German Streak on Line
The pressure on Germany has never been greater, and it shows. When Coach Rudi Voeller’s team arrived in Kiev, Ukraine, on Thursday night, the players were tight-lipped and uncommunicative.
In order to keep alive its record of never having failed to qualify for the World Cup, three-time world champion Germany has to defeat Ukraine in a two-game series that opens today in Kiev and concludes Wednesday in Dortmund, Germany.
The Germany-Ukraine series is one of a handful of two-legged playoffs that will produce five more teams for the May 31-June 30 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Also today, Ireland plays Iran in Dublin; Belgium hosts the Czech Republic in Brussels, Austria is at home against Turkey in Vienna, and Slovenia hosts Romania in Ljubljana.
The Turks, Romanians and Czechs are favored, but the Germany-Ukraine and Ireland-Iran series could go either way. The latter game has drawn the most interest worldwide.
For political reasons, Germany was not allowed to take part in the 1930 and 1950 tournaments, but otherwise has qualified for every World Cup. It’s a record the players want to preserve.
“I don’t want to belong to the team that didn’t manage to qualify for the World Cup,” midfielder Lars Ricken said.
Germany was forced into the playoffs after failing to win either of its final two qualifying games. It was demolished, 5-1, by England in Munich and held to a 0-0 tie by Finland in Helsinki.
Voeller, a World Cup winner as a player in 1990, is preaching calm. “No one denies there’s big pressure on all of us,” he said. “But the most important thing is not to let the fear of a possible failure overcome you. Our most important weapon is believing in ourselves, in our ability to beat Ukraine.”
The game should be a tense affair, matching German defense against Ukraine’s offense, led by high-profile striker Andriy Shevchenko.
“Don’t expect beautiful football,’ said Michael Skibbe, Germany’s assistant coach.
Franz Beckenbauer, who captained the German team that won the 1974 World Cup and coached the team that won in 1990, said the German players should not be totally defensive.
“They should be thinking about going forward, even in Kiev,” he told Kicker magazine. “They must play to win ... so that they come out with at least a draw.”
Shevchenko, who hopes to lead Ukraine to its first World Cup, is not overawed by Germany’s pedigree.
“If you’re afraid of the wolves, then don’t go into the woods,” he said.
“All of us feel the pressure every minute and tomorrow it will be even bigger,” Germany’s goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, said Friday.
The same is true in Dublin, where Ireland Coach Mick McCarthy knows his team has to get a good result to stand any chance entering the second leg in Iran.
“They are a good, attacking team who are very well organized,’ McCarthy said of the Iranians. “They’ve got players who like to play with the ball, that’s a strength of theirs.
“I’ve seen Iran play and they are a good team,” he told Agence France Presse. “Players like Ali Daei, Karim Bagheri and Ali Karimi could hold their own in most leagues in the world.”
Iran’s coach, Miroslav Blazevic, has called Ireland a team with no weakness but is optimistic.
“Anything can happen in a match like this and I’m making no predictions,” he said. “But if we lost 4-2, for example, we would still be in with a chance.”
Iran defeated Australia in a two-legged playoff to qualify for the 1998 World Cup, coming back from a 2-0 deficit in the second game in Melbourne to earn a tie.
Belgium, trying to qualify for its sixth consecutive World Cup, is beset by injuries.
“Of course it’s a handicap, but not enough for me to wake up sweating in the middle of the night,” Coach Robert Waseige told Reuters.
Not yet, maybe. After today’s first legs the real pressure will arrive.
Four of the decisive second legs will be played Wednesday, except for the Iran-Ireland match, which takes place in front of 100,000 or more Thursday in Tehran.
