Kehl revives Germany

Germany 1-0 Serbia and Montenegro
Germany put their shock UEFA EURO 2004™ 1-1 draw against Lithuania behind them with a hard-earned 1-0 friendly win against Serbia and Montenegro on Wednesday.

Kehl cracker
Midfield player Sebastian Kehl's thunderous 25-metre drive on the hour was enough to seal the victory - the 2002 FIFA World Cup runners-up's first win in four games after friendly defeats at the hands of Spain and the Netherlands and the Group 5 stalemate with Lithuania.

Rost save
The hosts dominated the first half with an aggressive and disciplined performance but they failed to create many scoring opportunities. The visitors showed little in the first 45 minutes but they had the best chance before the break, when striker Nenad Jestrovic set off on a solo run, only to fire straight at goalkeeper Frank Rost, deputising for injured captain Oliver Kahn.

Rauth effort
The 26,000 fans in attendance on a damp evening survived two frights early in the second half but Rost made brilliant saves from close-range efforts from striker Savo Milosevic. Substitute striker Benjamin Lauth, one of several German players given a chance by coach Rudi Völler, who was missing 13 regular internationals including Oliver Kahn, Dietmar Hamann, Jens Jeremies and Oliver Neuville, also put the ball in the net but his 79th-minute strike was disallowed for offside.

'Important win'

It's a narrow win but it's a fair result - we fought hard for it and we had the best chances

Timely boost
The win was needed for Germany ahead of their Group 5 meeting with joint-leaders Scotland on 7 June, but Serbia and Montenegro will be desperate to improve their away form when they travel to face Group 9 rivals Finland on the same day.