:00:56. > :00:59.Good evening. England are out, the world and European champions are
:01:00. > :01:26.out, but Germany are 100 not out. Six minutes before the end and it
:01:27. > :01:36.gave the World Cup to Germany. A goal. England really now under
:01:37. > :01:54.terrible pressure. A goal. Muller, 2-1. Schumacher came out.
:01:55. > :02:08.Is that the goal that brings the World Cup? Michael Balan might have
:02:09. > :02:09.put Germany into the World Cup final.
:02:10. > :02:32.It's 3-0. Muller is there. Yes the Germans have played more
:02:33. > :02:37.World Cup matches than any other nation. Mind you, they haven't won
:02:38. > :02:47.it for 24 years. They've started well here, though and arriving at
:02:48. > :02:57.Fortaleza with confidence. Kevin Prince Boateng starts against his
:02:58. > :03:01.half-brother Jerome. And the Ghana team are in good voice.
:03:02. > :03:03.Great stuff. Let's remind ourselves of how things
:03:04. > :03:18.stand in Group G. Here with us Alan Hansen, Thierry
:03:19. > :03:25.Henry and Clarence Seedorf. Germany started well. They tend to score
:03:26. > :03:29.four goals in their first game which makes life simpler. They're a really
:03:30. > :03:30.good team. They haven't won for 24 years but I don't think there
:03:31. > :03:34.good team. They haven't won for 24 years but I don't think is a team in
:03:35. > :03:37.this competition yet that we can definitively say they're going to
:03:38. > :03:41.win it but the Germans have a great chance. They seem to have a good
:03:42. > :03:46.bunch of players at present. They've got this interesting movement to
:03:47. > :03:50.their system. Well, it is, they've been playing with each other for a
:03:51. > :04:01.long time, take that into consideration. Also Lahm in back of
:04:02. > :04:04.the back four. When you have Ozil in the middle, and Muller in the box
:04:05. > :04:09.that can score at any time, that's what happens. A big test for Ghana,
:04:10. > :04:14.Clarence. A big test. A friend of mine said about the Germans, they're
:04:15. > :04:20.efficient and effective. And that's really, really strong and they came
:04:21. > :04:24.in and they showed it again. Ghana had a good second half and I am
:04:25. > :04:29.happy that boat is starting because he just gave exactly what they
:04:30. > :04:33.needed -- Boateng. We have seen most of the teams once or twice, the
:04:34. > :04:36.betting is quite interesting now, because Germany who were third or
:04:37. > :04:41.fourth favourites have gradually drifted up in people's expectations.
:04:42. > :04:44.I think they're now joint second favourite with Argentina.
:04:45. > :04:48.Considering the way Brazil and Argentina have stuttered at the
:04:49. > :04:55.start, the Germans have been the most impressive. France. They've no
:04:56. > :05:02.chance, the French! More chance than England, that's for sure. Brazil
:05:03. > :05:09.have been relatively ordinary the two matches. Argentina today, Messi
:05:10. > :05:12.scores a wonderful goal. For the first 90 minutes Iran probably had
:05:13. > :05:19.better of the chances. They were no great shakes either. I think the
:05:20. > :05:25.team we were expecting to perform ap open taerm performed -- only taerm
:05:26. > :05:31.performed is Germany. And France. Expecting it. I was. I will give you
:05:32. > :05:35.that one. Jason has caught up with a few fans outside the ground in
:05:36. > :05:39.Fortaleza. A fantastic atmosphere here, 15,000
:05:40. > :05:43.Germany fans have made the trip to this wonderful city. Is this the
:05:44. > :05:48.year that Germany wins the World Cup? Of course. This will be the
:05:49. > :05:51.year Germany will win. 100% sure. This afternoon we will beat, sorry
:05:52. > :05:56.to say again, we will beat this afternoon let's say Ghana. We will
:05:57. > :06:00.guess 3-0. What makes you confident about winning the tournament? Our
:06:01. > :06:06.team this year is playing a fantastic role, I think. We started
:06:07. > :06:11.very well on Monday afternoon. Playing against famous Ronaldo team.
:06:12. > :06:17.But we have to say 4-0. The Ghana fans disagree. Of course I disagree.
:06:18. > :06:22.We are the best in Africa, the best in the world, consistent from
:06:23. > :06:26.Germany 2006, to South Africa 2010 and here in Brazil, we make sure
:06:27. > :06:31.that we beat Germany. They are saying that with their big mouth
:06:32. > :06:37.that no African team will beat them. There is always a first time. We are
:06:38. > :06:45.Ghana, we are from Africa. I am confused, I don't know who's going
:06:46. > :06:51.to win. We are with you mate.
:06:52. > :06:55.The Wolf of Ghana. More on tonight's game in a moment, first the latest
:06:56. > :07:02.from the England camp with Gabby. I bet it's a bundle of laughs there.
:07:03. > :07:06.Yeah, nothing like Fortaleza right now as you would expect although
:07:07. > :07:10.they're out but determined not to appear too down, the England
:07:11. > :07:13.players, both at the hotel here and at training this morning there was
:07:14. > :07:17.an air of trying to keep their heads up. Fans came to the hotel this
:07:18. > :07:20.morning and players stood and signed autographs and posed for
:07:21. > :07:25.photographs. At training it was intense as anything we have seen so
:07:26. > :07:28.far. The mood was obviously a certain amount of defiance, they're
:07:29. > :07:33.determined to go to the last game and get something from it. Even if
:07:34. > :07:36.it's for pride, there may be a couple of players who never appear
:07:37. > :07:38.in an England shirt again. I don't know if you can read too much into
:07:39. > :07:41.the training session but it was interesting 15 players were involved
:07:42. > :07:54.in this drill and off to one side not involved were the fullbacks and
:07:55. > :07:58.Steven Gerrard, and Alex Chamberlain. Maybe Roy is getting to
:07:59. > :08:02.ring the changes considerably. As for the press conference, Joe Hart
:08:03. > :08:07.and Wayne Rooney were put up for that, as you would expect there was
:08:08. > :08:10.an air of contrition and an acknowledgement the next few days
:08:11. > :08:17.will be tough. Obviously we are hurting. Really disappointed to be
:08:18. > :08:21.out of the tournament. I am sure you can imagine it's quite tough, a long
:08:22. > :08:26.few days for us now. We have to try and pick ourselves up for this game
:08:27. > :08:31.on Tuesday. We would like to thank them for their support, it meant
:08:32. > :08:35.everything to us. We obviously can only apologise that we are not going
:08:36. > :08:38.to take this country further in the tournament but I think the message
:08:39. > :08:42.is also that we have left nothing out there on the field. We have give
:08:43. > :08:47.everything in this tournament and just not quite been up to it when
:08:48. > :08:51.required. I am never one to pull out of
:08:52. > :08:57.squads, I always turn up and play for England when I am called upon
:08:58. > :09:02.and you know, I have no desire whatsoever to stop doing that unless
:09:03. > :09:05.I am told to, I will play for England until I am not selected.
