Klose equals Ronaldo’s record
24 Jun 2014 5:09 AM IST
Veteran German striker Miroslav Klose walked into the World Cup ‘Hall of Fame’ with a record-equalling 15th goal, bringing him at par with Ronaldo, as Germany fought back to post a 2-2 draw against Ghana. In the final match of the day, Nigeria posted their first win in World Cup in 16 years, getting the better of Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0, as forward Odemwingie scored for the Super Eagles to keep them in the hunt for a place in the knock-out stage. Bosnia and Herzegovina, meanwhile, are already out of the championship.
For Klose, who was benched in Germany’s 4-0 rout of Portugal, his opportunistic tap brought about the equaliser as the Bavarian army played out an entertaining draw against a spirited Ghana. All four goals came in the second half with Mario Goetze and Klose scoring for Germany, while Andre Ayew and Asamoah Gyan netting the ball for the ‘Black Stars’.
Ronaldo was among the first to congratulate the 36-year-old Lazio striker. ‘Welcome to the club Klose, you must be happy!!!! What a beautiful cup!!!’ Ronaldo wrote on his Twitter page.
‘It doesn’t matter whether I play from the start or come off the bench: all games are important and 15 goals in 20 World Cup games isn’t bad,’ Klose said on his part. The veteran striker was the top-scorer at the 2006 World Cup in Germany with five goals, having finished second with another five at the 2002 tournament. He also scored four in South Africa four years ago.
Klose became Germany’s all-time top-scorer prior to the finals when he scored his 69th goal in his 132nd appearance in a 6-1 thrashing of Armenia in a friendly. He bettered the record set by Gerd Mueller, who scored the winner in the 1974 World Cup final, to claim what was then his 68th goal in 62 appearances for the erstwhile West Germany.
In the final match of the evening, it was Emmanuel Emineke, who always posed a threat and eventually scored the goal. He burst down the right and engaged in a race for the ball with veteran Bosnian skipper Emir Spahic, who tried vainly to obstruct the Nigerian.
However, the central defender had completely misjudged the situation as Emineke went the opposite side and outpaced him to collect the ball before unselfishly squaring it to Peter Odemwingie, with the Stoke City striker tucking the ball away.
Talking to the media after the match Miroslav Klose said, ‘It doesn’t matter whether I play from the start or come off the bench: all games are important and 15 goals in 20 World Cup games isn’t bad. Gyan, whose goal saw him join Cameroon legend Roger Milla as the leading all-time African scorer with five, said they had played much better than in the defeat by the United States. ‘We believed in ourselves today,’ the 28-year-old told the BBC. ‘I think tactically we were perfect today. Now we definitely have to beat Portugal. We will have to focus but we believe we can beat them.’
Ghana are making no apologies for its attacking style, despite taking just one point from two games at the World Cup. It’s promising to use the same aggressive tactics in the final group match with Portugal.
‘We didn’t just want to sit back. I always believe that the best way to defend is to attack, and that was the strategy that we adopted,’ Ghana coach James Appiah said. ‘It’s sad when you come back from a goal down and in the end you don’t win. It’s not a good feeling. But the mood is easy now, the boys are chilling,’ said midfielder Sulley Muntari.
For Klose, who was benched in Germany’s 4-0 rout of Portugal, his opportunistic tap brought about the equaliser as the Bavarian army played out an entertaining draw against a spirited Ghana. All four goals came in the second half with Mario Goetze and Klose scoring for Germany, while Andre Ayew and Asamoah Gyan netting the ball for the ‘Black Stars’.
Ronaldo was among the first to congratulate the 36-year-old Lazio striker. ‘Welcome to the club Klose, you must be happy!!!! What a beautiful cup!!!’ Ronaldo wrote on his Twitter page.
‘It doesn’t matter whether I play from the start or come off the bench: all games are important and 15 goals in 20 World Cup games isn’t bad,’ Klose said on his part. The veteran striker was the top-scorer at the 2006 World Cup in Germany with five goals, having finished second with another five at the 2002 tournament. He also scored four in South Africa four years ago.
Klose became Germany’s all-time top-scorer prior to the finals when he scored his 69th goal in his 132nd appearance in a 6-1 thrashing of Armenia in a friendly. He bettered the record set by Gerd Mueller, who scored the winner in the 1974 World Cup final, to claim what was then his 68th goal in 62 appearances for the erstwhile West Germany.
In the final match of the evening, it was Emmanuel Emineke, who always posed a threat and eventually scored the goal. He burst down the right and engaged in a race for the ball with veteran Bosnian skipper Emir Spahic, who tried vainly to obstruct the Nigerian.
However, the central defender had completely misjudged the situation as Emineke went the opposite side and outpaced him to collect the ball before unselfishly squaring it to Peter Odemwingie, with the Stoke City striker tucking the ball away.
Talking to the media after the match Miroslav Klose said, ‘It doesn’t matter whether I play from the start or come off the bench: all games are important and 15 goals in 20 World Cup games isn’t bad. Gyan, whose goal saw him join Cameroon legend Roger Milla as the leading all-time African scorer with five, said they had played much better than in the defeat by the United States. ‘We believed in ourselves today,’ the 28-year-old told the BBC. ‘I think tactically we were perfect today. Now we definitely have to beat Portugal. We will have to focus but we believe we can beat them.’
Ghana are making no apologies for its attacking style, despite taking just one point from two games at the World Cup. It’s promising to use the same aggressive tactics in the final group match with Portugal.
‘We didn’t just want to sit back. I always believe that the best way to defend is to attack, and that was the strategy that we adopted,’ Ghana coach James Appiah said. ‘It’s sad when you come back from a goal down and in the end you don’t win. It’s not a good feeling. But the mood is easy now, the boys are chilling,’ said midfielder Sulley Muntari.
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