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The strongest team in Group A was the German national team. In the match that decided who would become the winner of this group, the Germans confidently defeated the Ecuadorian footballers. Miroslav Klose scored two goals for Germany and became the top scorer of the championship.
Berlin - Olympiastadion, 72,000 spectators. Referee: Valentin Ivanov (Russia). Ecuador 0 - 3 Germany.
4' [0 - 1] Miroslav Klose
43' [0 - 2] Miroslav Klose
57' [0 - 3] Lukas Podolski
Ecuador: Mora, De la Cruz, Espinoza, Ambrossi, Guagua, Valencia (63’ Lara), Edwin Tenorio, Ayovi (68’ Urrutia), Mendez, Borja (45’ Benitez), Kaviedes.
Germany: Lehmann, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Huth, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Frings (66’ Borowski), Ballack, Schneider (72’ Asamoah), Klose (66’ Neuville), Podolski.
At the beginning of the match, Ecuadorian players tried to show that their undefeated streak in the previous games was no fluke. Defender Luis Valencia managed to break through on the right side past German defender Philipp Lahm and dangerously crossed the ball to Ivan Kaviedes, but Jens Lehmann was able to intercept it.
However, just three minutes into the first half, the audience in the stadium witnessed the first goal. German defender Per Mertesacker passed the ball to Bastian Schweinsteiger on the left side, and the latter laid it off to Miroslav Klose, who only had to beat the Ecuadorian goalkeeper.
Before halftime, the Germans had several opportunities to score. Klose failed to reach Philipp Lahm's pass, Bernd Schneider shot over the goal, and team captain Michael Ballack almost scored from about 45 meters away.
Young German striker Lukas Podolski was very active on the field and looked like he could soon score. However, the opportunity to score the team's second goal came to his partner in attack - Miroslav Klose.
With a great pass from Ballack that split two Ecuadorian defenders, Klose received the ball, managed to beat goalkeeper Christian Mora, and doubled the hosts' lead.
Shortly after, the talented Lukas Podolski also scored. Almost an hour into the game, the German national team broke away from an Ecuadorian attack and launched a counter-attack. Schweinsteiger sent the ball to the right side to Schneider, who accurately crossed it to Podolski, and the latter slipped it past the goalkeeper to score his first goal in the championship.
With a three-goal lead, the host team's coach Jürgen Klinsmann allowed his team's leaders to rest. Miroslav Klose, Torsten Frings, and Bernd Schneider were substituted.
At the end of the match, neither team managed to score more, and the result remained unchanged. Ecuadorian Edison Mendez could have scored, but his shot flew just over the goal.
Finishing in first place in Group A, the German footballers will face the second-placed team from Group B in the World Cup round of 16, while Ecuador will face the first-placed team. The English have already secured a place in the knockout stage, while the Swedes still have a chance to overtake Trinidad and Tobago. The tournament hosts advance to the next stage having scored 8 goals and conceded 2 in three matches.
