Germany through after Moscow victory
Saturday 10 October 2009
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Germany secured their place at next summer's FIFA World Cup finals with a game to spare after a hard-earned victory in Russia.
Klose winner
The home side, who trailed Germany by a point at kick-off, enjoyed the majority of the chances but fell behind on 34 minutes to a well-worked Miroslav Klose goal. Jerome Boateng was sent off on his senior debut midway through the second half but his team-mates held on and Russia will now aim to join them in South Africa after the play-offs on 14 and 18 November.
Adler tested
With the recently fit-again Yuri Zhirkov in the starting lineup and urged on by a partisan Luzhniki Stadium crowd, Guus Hiddink's side began brightly. Aleksandr Kerzhakov, selected ahead of Roman Pavlyuchenko and Pavel Pogrebnyak to partner Andrei Arshavin, tested Germany goalkeeper René Adler before shooting past the post when free inside the box. At the other end, Germany soon settled and Sergey Ignashevich bravely blocked a Lukas Podolski effort.
Germany ahead
Zhirkov curled a free-kick just over in response and Russia seemed set to go ahead just past the half-hour when Vladimir Bystrov was sent clear, only for Adler to come out and successfully intercept his shot. Russia were then made to pay when Podolski played a neat one-two with Mezut Özil, who squared for Klose to tap in his seventh qualifying goal.
Russia denied
Russia continued to push after the break, with Adler pulling off a great save from Kerzhakov and stopping a stinging Arshavin effort, but Germany still posed a danger on the break and Özil rattled the crossbar from distance. The visitors were soon down to ten men, however, when Boateng received a second yellow card on 69 minutes for a foul on Vladimir Bystrov. Sensing their chance, Russia poured forward, but their best effort, from substitute Pavlyuchenko's curling shot, was palmed away by Adler and rolled just wide.
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