Euro 2012 Qualifiers – Belgium vs. Germany: Miroslav Klose goal gives Germany 1-0 Victory
Germany were scheduled to take on Belgium in a match that was expected to go down to the wire. Germany had almost always been favourites to win every contest and every game that they participated in, and this time around it was no different.
However Belgium were not planning on letting the Germans walk right over them. Over the past couple of years, the Belgium national team had started to move its way up the ranks and has become one of the better teams in the world of football.
Germany were expected to field their strongest possible starting eleven, which was almost identical to the team that took the field in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. All the star players from the team were present once again: Mesut Ozil, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Muller were all included in the starting eleven.
Belgium, however, had a more-than-decent side of their own. Players like Thomas Vermaelen, Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard and Marouane Fellaini were all going to be taking the field from the very first minute.
Experts predicted that the match would be a close encounter, since both the teams were gifted with a very strong back-line and a more than capable offensive unit.
The match was scheduled to take place in the Roi Baudouin Stadium, which is located in Brussels, Belgium. The stadium has a capacity of forty-seven thousand but all those seats didn't seem to be enough to contain the rapturous crowd that was present to view the game.
The officials for the game were Terje Hauge, Kim Haglund and Frank Andas. Hauge was the head referee on the night, while the other two were his assisting linesmen.
The match got underway with both the teams looking to go on the offensive. However, all this did was cause them to cancel each other out. Both the teams were looking menacing, but Germany looked to get the better of their opponents early on.
It was this added pressure that led to Vincent Kompany picking up the first yellow card of the game for a late tackle.
The match progressed with both the teams creating a handful of chances, but neither one of them seemed to capitalize on them as the first half ended as a stalemate between the teams.
At the half time break, both the referees were surely urging their players to go on and give it their all since all three points were up for grabs.
As the second half began, both the teams seemed to spring into another gear. However, it was the German side that finally managed to break through a resilient Belgian defensive line-up.
Thomas Muller passed the ball to Miroslav Klose, whose first-time shot with his left foot saw the back of the net and gave Germany a one goal advantage. It was a goal that had Bayern Munich written all over it. Both the players play together in Munich and it was perhaps this chemistry that led to the ultimate breakthrough.
The match continued to be a highly contested one, but ended with the Germans taking the one-goal advantage all the way to the ninetieth minute.
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