:09:06. > :09:14.Steven is a fantastic player, fantastic leader. He has been for
:09:15. > :09:20.many years. We respect him 100%. He is a great leader for us. Roy is the
:09:21. > :09:25.man to take us forward. In my opinion, he's changed the way we
:09:26. > :09:28.play over the last couple of years and you can see the progression and
:09:29. > :09:33.the results have been disappointing in the last two games, but as a team
:09:34. > :09:37.we can feel we are getting better and I feel with the young lads in
:09:38. > :09:42.the squad this will help them and hopefully in the future this will
:09:43. > :09:46.make us a better team. So in a way it was a press
:09:47. > :09:49.conference that threw up more questions than answers. If the team
:09:50. > :09:52.were prepared better than ever, if they have faith in Roy going
:09:53. > :09:55.forward, if they gave everything they had and left nothing on that
:09:56. > :10:00.pitch, then what's going to change in the next two years to make sure
:10:01. > :10:03.we are not having the same conversations in Euro 2016, if
:10:04. > :10:17.indeed they qualify? Thank you very much, Gabby. Let's
:10:18. > :10:23.head back to Fort -- Fortaleza. Thank you very much. After the
:10:24. > :10:29.madness of the Mexican fans here in their match against Brazil, Germany
:10:30. > :10:32.and Ghana fans now provide the Fortaleza fever. We have been
:10:33. > :10:36.enjoying the atmosphere. The fans look magnificent. As to matters on
:10:37. > :10:40.the pitch, the Germany coach has been urging his side against
:10:41. > :10:44.complacency. They're too experienced and talented to get carried away. I
:10:45. > :10:48.agree. The age of the squad and the team is quite low, not many, I think
:10:49. > :10:54.Lahm is the oldest at 30, but they've lots of caps and experience.
:10:55. > :11:00.A lot of these players have been playing in games week in, week out.
:11:01. > :11:03.Around Brazil and talk to football pundits and ex-players, they think
:11:04. > :11:07.that Germany can challenge Brazil and Argentina to win this tournament
:11:08. > :11:12.outright. I agree. They always turn up at a big tournament. They've
:11:13. > :11:16.superb players, great temperament. The first game against Portugal was
:11:17. > :11:20.evidence of that. They kept a calm head when people were talking about
:11:21. > :11:26.it being a big game. Belgium will be good, I like the look of them,
:11:27. > :11:31.interesting to see how they evolve. Germany will be there or
:11:32. > :11:35.thereabouts. What about conditions, it's baking here today? I have
:11:36. > :11:41.travelled around, I went for a walk this morning and it was 31C. Some
:11:42. > :11:45.people are saying that will play to Ghana's hands. I think the German
:11:46. > :11:49.players with a bigger game experience will keep the ball better
:11:50. > :11:55.and get the Ghana team running around. It could have a detrimental
:11:56. > :12:00.effect on Ghana. They simply cannot lose this match. They can't and
:12:01. > :12:10.watching them against United States of America they lacked creativity.
:12:11. > :12:15.They struggled to open them up. Atsu was good on the wing. They've
:12:16. > :12:21.brought Boateng into play, he gave them something extra. I played with
:12:22. > :12:25.him at Tottenham, he has good dribbling skwils. - skills. I am
:12:26. > :12:29.pleased to see him start today. Thank you very much. Enjoy it and
:12:30. > :12:37.Gary, one other final point, Germany have actually built their own luxury
:12:38. > :12:41.training complex here, about 1,000 miles from Fortaleza. How is that
:12:42. > :12:44.for German efficiency? They probably knew they'd last more
:12:45. > :12:48.than two games! It's a disappointing tournament for the five African
:12:49. > :12:52.nations taking part with the Ivory Coast providing a win in seven
:12:53. > :12:55.games. Ghana were a penalty kick away from reaching the semifinals
:12:56. > :13:05.four years ago. Can they provide a shock tonight?
:13:06. > :13:12.A chance for Dempsey Group G looked one of the tournament's toughest
:13:13. > :13:16.before it began. For Ghana it's now even trickier thanks to a first game
:13:17. > :13:24.defeat to the USA. We had a good game. Unfortunately, we lost to
:13:25. > :13:29.them. Looking at the positive we did very well. If we move the first five
:13:30. > :13:33.minutes and last five minutes it will be a perfect game. But football
:13:34. > :13:39.is 90 minutes and every minute is important. We are disappointed
:13:40. > :13:48.because we know we could have won and should have won. If we lose this
:13:49. > :13:53.game we have no chance. So we want to qualify to the next stage so this
:13:54. > :13:56.game is very important for us. That match puts the Black Stars
:13:57. > :14:01.against the small matter of a Germany side fresh from beating
:14:02. > :14:08.Portugal 4-0. At least Ghana should know what to expect. They faced this
:14:09. > :14:13.side four years ago. It's definitely an interesting game. Even in South
:14:14. > :14:19.Africa we were like one of the teams who could really hurt the Germans.
:14:20. > :14:25.Hope we can prove it again. They won the first game convincingly. Germany
:14:26. > :14:30.are ready. I think even to go to the final. Today may be a battle of
:14:31. > :14:36.half-brothers, Kevin Prince Boateng could line up against Jerome. Both
:14:37. > :14:43.were born in Berlin and Kevin Prince played 41 times for Germany youth
:14:44. > :14:47.teams before switching allegiance to Ghana. It's always strange, of
:14:48. > :14:52.course. It's like your brother, your flesh and blood. But we are
:14:53. > :14:54.professional enough to know that at this moment we are not brothers, we
:14:55. > :15:02.are opponents. Should have won the first game. We
:15:03. > :15:06.didn't. We have to do everything to come out of this situation. It is as
:15:07. > :15:10.simple as that. If we don't go through, we didn't deserve to go
:15:11. > :15:15.through. We have, like, the perfect mix between young and old players,
:15:16. > :15:18.experienced players. I believe in the Black Stars.
:15:19. > :15:47.GARY LINEKER: This is how they line-up tonight.
:15:48. > :15:55.One thing they will need is a better start than they got in the first
:15:56. > :16:02.game against America. It is like a training exercise. It comes from a
:16:03. > :16:06.throw-in. And you watch the Ghana team - they go in nearly a circle.
:16:07. > :16:09.It is like a training exercise where you have somebody from the
:16:10. > :16:10.opposition going in the middle and that is Dempsey. He goes into the
:16:11. > :16:19.middle. Picks the ball up. He does really well. The play here
:16:20. > :16:30.is excellent. The defending is non-existent. It's a great goal.
:16:31. > :16:34.They got off to a torrid start. You have Brooks, nobody is blocking him.
:16:35. > :16:45.He makes a run. You have to do better than that. The warning signs
:16:46. > :16:50.are there because where he heads it into the back of the net, it is
:16:51. > :16:55.virtually the same position again. I feel, four years ago, they had a lot
:16:56. > :17:03.more pace about them than they did against the USA. There was some
:17:04. > :17:08.nice, intricate play. At times, they flattered? Absolutely. They had some
:17:09. > :17:13.good speed, especially in the second half. First half, this was the only
:17:14. > :17:19.player that was giving something extra, but not really efficient.
:17:20. > :17:25.Falling down like that is not really nice to see. The right side was the
:17:26. > :17:37.most dangerous side in the first half. This player, he was the only
:17:38. > :17:44.one creating something, trying to make things happen. You know, poor
:17:45. > :17:51.crosses, poor finishes. Second half, actually, this is where they started
:17:52. > :17:55.to be more aggressive on the half of the United States. Boateng changed
:17:56. > :18:00.that. Great play here. He was playing between the lines, giving
:18:01. > :18:06.them some more options. At the end, they had that little... It is a game
:18:07. > :18:10.we watched, Thierry. They have given themselves a lot to do? You can't
:18:11. > :18:15.concede a goal at the beginning of the game like that. If you do the
:18:16. > :18:21.same against Germany, you won't come back. I think Boateng will be the
:18:22. > :18:31.key today playing against his brother. It will be a family thing.
:18:32. > :18:36.They have to do better. Overall, if they don't talk, lack of
:18:37. > :18:40.concentration against the Germans, you will pay. The start is all
:18:41. > :18:45.important. They have to be solid early on. They have to do better
:18:46. > :18:47.than they did last time. Jason's friend has made it into the ground.
:18:48. > :18:57.Here he is. The star of the World Cup so far!
:18:58. > :18:59.Let's hope he has something to cheer about later. The German line-up is
:19:00. > :19:28.formidable: They have no recognised striker
:19:29. > :19:33.again, but who needs one with Thomas Muller playing the number 9 role to
:19:34. > :19:37.perfection! Thomas Muller has scored seven goals in his last four World
:19:38. > :19:51.Cup matches and he's almost as lethal as his namesake.
:19:52. > :20:00.Gom gom and Muller has sealed it! -- COMMENTARY:
:20:01. > :20:10.And Muller has sealed it! Muller again. 3-0. And again. Power! Muller
:20:11. > :20:19.scores. Number 13 has done it again. Muller is there. What a goal zwRsmt
:20:20. > :20:21.it's a hat-trick. -- what a goal! It's a hat-trick. It is his eighth
:20:22. > :20:33.World Cup goal. Gerd Muller was unbelievable. I grew
:20:34. > :20:38.up watching him play. You two probably are way too young to have
:20:39. > :20:49.seen too much of him. We saw some tapes. Some tapes, but he has the
:20:50. > :20:58.name to start with! And the number. Exactly. Pep Guardiola started to do
:20:59. > :21:02.that at Barcelona with us. He changed the attitude of Thomas
:21:03. > :21:05.Muller at Bayern Munich. Now, you can see him impressing in that
:21:06. > :21:16.position. He is always in the box. If there is a ball that is bouncing,
:21:17. > :21:19.he is always going to get it. He has the quality some time to dummy
:21:20. > :21:26.people. He doesn't only score goals. I thought he was going to shoot
:21:27. > :21:32.there. We have a touch map here and he was playing predominantly on the
:21:33. > :21:38.right. As we see against England, he scores a goal against England. It is
:21:39. > :21:43.a fantastic run. England are all over here. You see on the right-hand
:21:44. > :21:51.side, great support, great run, comes in and scores. Get Great
:21:52. > :22:04.desire. The touch map, he is all over the place.
:22:05. > :22:13.THIERRY HENRY: Look at the goal. That is just being there, an
:22:14. > :22:19.awareness. GARY LINEKER: Can I ask you your
:22:20. > :22:25.thoughts on this fake 9, false 9. What are the positives and the
:22:26. > :22:30.negatives? When it works, it is positive! When it doesn't work, you
:22:31. > :22:34.are like, "Why is he not in the box?" You like that analysis?
:22:35. > :22:49.ALAN HANSEN: Brilliant(!) He already has three goals in the
:22:50. > :22:53.competition, after the first game. He does his job, right. If you have
:22:54. > :22:56.someone like Muller who likes to get in the box, playing in that
:22:57. > :23:01.position, it covers both sides. If you have a player that plays that
:23:02. > :23:05.false 9 that doesn't get in the box... From a defender's
:23:06. > :23:10.perspective, you want to have somebody to pick up. It is so much
:23:11. > :23:16.easier if he is THERE. It makes defenders think.
:23:17. > :23:21.CLARENCE SEEDORF: It is quite a modern way to use the strikers. It
:23:22. > :23:25.is a lack of having a proper number 9. They have Klose on the bench but
:23:26. > :23:30.he is getting on a bit. ALAN HANSEN: You have to be good to
:23:31. > :23:36.make it work. THIERRY HENRY: Having Ozil around
:23:37. > :23:44.helps a lot. GARY LINEKER: Germany versus Ghana
:23:45. > :23:47.in Group G with Guy Mowbray and Danny Murphy.
:23:48. > :23:57.GUY MOWBRAY: Welcome to the sweltering heat of Brazil's
:23:58. > :24:05.north-east. Nearly 4.00pm, 29 degrees. A lot like home! This is
:24:06. > :24:08.going to be warm work for the players. The stadium is designed to
:24:09. > :24:24.reflect the heat from outside. We start with the song of the
:24:25. > :24:30.Germans. # Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
:24:31. > :24:44.Fur das deutsche Vaterland # Danach lasst uns alle streben
:24:45. > :24:51.Bruderlich mit Herz und Hand # Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
:24:52. > :25:04.Sind des Gluckes Unterpfand # Bluh' im Glanze dieses Gluckes
:25:05. > :25:30.Bluhe, deutsches Vaterland. # # And make our nation great
:25:31. > :26:09.and strong # Bold to defend forever
:26:10. > :26:15.The cause of Freedom and of Right # Fill our hearts with true humility
:26:16. > :26:20.Make us cherish fearless honesty # And help us to resist
:26:21. > :26:24.oppressors' rule # With all our will and might
:26:25. > :26:28.evermore Hail to thy name, O Ghana # A nation strong in Unity
:26:29. > :26:36.With our gifts of mind and strength # Of arm Can I ask you your
:26:37. > :26:56.thoughts on this fake 9, false 9. GUY MOWBRAY: The crowd advantage is
:26:57. > :27:01.with Germany. A good number of those who have travelled to Brazil are in
:27:02. > :27:07.Fortaleza. You know it is hot when you see German supporters sipping
:27:08. > :27:11.water rather than a good beer! They don't have seasons in Fortaleza,
:27:12. > :27:22.just days when the sunburns marginally brighter than others.
:27:23. > :27:29.Germany are unchanged from their 4-0 win over Portugal and that means
:27:30. > :27:34.Mats Hummels has been passed fit from a thigh injury picked up in
:27:35. > :27:38.that game. His defensive partner, Per Mertesacker, becomes the 13th
:27:39. > :27:42.player to reach 100 German appearances. Thomas Muller begins
:27:43. > :27:45.his second half-century of games. He's scored 20 goals, eight in the
:27:46. > :27:57.World Cup, seven in his last four matches.
:27:58. > :28:09.The referee and his assistants are from Brazil. He was the first ref to
:28:10. > :28:21.award a World Cup goal after the use of goal line technology. He also
:28:22. > :28:25.sent off Palacios in that match. Changes were expected to the Ghana
:28:26. > :28:35.team. There are three of them. In goal, Fatau Dauda's physicality has
:28:36. > :28:42.earnt him a starting place. Harrison Afful takes over at right back and
:28:43. > :28:45.there's a place for Kevin-Prince Boateng, all set to go head-to-head
:28:46. > :29:13.with his half-brother, Jerome. Just as familiar to the Germany
:29:14. > :29:16.players as his own team-mates. Jerome Boateng is one of six Bayern
:29:17. > :29:23.Munich players in the Germany starting line-up. Kevin-Prince
:29:24. > :29:27.Boateng of Ghana, plays in the Bundesliga with Schalke.
:29:28. > :29:33.A glance at the coaches. Germany's start to the World Cup gave no
:29:34. > :29:35.reason for their coach to be low. Ghana's could certainly have been
:29:36. > :29:48.happier. Germany in all white, Ghana in the
:29:49. > :30:00.red. Nothing to be decided for sure in this group today.
:30:01. > :30:07.certainly see them eliminated. The other game in the group sees the USA
:30:08. > :30:13.play Portugal tomorrow. Danny Murphy is alongside me to enjoy what we are
:30:14. > :30:19.about to witness. Danny, the Germans are hot favourites. We have seen a
:30:20. > :30:23.few upsets already. That's true. Interesting to see how Ghana set up,
:30:24. > :30:27.whether they're going to try to press the ball early, win it back
:30:28. > :30:31.early or pace themselves and build into the game. I would suggest the
:30:32. > :30:35.latter with the conditions. Really pleased to see Kevin-Prince Boateng
:30:36. > :30:38.play and I know a lot about him. He certainly has the capabilities of
:30:39. > :30:50.opening up the German defence. They have to get the ball first.
:30:51. > :30:56.Hummels got the other goal against Portugal to complement the
:30:57. > :31:18.hat-trick. That will be a Ghana goal kick.
:31:19. > :31:20.Ghana having already done better from the start than against the
:31:21. > :31:35.United States on Monday. Interesting that they changed the
:31:36. > :31:42.goalkeeper. I find that strange actually. Obviously he sees
:31:43. > :31:46.something in this keeper he thinks might be relevant to play against
:31:47. > :31:47.the Germans, I think that's a strange decision unless there is an
:31:48. > :32:28.injury we don't know about. Khedira lost it and fouled his man.
:32:29. > :32:47.Big late there from Khedira. Nothing too serious.
:32:48. > :32:53.That's a Germany free kick. Muntari I think that was with the delivery,
:32:54. > :32:58.he struggled with set-play the whole game against America. I think it was
:32:59. > :33:02.Robbie Savage who commented on it and he was right, good delivery is
:33:03. > :33:03.important. You are not going too get too many chances and that was poor
:33:04. > :33:41.again. Not unexpected the game is being
:33:42. > :33:50.played at a slow pace early on. Maybe Germany can change that now.
:33:51. > :33:58.It was a good move. The Ghana back four got to be careful not to be too
:33:59. > :34:32.high against quality opposition when they're pressing.
:34:33. > :34:40.You mentioned how young the Germany squad is and yet for all that it has
:34:41. > :34:45.loads of experience. 137 caps between them the first three alone.
:34:46. > :34:48.It's remarkable really when you look and think there is experience but
:34:49. > :34:51.they're all young and have many years ahead of them. It's scary for
:34:52. > :35:11.the rest of Europe really! The Belgians will be strong too.
:35:12. > :35:32.They've quality players. Most of the noise is coming from the
:35:33. > :35:37.Germany supporters. About ten minutes before the game it was
:35:38. > :35:43.almost like being at Bayern Munich for a match.
:35:44. > :35:49.It's good pressing from Germany. Three times they've forced Ghana to
:35:50. > :35:53.kick it long and won it back. They've got to keep the ball better,
:35:54. > :36:04.otherwise it's going to be a long afternoon for them.
:36:05. > :36:10.Asamoah is an attacking left-back. Didn't take a chance too often in
:36:11. > :36:32.game one. Promising, promising from Ghana!
:36:33. > :36:39.It's a great ball from Muntari. This is the guy who played, probably
:36:40. > :36:47.their best player for 60 minutes against the USA, Atsu, the first
:36:48. > :36:54.threat from Ghana. It was encouraging. Atsu is the danger
:36:55. > :36:58.again it looks like. He is the player who Chelsea signed from FC
:36:59. > :37:21.Porto at the end of last summer. The game the other day, Atsu was
:37:22. > :37:25.really good up until the last third. That was his first attempt at a
:37:26. > :38:09.cross, he tried to pick his man out, that was much better from him.
:38:10. > :38:12.The German media are confident about their side making it two wins out of
:38:13. > :38:22.two. That was easily dealt with.
:38:23. > :38:55.Comfortable for Dauda. Muller seems to be an obvious player
:38:56. > :39:01.to get on the rightback when he can, maybe he is a bit smaller. Let's see
:39:02. > :39:05.if he keeps doing that when the ball is on the right side. A Ghana free
:39:06. > :39:43.kick this time. Ozil coming in off the right to try
:39:44. > :40:10.to penetrate. Keeper did well. They've got to keep the ball for
:40:11. > :40:13.longer, even if it's not progressive because it gives everybody a
:40:14. > :40:17.breather. Find your way into the game. You don't want to spend the
:40:18. > :40:32.game chasing the ball. It's a warm day.
:40:33. > :40:42.Might be a chance here. That was forced forced wider than he
:40:43. > :41:12.wanted it to be. Nobody there for that. Perhaps a
:41:13. > :41:19.chance for Boateng. In with Khedira. Ball through to Neuer.
:41:20. > :41:21.We are livening up. Good chance for Kroos. Nice little bit of awareness
:41:22. > :41:30.from Muller. Lahm's got on the ball a couple of
:41:31. > :41:35.times the last few minutes. Interesting to see if Kevin-Prince
:41:36. > :41:39.Boateng will stay high up. If he does stay high up Lahm is going to
:41:40. > :42:02.start dictating a lot more. Got has seen plenty of the ball for
:42:03. > :42:06.Germany off the left side. We talked about Thomas Muller as the man in
:42:07. > :42:12.the middle, if you like, but they do interchange a little bit. They do.
:42:13. > :42:18.He does play high up there and link-up play is good. Looks a good
:42:19. > :42:27.number 9 to me, I wouldn't call him false.
:42:28. > :42:34.Neuer has beaten that away. Ghana don't lack confidence, that's for
:42:35. > :42:41.sure. The dangerman again, a sweet left foot. He is causing problems
:42:42. > :42:43.already. Not a difficult save from Neuer, but still a good effort from
:42:44. > :42:59.the young lad. Atsu has already marked himself out
:43:00. > :43:07.as the player to watch. Germany know all about Kevin-Prince Boateng,
:43:08. > :43:46.they'll know about him too. It's a good attack but a poor final
:43:47. > :43:55.ball again. Great position from Ayew. He doesn't pick out anybody.
:43:56. > :44:00.Nor does Asamoah with that one. Before this there was a lovely touch
:44:01. > :44:07.from Gyan. Maybe he is trying to pick him out. This is the Atsu
:44:08. > :44:10.chance. A good strike. That's two bits of end product we have seen
:44:11. > :45:13.from Atsu. He seems to have learned his lesson from the other night.
:45:14. > :45:20.GUY MOWBRAY: Mesut Ozil got the only goal of the game when these two
:45:21. > :45:39.sides last met. Out for a Ghana throw. Out by the
:45:40. > :45:54.boot of Mario Gotze. Not just travelling German
:45:55. > :46:03.supporters, but plenty native in Brazil, too.
:46:04. > :46:12.DANNY MURPHY: I bumped into two English guys who had German shirts
:46:13. > :46:24.on. I found that somewhat disturbing.
:46:25. > :46:45.You can see the solid shape of the Ghanaian resistance there.
:46:46. > :46:51.What the Ghana players are doing is they are working really hard to keep
:46:52. > :46:55.a good shape. Germany won't mind this because, as the game goes on,
:46:56. > :47:10.that becomes more tiring. Hummels. Given it away.
:47:11. > :47:27.Muntari just had a look over his shoulder, realised Muller was
:47:28. > :47:53.coming. Kroos has it. Ozil. Khedira. Not the
:47:54. > :47:57.cleanest of shots, all along the ground into Dauda's grasp. It is a
:47:58. > :48:01.good break. Again, it is another turnover. That is where the chances
:48:02. > :48:04.are coming from. I think Ozil plays the wrong pass. He could have played
:48:05. > :48:10.one with the outside of his left foot to the back stick but he chose
:48:11. > :48:19.to set one back. A poor effort from Khedira, not his forte, goalscoring.
:48:20. > :48:20.He has been out for quite a while. Khedira's wide now. Ozil runs
:48:21. > :48:47.inside. And on to the return. That's what Ghana did pretty well
:48:48. > :49:08.until the last ball, down the right, against the USA.
:49:09. > :49:18.I'm sure Kevin-Prince Boateng will hit a better one than that before
:49:19. > :49:24.his work is done today. He'll hope so. He has a wonderful strike on
:49:25. > :49:29.him. That was a tad adventurous, but better position from Ghana. A bit
:49:30. > :49:32.more patient. Gyan's movement is really good. He is dropping into
:49:33. > :49:37.these pockets and keeping the ball when he gets it. But they have to
:49:38. > :49:40.keep getting him the ball. He is the head of their attack and he will be
:49:41. > :49:45.the one that sets them up in the attacks. Offside. That will be a
:49:46. > :49:50.Ghana free-kick. Muller was lurking behind the defensive line.
