United States 0
Germany 1
Mueller 55;
Thomas Mueller’s second-half goal saw Germany sail to a 1-0 victory over the United States in Group G yesterday, a result that saw both teams progress to the knock-out stage of the tournament.
Germany topped the group with seven points while the United States finished second on four.
The Germans dominated the game with Juergen Klinsmann’s team, with their backs against the wall, creating very few chances.
The breakthrough came after 55 minutes when Tim Howard parried out a Per Mertesacker header but Mueller collected the loose ball on the edge of the area and superbly side-footed into the bottom corner.
“For once I scored a beautiful goal. If I don’t watch out I’ll become a legend? OK, I won’t watch out,” Mueller said after being told he had outscored Diego Maradona in World Cups.
“We are ready for the knock-out stage. We keep working hard and we are full of team spirit.”
The game had been threatened by a torrential downpour in Recife yesterday morning but the rain that hampered the preparations of fans and players alike eased to a drizzle as kick-off approached.
Despite the fact that both sides only needed a draw to qualify there was no shortage of attacking intent in the lively opening exchanges, with Mueller going close early on from Lukas Podolski’s low cross. Both sides flew into challenges in the battle for supremacy in midfield, and US coach Klinsmann and his German counterpart Joachim Loew will be glad the referee didn’t wave the yellow card more often as they head for the knock-out stages.
Content to concede possession for long periods, the Americans put in a blue-collar defensive performance, breaking forward when the opportunity arose, but with their superior technique, the Germans were always a threat.
The Americans had several chances of their own but lacked the pace and guile necessary to worry Manuel Neuer.
“Everyone said we had no chance, but we took the chance and we move on and now we really want to prove a point,” Klinsmann said.
“The commitment was great, I wish we had more possession and created more chances but maybe we are saving that for the next one.
“It is huge, huge step and now we can’t wait for the round of 16.”
United States: 1-Tim Howard; 3-Omar Gonzalez, 23-Fabian Johnson, 5-Matt Besler, 7-DaMarcus Beasley; 15-Kyle Beckerman, 4-Michael Bradley, 13-Jermaine Jones, 19-Graham Zusi (84 2-DeAndre Yedlin), 14-Brad Davis (59 11-Alejandro Bedoya); 8-Clint Dempsey.
Germany: 1-Manuel Neuer; 20-Jerome Boateng, 5-Mats Hummels, 17-Per Mertesacker, 4-Benedikt Hoewedes; 7-Bastian Schweinsteiger (76 19-Mario Goetze), 16-Philip Lahm; 18-Toni Kroos, 8-Mesut Ozil (89 9-Andre Schuerrle), 10-Lukas Podolski (46 11-Miroslav Klose); 13-Thomas Mueller.
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan).