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World Cup - Brazil 2014

Monday, 16 June 2014,

Germany
4
-
Full Time
Live
-
0
Portugal
  • Kickoff: 17:00 BST
  • Stadium: Arena Fonte Nova
  • Referee: -
  • Stadium: Arena Fonte Nova
  • Attendance: 51,081
  • 12' Thomas Müller - pen
  • 32' Mats Hummels
  • 46' Thomas Müller
  • 78' Thomas Müller
  • 37' Pepe Lima Ferreira

Germany

Half time

Full time

Portugal

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Germany v Portugal: 50-50 Challenge

Our expert bloggers will give their thoughts ahead of each game, so as Germany take on Portugal in Group G, Stephan Uersfeld (Germany) and Simon Curtis (Portugal) are your guides.

What's at stake?

Stephan Uersfeld: Germany and Portugal have met three times in the last two World Cups and two European Championships and Joachim Loew's team won all three of them. But it was at Euro 2000 when Germany lost 3-0 to Portugal to crash out of the competition, thus setting the path for important changes in the DFB. The current crop of players is the reward of that and they go into this fixture as slight favourites.

Both nations hope to avoid a defeat in the opening match at any cost, with the United States and Ghana both capable of upsetting the group favourites in the upcoming games. Low praised Portugal as the best counter-attacking side in the world, and has said that the Nationalmannschaft will storm out of the dressing rooms to change the course of the game.

Simon Curtis: As a World Cup group opener, there could hardly be more at stake. There are a number of sizzling opening games in the World Cup 2014 group stages -- England vs. Italy and Netherlands vs. Spain among them -- but Portugal vs. Germany pitches two countries together with realistic hopes of a place in the last four, neither of whom will be happy to start the tournament with a defeat.

Paulo Bento's men will be hoping to emulate their compatriots at Euro 2000, who managed a 3-0 win over a stuttering German side before going out to France in a never-to-be-forgotten semifinal. Either way, this is likely to be the most difficult group game for both contenders.

X factor

SU: Mario Goetze, though you will probably find him on the bench in the first half, as he is destined to be Loew's weapon in the second half. After a less-than-stellar Bundesliga season, Goetze appears to be in good shape ahead of the World Cup.

The 22-year old Bayern Munich attacker scored twice in the final warm-up against Armenia when he came off the bench and he has eliminated a certain wastefulness in front of the goal. While he might lack speed, he's a revelation on the ball and is one of the key players in Loew's squad.

SC: Who will start up front for Portugal? This has been a burning question for some time and indeed has been a problem position for the national side since Pauleta left the scene after the 2006 World Cup. Paulo Bento has tried Braga's Eder and Lazio's Helder Postiga, whose goal-scoring record for Portugal is less poor than people give him credit for, but neither have shone.

The fact that the giant Hugo Almeida not only scored a brace in the final warm-up against Republic of Ireland but also enjoyed five successful seasons in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen means he is likely to start and will be asked to continue where he left off against the Irish. If the rejuvenated Nani continues his pre-World Cup form, the service will be there for him.

Fear factor

SU: Cristiano Ronaldo. It's just too obvious. Germany indeed fear the Real Madrid forward more than any other player in the group stages.

Loew will play Bayern Munich centre back Jerome Boateng at right back to stop the Portuguese goal-scoring machine. But the Nationalmannschaft knows that Ronaldo will not be stopped by a single player. In the past, Germany have had problems stopping the passes in midfield and they will need to control the middle to ease the burden on the defence.

"He creeps into the dead angle, gets blind passes from his teammates. You are never allowed to lose sight on him. Whoever plays him must know where Ronaldo is, what he does all the time," Loew said. It will take a team effort to track the Real Madrid star, should he return to form following his ongoing knee problems.

SC: Where to start? The German side is packed with quality from goalkeeper right through to the front line, but 2010 World Cup top scorer Thomas Mueller is perhaps the best player in the Bundesliga right now and will be a real handful for Bento's defence. Bruno Alves and Pepe will have to be at their very best to keep the German attack out and Mueller's deceptive running off the front line will cause plenty of headaches.

Key battle

SU: Benedikt Howedes v Nani. While the focus might be on the other wing, the duel between makeshift left back Howedes and Nani could be as important as the Boateng v Ronaldo battle.

Following an unspectacular season at Manchester United, Nani returned to form in Portugal's recent friendlies and will face Schalke 04 captain Howedes, a learned centre back, who has played at right back before but is mostly untested on the other side of the pitch. Like with Ronaldo, Germany must prevent diagonal passes in midfield. While the most exciting battles might take place on the wing, Germany need to work defensively as a unit to stop Portugal.

SC: Ronaldo's battle with the somewhat statuesque German defence is likely to be crucial. His increasing good health after a number of days of worrying injury troubles means the Portuguese superstar will be ready to wreak havoc on any weaknesses on offer in the German rearguard. With the likes of Per Mertesacker and Boateng sure to be present, with the latter likely keeping tabs on Ronaldo's movements, there could well be rich pickings for the World Player of the Year.

Prediction

SU: Germany 2 Portugal 2. Germany hope for a good start and while a draw against Portugal will pave the way for a solid qualification from their group, critics in Germany will not be silenced. Ah, that defending.

SC: I agree with Stephan. If everyone plays as they did against the Republic of Ireland last weekend, Portugal will prove to be a proper handful for any opponent. With the Germans tipped to be there or thereabouts in a month's time, this is undoubtedly a big one for both sides. A thrilling, sweeping 2-2 draw that will set them both up for qualification awaits us.

91'+1

End Regular Time

91'+1

João Pereira (Portugal) Throw In at 92'

91'+1

Nani (Portugal) Throw In at 92'

91'+1

Attempt saved. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.

91'

Foul by Per Mertesacker (Germany).

89'

André Almeida (Portugal) Free Kick at 89'

89'

Offside, Germany. Sami Khedira tries a through ball, but André Schürrle is caught offside.

89'

Jérome Boateng (Germany) Free Kick at 89'

89'

Jerome Boateng (Germany) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

88'

André Almeida (Portugal) Throw In at 88'

86'

André Almeida (Portugal) Throw In at 86'

86'

Nani (Portugal) Throw In at 86'

85'

Attempt blocked. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

85'

Foul by Per Mertesacker (Germany).

83'

João Pereira (Portugal) Throw In at 83'

82'

Corner, Portugal. Conceded by Benedikt Höwedes.

82'

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) Corner Kick at 82'

82'

Attempt blocked. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

82'

Ricardo Costa (Portugal) Free Kick at 82'

82'

Substitution, Germany. Lukas Podolski replaces Thomas Müller.

81'

Foul by Jerome Boateng (Germany).

80'

João Pereira (Portugal) Throw In at 80'

79'

Shkodran Mustafi (Germany) Throw In at 79'

78'

4 - 0

Goal! Germany 4, Portugal 0. Thomas Müller (Germany) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal.

78'

Attempt blocked. Philipp Lahm (Germany) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Thomas Müller.

78'

Thomas Müller (Germany) Assists Shot at 78'

77'

Toni Kroos (Germany) Free Kick at 77'

76'

Foul by Bruno Alves (Portugal).

76'

Benedikt Höwedes (Germany) Throw In at 76'

75'

Attempt saved. Nani (Portugal) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Ricardo Costa.

75'

Ricardo Costa (Portugal) Assists Shot at 75'

75'

João Pereira (Portugal) Throw In at 75'

73'

Jérome Boateng (Germany) Throw In at 73'

73'

Substitution, Germany. Shkodran Mustafi replaces Mats Hummels.

71'

Jérome Boateng (Germany) Throw In at 71'

69'

Mario Götze (Germany) Corner Kick at 69'

69'

Attempt blocked. Mario Götze (Germany) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by André Schürrle with a through ball.

69'

André Schürrle (Germany) Assists Shot at 69'

68'

João Pereira (Portugal) Corner Kick at 68'

68'

Corner, Portugal. Conceded by Per Mertesacker.

68'

Toni Kroos (Germany) Blocked Pass at 68'

68'

Attempt blocked. Nani (Portugal) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by João Moutinho.

68'

João Moutinho (Portugal) Assists Shot at 68'

67'

Benedikt Höwedes (Germany) Throw In at 67'

66'

André Almeida (Portugal) Throw In at 66'

66'

André Almeida (Portugal) Blocked Pass at 66'

66'

Attempt blocked. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

65'

Ricardo Costa (Portugal) Free Kick at 65'

65'

Ricardo Costa (Portugal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

65'

Jérome Boateng (Germany) Throw In at 65'

65'

Substitution, Portugal. André Almeida replaces Fábio Coentrão because of an injury.

63'

João Pereira (Portugal) Throw In at 63'

63'

Substitution, Germany. André Schürrle replaces Mesut Özil.