:49:51. > :49:59.I think it is worth pointing out that the heat, even sitting down
:50:00. > :50:03.watching this, I haven't experienced this before. For those players down
:50:04. > :50:09.there, it will be difficult. So far, they have done really well. The game
:50:10. > :50:11.is getting better as the game goes on. It does feel hotter than the
:50:12. > :50:19.gauge is telling us. Muntari to Ayew. Mertesacker steps
:50:20. > :50:30.in front of Gyan. Muller is in the middle. Muller went
:50:31. > :50:37.sliding in. Could only slide it behind. You are right, he looks like
:50:38. > :50:44.a proper centre forward. He is always in the six-yard box. It's a
:50:45. > :50:51.great pick-up from Ozil. He scores so many of his goals from around the
:50:52. > :50:58.six-yard box. He gets a bit unlucky. It comes off him for the goal kick.
:50:59. > :51:04.That was a nice line from Joachim Low. He simply said, "Muller is
:51:05. > :51:09.unpredictable. He only has one aim - how to score a goal." He is a clever
:51:10. > :51:13.footballer. I really like him. Not the most athletic in the world, but
:51:14. > :51:15.he is a very clever player, hence the fact he can play in all the
:51:16. > :51:27.different positions. Eight goals at World Cups, level
:51:28. > :51:39.with Maradona, Rudi Voeller, a few to go to catch Gerd Muller, Miroslav
:51:40. > :51:46.Klose and Ronaldo, but he has the years ahead to do it. You are right.
:51:47. > :51:49.He scored 26 for Munich this season in 51 games. That is a superb
:51:50. > :51:54.record, considering he doesn't always play in the striking role. A
:51:55. > :51:56.few of those were against Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal
:51:57. > :52:06.in the Champions League. Neuer being forced to hurry up by
:52:07. > :52:23.Gyan. There is a nice interchange of
:52:24. > :52:25.midfield positions going on. Good players rotate positions to get
:52:26. > :52:31.possession and Ghana struggle with that. Muller. Hooked away. At the
:52:32. > :52:50.risk of dangerous play. Gyan. That was a good clearance. I'm
:52:51. > :52:54.not sure I could get my feet that high! Lahm is the furthest man
:52:55. > :53:00.forward. That is because of the rotation in midfield. I think the
:53:01. > :53:04.ultimate compliment I heard about Lahm was Pep Guardiola's one, where
:53:05. > :53:08.he said he's the best footballer he's ever managed - and considering
:53:09. > :53:11.the players he's managed, that is a huge compliment. He was probably
:53:12. > :53:15.talking about his versatility and his brain to play these different
:53:16. > :53:22.positions. Spotted straightaway by Pep Guardiola. No longer a
:53:23. > :53:26.full-back, into that midfield role. He could influence a game from
:53:27. > :53:32.full-back OK. Remember that cracking goal against Costa Rica at the World
:53:33. > :53:59.Cup eight years ago. He is a wonderful player.
:54:00. > :54:21.Rabiu managed to hold off the challenges of Gotze.
:54:22. > :54:42.They are inviting Germany back towards their penalty area. Atsu
:54:43. > :54:46.went back with him. Ghana are creating their own problems. That
:54:47. > :54:51.was Asamoah, who was dribbling ten or 15 yards outside his own box. He
:54:52. > :54:55.could have gone back to his own goalkeeper.
:54:56. > :55:05.Kroos goes for goal. And Dauda knew it was going high and wide. We have
:55:06. > :55:09.seen him shoot long-range this season in many games and he's got
:55:10. > :55:14.great technical ability with both feet. Hence the fact he's been a
:55:15. > :55:21.target for Manchester United so we are led to believe. A few yards over
:55:22. > :56:20.the bar with that one. They don't want to be giving him those chances.
:56:21. > :56:27.Asamoah is trying to play it back infield to Boye. Muntari had to step
:56:28. > :56:34.on the burners to keep Ghana in possession. Offside Asamoah Gyan.
:56:35. > :56:37.Germany free-kick. Yeah, he was a yard off, Gyan. That is the type of
:56:38. > :56:42.movement against a Mertesacker that he has to be looking for. He is
:56:43. > :56:48.quick and sharp. He has to run in behind him and cause him problems.
:56:49. > :56:54.He is not the most mobile. Just goes a fraction too early. That is
:56:55. > :57:01.exactly the run. Here is the run from Muller. Muller just got to the
:57:02. > :57:07.ball ahead of Jonathan Mensah. Nobody in support of him. Here is
:57:08. > :57:18.Boateng. Can Ghana do something on the break? There was no way Howedes
:57:19. > :57:22.was catching him. A bit more care with that pass from Boateng, he
:57:23. > :57:31.could have been in, Atsu. It was a good break. Miroslav Klose awaits
:57:32. > :57:34.his chance. 36-years-old. Six-years-older than any other
:57:35. > :57:38.outfield player in the Germany squad. The man with 14 World Cup
:57:39. > :58:06.goals to his name. They get the ball and they sense an
:58:07. > :58:19.opening, they are trying to do everything at such pace, Ghana.
:58:20. > :58:27.Mensah. Nobody is chasing that one. Not sure it is a deliberate ploy
:58:28. > :58:31.from Germany, or whether they are easing their way. The full-backs
:58:32. > :58:38.don't seem to have bombed on a lot. They have been quite conservative in
:58:39. > :58:41.their positions. Maybe it is not their natural game. They need to
:58:42. > :58:47.give them a bit more penetration going forward. Jerome Boateng has
:58:48. > :58:53.played it down the line. Asamoah was left behind. Gotze's pull-back, it
:58:54. > :59:01.is a Germany corner. Could so easily have been a Germany goal. Superb
:59:02. > :59:07.pass from Boateng. Gets in behind. He's only got one in the box. It's
:59:08. > :59:11.good defending from Boye. I think it is Boye again. Yes, that's two
:59:12. > :59:23.brilliant last-ditch tackles he's done.
