Germany Prevails in Dramatic Fashion

tsfrank

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) -- The game had ended long before and a thunderstorm was breaking out, yet die-hard German fans were still at the stadium, singing the chant now heard across the country.

\"Berlin, Berlin, we are going to Berlin,\" they sang, referring to the site of the July 9 World Cup final.

Germany is not there yet, and the final is still far away. But the host nation took a major step toward at least the second round by edging Poland 1-0 on Wednesday.

It took some doing.

Shot after shot was turned away by Poland's goalkeeper and the crossbar. Germany kept firing and got the payoff just in time -- injury time. Substitute Oliver Neuville scored on a sliding kick off a brilliant cross from another sub, David Odonkor.

\"It was a bit lucky, but it was more than deserved,\" Neuville said. \"I should have scored even before.\"

Odonkor broke free on the right wing and his perfect pass was booted home by Neuville. The German players mobbed Neuville as the crowd, previously frustrated at seeing their heroes thwarted, erupted in cheers.

\"I can't describe my feelings,\" said Odonkor, a rookie on the German team who plays for Borussia Dortmund. \"When I got the ball, I looked up and crossed, but I didn't see whether a striker was there or not.\"

The hosts, with a man advantage for the final 15 minutes, controlled the action only to be frustrated by Artur Boruc, who made a handful of spectacular saves.

Poland's Radoslaw Sobolewski was sent off in the 75th minute with his second yellow card after tripping Germany striker Miroslav Klose. The Germans pressed, but Boruc was impenetrable.

So was the crossbar, which was hit by Klose with a header and Michael Ballack with a kick in the 90th minute.

\"We had enough chances,\" Klose said.

And one of them finally paid off.

\"The goal came very late, but it was well-deserved,\" Ballack said. \"We won a lot of challenges. ... We were better on challenges than we were against Costa Rica.\"

Just as significantly, the often vulnerable German defense held its ground in the shutout. The Germans beat Costa Rica in the tournament opener 4-2, but looked shaky defensively.

The game between the European neighbors was scrappy and featured little flowing play, but plenty of tough challenges. Ballack, recovered from an injured right calf that forced him out against Costa Rica, was at the center of most of his team's attacks.

\"After they went down to 10 men we gave everything to get a goal and it worked,\" coach Juergen Klinsmann said. \"The team maintained its rhythm.

\"We tried to step the pace in the second half,\" he added. \"We tried to put them under pressure from the start. The way we held together and the support on and off the field is phenomenal.\"

It was Germany's first win over a European team at a major championship since it won Euro 96 by beating the Czech Republic in the final.

Germany now has six points and is on the verge of advancing in Group A. Poland, which has no points after losing 2-0 to Ecuador in its opener, must beat Costa Rica in its final game of the first round to have any chance of moving on. And if Ecuador beats or ties Costa Rica on Thursday, the Poles are eliminated.

Polish coach Pawel Janas thanked his players for their \"fight.\"

\"Unfortunately, we still can't score goals,\" he said.

\"We have to play like we did today and just score a couple of goals,\" said Poland defender Michal Zewlakow looking ahead to the Costa Rica match.

\"We are going to fight till the end,\" Zewlakow said.

Two miles from the stadium in the city center, police clashed with dozens of German hooligans two hours before gametime.

Throughout the day, local officers had teamed with Polish authorities to troll for troublemakers -- and they found a crowd of them in one central square. Police said at least 120 Germans were arrested after they threw bottles and chairs at officers; 60 Poles identified as hooligans were arrested in scattered incidents throughout the day.