62'

Benedikt Höwedes (Germany) Blocked Pass at 62'

60'

João Moutinho (Portugal) Corner Kick at 60'

60'

Corner, Portugal. Conceded by Benedikt Höwedes.

60'

João Pereira (Portugal) Throw In at 60'

60'

Attempt blocked. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

59'

Foul by Jerome Boateng (Germany).

58'

Nani (Portugal) Blocked Pass at 58'

57'

Benedikt Höwedes (Germany) Throw In at 57'

57'

Toni Kroos (Germany) Free Kick at 57'

57'

Mario Götze (Germany) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

55'

João Moutinho (Portugal) Free Kick at 55'

54'

Foul by Mats Hummels (Germany).

51'

Attempt missed. Thomas Müller (Germany) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.

51'

Attempt saved. Mesut Özil (Germany) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Mario Götze with a through ball.

51'

Mario Götze (Germany) Assists Shot at 51'

51'

Fábio Coentrão (Portugal) Throw In at 51'

49'

Benedikt Höwedes (Germany) Throw In at 49'

49'

Fábio Coentrão (Portugal) Throw In at 49'

48'

Rui Patricio (Portugal) Free Kick at 48'

48'

Offside, Germany. Philipp Lahm tries a through ball, but Benedikt Höwedes is caught offside.

47'

Jérome Boateng (Germany) Free Kick at 47'

47'

Sami Khedira (Germany) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

46'

João Pereira (Portugal) Throw In at 46'

46'

Start 2nd Half

46'

Substitution, Portugal. Ricardo Costa replaces Miguel Veloso.

46'+2

First Half ends, Germany 3, Portugal 0.

46'+1

Éder (Portugal) Corner Kick at 47'

46'+1

Corner, Portugal. Conceded by Benedikt Höwedes.

46'+1

Corner, Portugal. Conceded by Benedikt Höwedes.

46'+1

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) Corner Kick at 47'

46'

3 - 0

Goal! Germany 3, Portugal 0. Thomas Müller (Germany) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner.

42'

Attempt saved. Mario Götze (Germany) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Thomas Müller.

42'

Thomas Müller (Germany) Assists Shot at 42'

41'

Jérome Boateng (Germany) Free Kick at 41'

41'

Sami Khedira (Germany) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

40'

Attempt missed. Mario Götze (Germany) left footed shot from the left side of the box is too high following a corner.

40'

Corner, Germany. Conceded by Bruno Alves.

40'

Toni Kroos (Germany) Corner Kick at 40'

40'

Attempt blocked. Toni Kroos (Germany) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

37'

Pepe

37'

Thomas Müller (Germany) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

36'

Attempt missed. Eder (Portugal) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by João Moutinho with a cross following a corner.

36'

João Moutinho (Portugal) Assists Shot at 36'

35'

Fábio Coentrão (Portugal) Corner Kick at 35'

35'

Corner, Portugal. Conceded by Mats Hummels.

34'

Toni Kroos (Germany) Free Kick at 34'

34'

Mesut Özil (Germany) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

33'

Miguel Veloso (Portugal) Throw In at 33'

32'

2 - 0

Goal! Germany 2, Portugal 0. Mats Hummels (Germany) header from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Toni Kroos with a cross following a corner.

32'

Toni Kroos (Germany) Assists Shot at 32'

31'

Mario Götze (Germany) Corner Kick at 31'

31'

Corner, Germany. Conceded by João Pereira.

31'

Attempt blocked. Mario Götze (Germany) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Mesut Özil.

31'

Mesut Özil (Germany) Assists Shot at 31'

31'

João Pereira (Portugal) Throw In at 31'

30'

Philipp Lahm (Germany) Blocked Pass at 30'

30'

Toni Kroos (Germany) Free Kick at 30'

29'

Mario Götze (Germany) wins a free kick on the left wing.

29'

Benedikt Höwedes (Germany) Throw In at 29'

29'

Nani (Portugal) Blocked Pass at 29'

29'

Benedikt Höwedes (Germany) Throw In at 29'

28'

Jérome Boateng (Germany) Throw In at 28'

28'

Substitution, Portugal. Eder replaces Hugo Almeida because of an injury.

26'

Pepe (Portugal) Free Kick at 26'

26'

Pepe (Portugal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

25'

Attempt missed. Nani (Portugal) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Miguel Veloso.