:59:24. > :59:32.Dauda came a long way but he knew where it was going. Not enough pace
:59:33. > :00:04.on the delivery. Especially for an outswinger.
:00:05. > :00:12.Kevin-Prince Boateng up against brother Jerome.
:00:13. > :00:16.Interesting that KP Boateng has pulled over to this near side to
:00:17. > :00:19.take on his brother head to have head. Must be a strange one that.
:00:20. > :00:23.Obviously it's never happened to myself. But whether you carry on the
:00:24. > :00:27.same or you don't even think about it. I would imagine you probably
:00:28. > :00:33.just get on with it, don't really think about it too much. They did
:00:34. > :00:38.play for Germany through to under-21 level. Interesting to see what
:00:39. > :00:41.happens if he gives him a kick, let's him know he is there! I
:00:42. > :00:46.understand dad Prince is in the ground today and his only wish, as
:00:47. > :00:48.you can understand, both have a decent game and neither gets hurt. A
:00:49. > :01:11.proud man, a proud moment for him. Ghana pressure. But there it ends.
:01:12. > :01:30.It's good pressure. It's what we talked about before,
:01:31. > :01:33.it's about that quality in the final third. Doesn't matter how much
:01:34. > :01:35.possession you have, you have to have cutting edge. Atsu is a
:01:36. > :02:04.problem, though. Good strike! We have seen Muntari
:02:05. > :02:12.score that type of goal before. It was too close to Neuer. He can
:02:13. > :02:33.certainly can strike Muntari. Got a wonderful left foot.
:02:34. > :02:42.Much easier for Neuer that one. Better chances are going to Ghana. A
:02:43. > :02:46.long range effort like that, the keeper should normally be saving
:02:47. > :02:52.that. Makes a meal of it, to be honest. But he has got a terrific
:02:53. > :02:56.strike. Got the goal that set them on their way against Uruguay in the
:02:57. > :03:03.last World Cup. He has done that many times. The think is with Neuer
:03:04. > :03:07.he is a huge presence you look at him and think... To get a goal past
:03:08. > :03:18.him. There is a strut about him. He
:03:19. > :03:22.reminds me of Schmeichel with his presence. The one keeper with his
:03:23. > :03:25.presence used to scare me. He is twice as big as you! Although I did
:03:26. > :03:36.score a penalty against him once. We talk about presence, just being
:03:37. > :03:41.there forced Gyan to perhaps take a wrong choice and poke it behind. I
:03:42. > :03:45.think he was hoping the keeper would come and touch him, maybe bring him
:03:46. > :03:49.down. He is getting the ball out of the way in case he does. Should have
:03:50. > :03:52.thought about scoring the goal, maybe than getting a penalty maybe.
:03:53. > :04:06.Or he was just plain scared. Dauda thought about getting that.
:04:07. > :04:37.Helped by Harrison Afful. A good spell for Ghana.
:04:38. > :04:53.They could think about putting Lahm at leftback. They've many options.
:04:54. > :05:01.He is the odd one out at the moment in a way, Schweinsteiger.
:05:02. > :05:06.If only we had such selection headaches. You promised not to bring
:05:07. > :05:26.that up again! Apologies. A Germany corner.
:05:27. > :05:30.Problem is for Ozil he has one man in the box to choose. When they get
:05:31. > :05:34.in those areas they have to commit one or two more men, maybe a
:05:35. > :05:38.midfield runner, maybe Khedira. Defenders are reading it. Here comes
:05:39. > :05:50.a Kroos corner. Muller making a nuance -- nuisance
:05:51. > :06:28.of himself. The referee has seen that. And won't stand for it.
:06:29. > :06:34.A couple of tired legs now. Muntari wanted to get that away as quickly
:06:35. > :06:42.as possible. They've got to try and work it out. Got to give your team a
:06:43. > :06:46.breather or the Germans will keep possession. Ghana have done OK,
:06:47. > :06:47.reasonably impressed with them. They've caused some problems and are
:06:48. > :07:02.well in the game at the moment. Straight at Dauda.
:07:03. > :07:11.Popping up in those areas, off the left side, a clever run-in behind.
:07:12. > :07:18.Decent volley, but straight down to the keeper. Looks a good player,
:07:19. > :07:24.Gotze. First time I have seen him live. Could turn out to be the best
:07:25. > :07:28.of the emerging bunch. Completed a first season at Bayern Munich,
:07:29. > :08:27.having risen with Borussia Dortmund. No score here. No real excitement.
:08:28. > :08:33.We have had a few long range efforts. Neuer has been busy.
:08:34. > :08:37.Busy-ish. It's only to be expected in the conditions. We go on about
:08:38. > :08:41.them, but it feels oppressive. It is. It's really warm. Actually there
:08:42. > :08:44.is spells in the game where they have a little breather. But there's
:08:45. > :08:47.been good attacks from both sides. Usually when there is a turnover,
:08:48. > :08:51.usually when possession is lost within their own half the team
:08:52. > :08:54.attacks really quickly. I still think Germany look the more
:08:55. > :09:01.dangerous. They've got in behind a few more times and down those
:09:02. > :09:09.channels. It can't be hot enough, 39 minutes played and we didn't have a
:09:10. > :09:26.drinks break again. Nor did we! We are not allowed one.
:09:27. > :09:43.Germany trying to go through the middle. Barged to the floor by Atsu.
:09:44. > :10:27.A contemplative Joachim Low. Offside. Yeah, he was. That was
:10:28. > :10:31.better the way they played out, though. You have to take a risk to
:10:32. > :10:41.play under pressure and come out, but that was better.
:10:42. > :10:46.Boateng will keep the attack alive. Four white Germany shirts in the
:10:47. > :11:07.middle. This is the cross after the chance.
:11:08. > :11:11.Superb pass from Muller. Right in the danger area. Only one person he
:11:12. > :11:15.wanted op the end of that, and that was himself. That was the ball he
:11:16. > :11:17.thrives on, he is always there when that comes in. But again causing
:11:18. > :11:42.threats in those channels. A similar story to what we saw from
:11:43. > :11:48.Opare in that position four years ago the first game against the USA.
