opening match
of the World Cup. "We knew they would show their real face today,
they play a very strong technical game and they were very especially
motivated against us," said German midfielder Lothar Matthaeus said. "But
our team showed its morale by coming back." Matthaeus, 37, made
World Cup history by coming on in the second half and appearing in his 22nd
World Cup match. In his fifth World Cup, Matthaeus has played in more
matches than any other players in World Cup history. "We can be
proud of our team," Matthaeus said. The draw gave both teams four
points in Group F, with Germany ahead on goal difference. But
Yugoslavia could and should have clinched a place in the second round, and
will be left wondering what went wrong late in the game. Oliver
Bierhoff, always a man for important goals, came through with a powerful
header in the 80th minute off a corner by Olaf Thon to clinch the draw.
Bierhoff scored the "golden goal" that gave Germany the European title
in 1996 and now has 18 goals in 28 games for Germany. "Every team in
the world would be happy with this result," Bierhoff said. "We were
outplayed for most of the match but we managed to turn the result."
Yugoslavia looked on course for three points when Dragan Stojkovic made
the score 2-0 in the 54th. Dejan Stankovic had opened the scoring for
Yugoslavia in the 13th. But Germany benefited from a fortunate
deflection goal in the 74th minute and Yugoslavia's sudden collapse. So
much under control until then, the Yugoslavs began showing off their
remarkable talent and forgot about threatening the German goal. The
stubborn Germans, who are looking for their forth World Cup title, took
advantage of the unexpected gift they were being given. Michael
Tarnat, a second-half substitute, fired a powerful left-footed free kick
from 25 yards that struck sweeper Sinisa Mihajlovic's outstretched right
boot to give goalkeeper Ivica Kralj no chance. The goal was credited to
Tarnat, although Yugoslav coach Slobodan Santrac thought it was an own
goal. "It really shook us up and we gave them the chance to
equalize," Santrac said. "We didn't know how to preserve the victory."
German coach Berti Vogts said his team had risen from the dead.
"We made possible what seemed impossible," Vogts said. "We turned defeat
into a near victory." "They wanted to toy with us instead of trying
to score a third goal and they got punished for that," Vogts said.
Yugoslavia took charge 13 minutes into the game. Real Madrid
striker Predrag Mijatovic, 30 yards from goal, drove in a left wing cross,
and Stankovic got the faintest of touches as the ball bounced over German
goalkeeper Andreas Koepke. Though Mijatovic looked to have scored
directly, Stankovic, the 19-year-old midfielder who recently agreed to a
move from Red Star Belgrade to Lazio of Rome, was credited with the goal.
Yugoslavia doubled its lead three minutes into the second half
courtesy of a blunder from Andreas Koepke, the German goalkeeper.
Slavisa Jokanovic made a storming run through the heart of the German
defense, before knocking the ball to Darko Kovacevic. The Real
Sociedad forward fired low into the goal mouth and Koepke fumbled the ball
to present Yugoslav captain Dragan Stojkovic with a simple tap-in from two
yards in his 65th international. Germany finished the match with 10
men after Juergen Klinsmann was knocked out by a Mihajlovic free kick that
struck the German captain in the chest. He was slow to regain
consciousness. "We squandered a historic chance," said Perica
Ognjenovic, a Yugoslav substitute. Yugoslavia has not beaten Germany since
1973. Lineups: Germany: Andreas Koepke; Christian
Woerns, Juergen Kohler, Olaf Thon; Joerg Heinrich, Andy Moeller (Ulf
Kirsten, 51st), Jens Jeremis, Dietmar Hamann (Lothar Matthaeus, 46th),
Christian Ziege (Michael Tarnat, 62nd); Juergen Klinsmann, Oliver Bierhoff.
Yugoslavia: Ivica Kralj; Sinisa Mihajlovic, Slobodan
Komljenovic, Zeljko Petrovic, Goran Djorovic; Slavisa Jokanovic, Dragan
Stojkovic, Dejan Stankovic (Dejan Govedarica, 65th), Vladimir Jugovic;
Darko Kovacevic (Perica Ognjenovic, 51st), Predrag Mijatovic.
Referee: Kim Milton Nielsen, Denmark.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
| 