25'

Miguel Veloso (Portugal) Assists Shot at 25'

23'

Jérome Boateng (Germany) Throw In at 23'

23'

Mats Hummels (Germany) Free Kick at 23'

22'

Philipp Lahm (Germany) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

20'

Mats Hummels (Germany) Blocked Pass at 20'

20'

Fábio Coentrão (Portugal) Throw In at 20'

19'

Sami Khedira (Germany) Free Kick at 19'

19'

Philipp Lahm (Germany) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

19'

Fábio Coentrão (Portugal) Throw In at 19'

17'

Jérome Boateng (Germany) Free Kick at 17'

17'

Jerome Boateng (Germany) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

16'

João Pereira (Portugal) Throw In at 16'

16'

Manuel Neuer (Germany) Free Kick at 16'

16'

Offside, Portugal. João Pereira tries a through ball, but Hugo Almeida is caught offside.

15'

Bruno Alves (Portugal) Blocked Pass at 15'

15'

Benedikt Höwedes (Germany) Throw In at 15'

14'

Attempt blocked. Miguel Veloso (Portugal) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by João Pereira.

14'

João Pereira (Portugal) Assists Shot at 14'

13'

Benedikt Höwedes (Germany) Blocked Pass at 13'

13'

João Pereira (Portugal) Throw In at 13'

12'

João Pereira (Portugal) Throw In at 12'

12'

1 - 0

Goal! Germany 1, Portugal 0. Thomas Müller (Germany) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.

11'

João Pereira

10'

Penalty conceded by João Pereira (Portugal) after a foul in the penalty area.

9'

Bruno Alves (Portugal) Free Kick at 9'

9'

João Moutinho (Portugal) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

9'

Fábio Coentrão (Portugal) Throw In at 9'

8'

Attempt missed. Sami Khedira (Germany) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.

8'

Attempt saved. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Miguel Veloso.

8'

Miguel Veloso (Portugal) Assists Shot at 8'

7'

Benedikt Höwedes (Germany) Throw In at 7'

6'

Attempt missed. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Fábio Coentrão.

6'

Fábio Coentrão (Portugal) Assists Shot at 6'

5'

Attempt saved. Hugo Almeida (Portugal) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Cristiano Ronaldo.

5'

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) Assists Shot at 5'

4'

Jérome Boateng (Germany) Throw In at 4'

3'

João Pereira (Portugal) Throw In at 3'

3'

Toni Kroos (Germany) Blocked Pass at 3'

2'

Corner, Germany. Conceded by Pepe.

2'

Benedikt Höwedes (Germany) Corner Kick at 2'

2'

Benedikt Höwedes (Germany) Throw In at 2'

1'

First Half begins.

Show all commentary

Possession

57%
43%
  • Germany
  • Portugal

Shots

13
13

Shots on target

6
4

Fouls

8
12

Corners

4
6

Yellow Cards

0
1

Red Cards

0
1

Head to Head

Germany4 - 0Portugal
Germany1 - 0Portugal
Portugal2 - 3Germany
Germany3 - 1Portugal

Germany

  • 1Manuel Neuer
  • 4Benedikt Höwedes
  • 20Jérome Boateng
  • 17Per Mertesacker
  • 5Mats Hummels
  • -> Shkodran Mustafi
  • 6Sami Khedira
  • 18Toni Kroos
  • 13Thomas Müller
  • -> Lukas Podolski
  • 16Philipp Lahm
  • 8Mesut Özil
  • -> André Schürrle
  • 19Mario Götze
  • Subs
  • 2Kevin Grosskreutz
  • 23Cristoph Kramer
  • 12Ron-Robert Zieler
  • 7Bastian Schweinsteiger
  • 15Erik Durm
  • 11Miroslav Klose
  • 14Julian Draxler
  • 3Matthias Ginter
  • 22Roman Weidenfeller

Portugal

  • 12Rui Patricio Patricio
  • 2Bruno Alves Regufe Alves
  • 3Pepe Lima Ferreira
  • 5Fábio Coentrão da Silva Coentrão
  • -> André Almeida
  • 21João Pereira
  • 16Raul Meireles
  • 8João Moutinho
  • 9Hugo Almeida
  • -> Éder Macedo Lopes
  • 4Miguel Veloso Veloso
  • -> Ricardo Costa Moreira da Costa
  • 17Nani
  • 7Cristiano Ronaldo
  • Subs
  • 14Luis Neto
  • 6William Carvalho
  • 15Rafa Ferreira da Silva
  • 20Rúben Amorim Amorim
  • 1Eduardo Dos Reis Carvalho
  • 10Vierinha Vieira de Freitas
  • 18Varela Gonçalves Varela
  • 23Hélder Postiga
  • 22Beto Bastos Pimparel

Germany crush Portugal

Germany made a perfect start to their World Cup campaign, as three goals from Thomas Muller saw them ease to a 4-0 victory over 10-man Portugal in their opening match in Group G.

