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Latvian football - highest evaluation. Latvia, called the absolute outsider of the European Championship, managed to secure a point in a match against the Germans. The match ended goalless 0-0.
Latvia - Germany 0 - 0
In the first match, Latvia surprised the football world and only conceded to the Czechs at the very end of the game. In this encounter, the Latvians showed that it was no coincidence.
From the very start of the first half, the game on the pitch was evenly matched. Although the Germans controlled the ball longer than the Latvian national team players, the Latvian attacks were perhaps even more dangerous than those of their opponents.
The Latvian defenders played flawlessly, not allowing the Germans to feel comfortable near Aleksandrs Koļinko's goal, so the Germans had no choice but to try their luck with long-range shots.
In the first half, this was attempted by Michael Ballack and Kevin Kuranyi, but neither of them managed to create a serious threat to the opponents' goal.
At the end of the half, the Germans pressed the Latvians in their half of the field and it seemed like a goal was imminent. However, the opposite almost happened - Maris Verpakovskis received the ball at the center of the field and sprinted at a staggering speed halfway across the field, finding himself one-on-one against Oliver Kahn. But the Latvian did not have enough strength left for the shot, and Kahn caught the ball.
One of the most active players in the German national team in the first half was the young Philipp Lahm, constantly tormenting the Latvian defense on the left side.
The second half saw the head coach of the German national team, Rudi Völler, make a change - instead of Bernd Schneider, who did not stand out in the first half, the young Bastian Schweinsteiger appeared on the field, actively joining the team's game as he did in the match against the Dutch.
Again, there was a fierce battle on the field, but this time the Germans attacked the Latvian goal more frequently. However, the Latvians were also not just defending.
Maris Verpakovskis fell in the penalty area several times, but the referee Michael Riley's whistle remained silent.
As the match neared its end, Miroslav Klose had a great opportunity to score, finding himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper after a high pass. However, his header flew wide, and neither team managed to score.
The match ended with a 0-0 result - the Latvian team earned their first point in the European Championship final tournaments and created a small football miracle, the beginnings of which were already evident in the match against the Czech Republic.