:11:49. > :11:52.Yeah, it's a poor ball. It's not just him, it's just sometimes a lack
:11:53. > :11:55.of quality that they have in the final third that was evident in the
:11:56. > :11:59.game against the USA. Of course they've had those couple of long
:12:00. > :12:02.range efforts. The cross in, the final pass, decision-making is what
:12:03. > :12:06.let's them down at times. That needs to improve if they want to win this
:12:07. > :12:16.game. They won't get too many opportunities.
:12:17. > :12:27.Muller down. We saw that with Pepe in the first game. Muller back to
:12:28. > :12:31.his feet more quickly this time and shakes the hand of his opponent.
:12:32. > :12:35.Better to see. I think he stitched Pepe up. His behaviour was will yous
:12:36. > :12:36.louse but there was a contributing fact -- was ridiculous but there was
:12:37. > :12:47.a contributing factor. The flag was up but that's what they
:12:48. > :12:53.should be looking for, get Muntari on the ball and get the pacy Atsu
:12:54. > :13:01.running in behind the defenders. I think he was onside or level. Not
:13:02. > :13:06.much in it. But that's exactly, when the Germans are higher and they can
:13:07. > :13:08.get time and space midfield, that's how they're going to get in, with
:13:09. > :13:18.the pace of Atsu. He looks exhausted already. I will
:13:19. > :14:16.be amazed if he stays on the second half.
:14:17. > :14:24.That's going to be a corner. The decision is it came off Jerome
:14:25. > :14:28.Boateng last. It's the first decent quality cross they've got in really.
:14:29. > :14:34.It gives him something to attack. Great leap. Boateng does well.
:14:35. > :14:41.Concedes a corner. It's Muntari who is coming over to
:14:42. > :14:48.take it. Kiss of the ball before a belt of
:14:49. > :15:27.the left boot. Good play from Gyan. Little ball
:15:28. > :15:32.inside to Muntari and then I suppose if they were to choose one of their
:15:33. > :15:38.players to have a chance with a minute to go before half-time it
:15:39. > :15:51.wouldn't be Jonathan Mensah. Coming to the end of a first half
:15:52. > :15:53.that has been OK in fits and starts. Bursts of pace from both sides.
:15:54. > :16:14.Maybe one final one from Germany. Germany are struggling to create
:16:15. > :16:18.anything clear-cut. Ghana shooting from range and testing Manuel Neuer
:16:19. > :16:21.a little more often. Not too much to shout about. At half-time, in the
:16:22. > :16:31.heat, it is Germany 0, Ghana 0. GARY LINEKER: It is more intriguing
:16:32. > :16:32.than invigorating. It is inspiring for the Ghanaians because they have
:16:33. > :16:44.put in a good 45 minutes. ALAN HANSEN: Without a shadow of a
:16:45. > :16:47.doubt. They have had opportunities where, like Danny says, if the
:16:48. > :16:54.quality is a bit better. They are lacking a bit of composure. They are
:16:55. > :16:57.snatching it a bit when they are in good positions. They are in the
:16:58. > :17:06.game. The Germans have been in behind them two or three times.
:17:07. > :17:11.Ghana have defended well. It is even, Thierry?
:17:12. > :17:16.THIERRY HENRY: If you don't concede a goal early, you are in the game.
:17:17. > :17:22.At the beginning, they were staying at the back a bit too much. Germany
:17:23. > :17:26.were keeping the ball. If you don't concede a goal early, you are always
:17:27. > :17:30.in the game. The Germans can find some space down the wings, but the
:17:31. > :17:37.delivery is not always perfect. GARY LINEKER: They have done the
:17:38. > :17:44.homework on the Germans, Clarence? CLARENCE SEEDORF: They definitely
:17:45. > :17:48.did. I would like Boateng to be more like a playmaker. But they are
:17:49. > :17:53.defending well, they are organised. Not too many clear-cut chances. The
:17:54. > :18:01.Germans, they got down the flanks on a couple of occasions? Yes, they
:18:02. > :18:05.did. Down the right-hand side, obviously, but we mentioned there's
:18:06. > :18:13.one, two in the box. I think that is a good ball in. But it is tremendous
:18:14. > :18:20.defending. Anticipation, and Muller is in there. He is ALWAYS in there!
:18:21. > :18:29.You put it in either side, he will get in there. The next one is Gotze,
:18:30. > :18:36.Thierry? The thing is, you only have - Ghana know they can only find
:18:37. > :18:43.Muller. Should he not go and hit it? He could have had a go and also...
:18:44. > :18:47.The thing, the one I liked on this one, they only have one player in
:18:48. > :18:53.the box and we saw also that when Muller goes wide, when he crosses,
:18:54. > :18:59.there is no-one in the box. They have to put more bodies in there. Do
:19:00. > :19:03.you expect Klose? Maybe. At some stage. I make this little point.
:19:04. > :19:07.When I played - it was in the days of black and white - but I used to
:19:08. > :19:11.prefer because I was a Muller kind of player, I used to play not to
:19:12. > :19:14.have too many of my team-mates in the box. If they didn't know what
:19:15. > :19:17.they were doing, they tended to get in the way and get rid of your own
:19:18. > :19:24.space that you wanted to attack. Muller might be the same. I totally
:19:25. > :19:27.agree with you on that one. You want to know whether you are going first
:19:28. > :19:32.post or second post, but you want people to join. Eventually. If you
:19:33. > :19:36.have another guy coming late, they don't know what to do - shall goi
:19:37. > :19:42.with the guy coming late -- shall I go with the guy coming late? Then,
:19:43. > :19:53.it is easier to defend one man than three. Yes, unless they leave you!
:19:54. > :19:58.Ghana efforts - nothing that clear-cut but efforts from
:19:59. > :20:01.long-range and a threat. They got themselves into some decent
:20:02. > :20:09.positions. The commentators were talking about the heat. And that is
:20:10. > :20:14.a factor. They have moved it well here. And there's four in the box
:20:15. > :20:21.there. This is decent defending. Great ball there. Superb ball. They
:20:22. > :20:27.know he can create some damage. That is what you create. You have two
:20:28. > :20:33.guys waiting for the ball and Asamoah Gyan missed it. Great
:20:34. > 1:13:38movement. This is again... Great movement.