The match started brightly, and Germany might have felt some frustration at failing to take a lead when Sami Khedira, receiving a poor clearance from Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio, missed the target with the goalmouth gaping.

Joachim Low's men had little cause to dwell on the miss, however, as moments later, Joao Pereira pulled down Mario Gotze in the area and Bayern Munich teammate Muller stepped up to convert the penalty.

The Germans were two ahead with a little over a half hour played: After Gotze had seen his shot deflected wide, Mats Hummels rose high to power the ensuing Toni Kroos corner into the back of the net.

Portugal's hopes of salvaging a result receded further in the minutes that followed when Pepe was dismissed for violent conduct, having thrown an arm at Muller before stooping to clash heads with his opponent. Germany then tightened their grip when Muller took advantage of a Bruno Alves error in defence to make it 3-0 just before the break.

Portugal's 10 men struggled to muster a response in the second half, as Cristiano Ronaldo, whose fitness had been cause for concern in the buildup to the game, was forced to play the full 90 minutes, with injuries to Hugo Almeida and Fabio Coentrao leading Paulo Bento to use all three substitutes by the 65th minute.

With a little over 15 minutes to play, Portugal saw a penalty appeal turned down when Eder went down in the area. All hope was extinguished soon afterward, as Muller was able to complete his hat trick with a simple finish after Andre Schurrle's effort was parried into his path.

Portugal face a real test now in a strong group with USA and Ghana, where goal difference is likely to prove crucial. To make matters worse, Coentrao's injury looked nasty.

Strangely, Portugal had dominated the opening exchanges, and Ronaldo inspired the first real chance of note as he played on Almeida, but the Portugal striker's effort was weak and easy for Manuel Neuer to claim.

Neuer then came to the rescue again as Ronaldo threatened once more. Miguel Veloso caught Philipp Lahm in possession and, with the Portuguese outnumbering the German defence, sent Ronaldo racing in on goal, but he hammered his shot straight at Neuer from a tight angle.

After that, however, and partly aided by some shocking defending, Germany assumed the early control.

Khedira had already missed a golden opportunity when Portugal keeper Patricio cleared the ball straight to his feet, and though he was 35 yards out, the Real Madrid midfielder should have done better with the empty goal beckoning.

That was a let-off for Portugal, but Germany were not to be denied.

Pereira pulled back Gotze as he twisted in the box, and the Portuguese defender was lucky to be only booked by Serbian referee Milorad Mazic. Muller did not look for a second as though he would miss the penalty, and he buried it emphatically to put the Germans ahead with 12 minutes gone.

Nani sent a shot skimming over the crossbar as Portugal tried to respond, but it was Germany who struck again.

Gotze had been denied by a last-ditch block after excellent work by Mesut Ozil. But from the corner -- taken by Kroos -- Hummels crashed home a header despite the attention of two defenders.

Eder headed over from a corner as Portugal tried desperately to get back into the game, but then came Pepe's moment of self-destruction.

Muller went down claiming that Pepe's arm had caught him in the face, but the Real Madrid defender's reaction was to push his head against the German forward's. It may have been the lightest of head-butts, but it was pure stupidity from Pepe, who was promptly given his marching orders.

Muller effectively ended any contest just before the break, firing in off Patricio's body as Portugal's defence gave way again.

Ozil was denied a one-on-one with the keeper, with Muller missing a hat trick chance with a header from the rebound.

Portugal had a penalty claim of their own turned down after Benedikt Howedes appeared to catch Eder as they challenged for the rebound from Nani's shot, before Germany finally wrapped it up.

Germany had made heavy weather of getting the fourth goal, Gotze in particular being wasteful, but finally Schurrle crossed low and Patricio merely palmed the ball to Muller to poke home from close range with 12 minutes left.

Ronaldo's influence was strictly limited -- only a blistering free kick right at the final whistle that was brilliantly saved by Neuer hinted at what might have been.

Information from the Press Association was used in this report.




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