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Uruguay 1 Denmark 2
Germany 8 Saudi Arabia 0
SAPPORO (Japan), June 1: Three goals from Miroslav Klose helped Germany to a 8-0 drubbing of dismal Saudi Arabia as the triple champions opened their World Cup campaign in stunning style at the Sapporo Dome on Saturday.
Two headed goals by Klose and a strike each from fellow striker Carsten Jancker and midfielder Michael Ballack enabled the Germans to lead 4-0 at halftime of their first group E game.
Klose completed the first hat trick of these finals with another header after the break and defender Thomas Linke added a sixth in the 73rd minute before substitute Oliver Bierhoff (84) and Bernd Schneider (90) completed the humiliation.
They became the first team in 20 years to score eight in a finals match, Hungary having demolished El Salvador 10-1 in 1982 in Spain.
It was also Germany’s biggest World Cup win and highest score in the finals, surpassing a 7-2 win over Turkey in 1954 when they first claimed the title.
Saudi Arabia had already had a few scares when Klose opened the floodgates with a diving header from close range in the 20th minute after Jancker had missed a bicycle kick from a cross from the left by Ballack.
Key playmaker Ballack, on despite a bruised foot, set up Klose with another cross which the Kaiserslautern forward headed home from the penalty spot in the 25th minute before celebrating with his trademark somersault.
Ballack then made it 3-0 with a header from a Christian Ziege cross four minutes from the break and Jancker rapped in another right on the halftime whistle.
With nothing to fear at their own end, Germany appeared to relax in the second half and did not score until Klose headed from a Bernd Schneider cross in the 69th minute.
Linke inflicted more punishment on Saudi Arabia by heading home from a corner for his side’s sixth goal four minutes later and Oliver Bierhoff grabbed one in his final World Cup with a strike from 30 metres out with six minutes to go.
A stunning free-kick 25 metres out just before the whistle from Schneider completed the scoring and Saudi Arabia’s misery.
ULSAN (South Korea): Jon Dahl Tomasson headed his second goal seven minutes from time to give Denmark a 2-1 victory over Uruguay in their opening group A match on Saturday.
A spectacular volley by Dario Rodriguez just after halftime looked to have earned Uruguay a draw after Tomasson had put the Danes ahead just before the interval.
But the Denmark striker headed Martin Jorgensen’s cross into the roof of the net to put his side top of the group standings, with world champions France bottom after losing 1-0 to Senegal on Friday.
Denmark went ahead at the end of an even first half when Tomasson laid the ball off to Jesper Gronkjaer on the left wing and raced into the area to meet the cross and finish from close range, his 16th goal in 40 internationals.
Rodriguez, though, put Uruguay back on level terms just two minutes into the second half with a delightful goal, blasting a left-footed volley into the net from 20 metres after being found by a clever pass from Pablo Garcia.
His strike was the most spectacular of the tournament so far and left goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen helpless.
But the Uruguayans, who qualified last of the 32 World Cup finalists, generally struggled to create chances, with Sebastian Abreu and Alvaro Recoba well marshalled by the Denmark defence.
NIIGATA (Japan): Ireland battled to a 1-1 draw with Cameroon in their group E opener after a Matt Holland volley just after the break cancelled out Patrick Mboma’s first half effort in a tight match.
The Indomitable Lions enjoyed the better of the opening period and it was only a matter of time before they broke the deadlock.
Six minutes before the break, Samuel Eto’o created space on the right and poked the ball through to Mboma who calmly knocked it into the net to open the scoring.
Ireland only had to wait two minutes to draw level when midfielder Holland’s rasping 25-metre volley found the back of the net on 52 minutes.
In the closing stages of a thrilling second half, Ireland almost stole victory when Robbie Keane’s 20-metre right foot drive cannoned off the far post.
Ireland’s brave performance sent a powerful message to the absent Roy Keane, whose departure disrupted their preparations and threatened to scupper the team’s chances at the finals.
But they coped admirably without their combative midfielder, prompting their fans to sing “Are you watching Roy Keane?”
Cameroon’s dangerous duo of Eto’o and Mboma launched a series of assaults that Ireland’s defence did well to block.
Eto’o gave notice of his intentions when he bore down on goal after 17 minutes, but his shot was well blocked by goalkeeper Shay Given who dashed off his line to smother the danger.
Mboma was full of confidence and after putting Cameroon ahead he tried his luck with a speculative looping volley from 20 metres that flew narrowly over the bar.
The Irish raised the tempo in the second half and winger Kevin Kilbane’s glancing header was just wide.
Holland’s goal was just the boost the Irish needed and they were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty when a knockdown by defender Gary Breen looked to be handled by Rigobert Song before Alioum stopped the ball crossing the line.
Both teams reached the quarter-finals in Italy 12 years ago, and are eager to repeat that feat with Cameroon’s determined effort following Senegal’s upset victory in the opening match of the finals against world champions France on Friday.—Reuters
