Ghana: 22-Richard Kingson; 4-John Pantsil, 8-Jonathan Mensah, 19-Lee Addy, 2-Hans Sarpei, 6-Anthony Annan, 21-Kwadwo Asamoah (11-Muntari 77), 13-Dede Ayew, 23-Kevin-Prince Boateng (14-Amoah 88), 3-Asamoah Gyan, 12-Prince Tagoe (20-Owusu-Abeyie 56)
Subs: 01 Agyei, 16 Ahorlu, 05 John Mensah, 07 Inkoom, 15 Vorsah, 09 Boateng, 10 Appiah, 17 Ayew 18 Adiya
Yellow Cards: Jonathan Mensah, Addy, Annan

Goals:
Gyan (pen), 25

Australia: 1-Mark Schwarzer; 2-Lucas Neill, 3-Craig Moore, 14-Brett Holman (09-Kennedy 68), 8-Luke Wilkshire (17-Rukavytsya 85), 23-Mark Bresciano (11-Chipperfield 66), 5-Jason Culina, 16-Carl Valeri, 7-Brett Emerton, 10-Harry Kewell, 21-David Carney
Subs: 12 Federici, 18 Galekovic, 06 Beauchamp, 20 Milligan, 15 Jedinak, 19 Garcia, 22 Vidosic
Yellow Cards: Moore
Red Cards: Kewell

Goals:
Brett Holman 11

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

Venue: Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
Attendance: 34,812

Two games, two sending’s off for Australia as their World Cup is left hanging by a thread with a 1-1 draw with Ghana.

Coach Pim Verbeek made four changes to the team that lost to Germany. David Carney replaced left-back Scott Chipperfield, Mark Bresciano replaced the injured Vince Grella, Harry Kewell returned to replace Richard Garcia upfront and Brett Holman came in for the suspended Tim Cahill.

The Socceroos got off to the best possible start, on 11 minutes Brett Holman gave Australia a deserved 1-0 lead. A Bresciano free-kick was spilled by the Ghanian goalkeeper, Holman was quickest to react and he cooly slotted the ball home from close-range.

In the 24th minute the turning point of the game – and probably the tournament for Australia, the referee awarded a penalty to Ghana after a shot was blocked on the line by the arm of Harry Kewell meaning the Galatasaray man was shown a straight red card. The ball did strike the arm of Kewell but it certainly was a case of ball-to-hand and not hand-to-ball, however, in letter of the law its a red card if it prevents a goal. More frustration for Australia because if the ball had hit Kewell’s arm and still when in, it would been 1-1 and remained 11 v 11.

Asamoah Gyan steped up and confidently slotted home the penalty for Ghana.

Despite the man disadvantage Australia never looked overan and Verbeek’s team battled hard to stay in the game, and the tournament. In the 73rd minute Luke Wilkshire could have actually snatched a dramatic winner, Wilkshire was played through on the right of the area and his low shot brought out a fabulous save from Ghana’a goalkeeper Richard Kingston.

The spirt shown by the Socceroos restored some pride after the embattled performance against Germany, leaving them knowing victory against Serbia in their finally game and maybe, just maybe, they could still make it though to the round of 16.

Andrew McTernan – Row ‘S’ Army

Germany: Neuer, Friedrich, Badstuber, Mertesacker, Lahm, Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Ozil (Gomez, 73), Podolski (Marin, 81), Klose (Cacau, 69), Muller.
Subs: Wiese, Jansen, Aogo, Tasci, Kiessling, Trochowski, Kroos, Boateng, Butt
Yellow Cards: Ozil, Cacau

Goals:
Podolski 8
Klose 27
Muller 68
Cacau 70

Australia: Schwarzer, Neill, Moore, Chipperfield, Emerton (Jedinak, 74), Cahill, Culina, Wilkshire, Grella (Holman, 46), Valeri, Garcia (Rukavytsya, 64)
Subs: Federici, Beauchamp, Kennedy, Kewell, Milligan, Carney, Vidosic, Bresciano, Galekovic
Yellow Cards: Neill, Moore, Valeri
Red Cards: Cahill

Referee: Marco Rodriguez (Mexico)

Venue: Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Attendance: 62,660

Before I talk about Pim Verbeek’s team selection, the Australian performance and of course Tim Cahill’s sending off, lets just take amount to acknowledge how good the German team were.

How do they do it, how do the German’s produce good team after good team? Losing their captain Michael Ballack and first choice goalkeeper before the tournament appears to have not fazed them one bit. The quality of football played by Germany was first class, Australia are not a bad side but the movement, the pace, the power, and the ability to create chances almost at will by the German’s was exceptional. Players like Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski, and Thomas Muller are the new stars of this team, and this young German side has without doubt stamped it’s mark on the World Cup.

Pim Verbeek has to take some blame for this Australian defeat though. Starting the game with no recognised out and out striker and not using Mark Bresciano and Harry Kewell at any stage was surprising in the least. Why would the manager make such a dramatic change in tactics for the first game after playing the entire build up with 4-2-3-1 and affectively changing to a 4-2-4-0 is beyond me.

Defensively Australia struggled to cope with Germany. Craig Moore, Lucas Neill both played poorly and looked their age in the centre of defence, while Scott Chipperfield got destroyed down the German right flank.

Australia did create some chances though and had a bright opening to both half’s, but the game was over as a contest when Tim Cahill was given a red card on 56 minutes. It was a harsh red card but replay’s showed Cahill did go in late and hard on Bastian Schweinsteiger behind the play. I think we’ll all agree a yellow card would have probably been the correct decision but it was a silly challenge from Cahill, no doubt born out of frustration.

In the end 4-0 was a fair result to Germany who could have even scored more goals but that would have been unkind on Australia.

But what now for Australia?

They must forget this performance, Germany will beat everyone in this group, therefore it is vital Australia concentrates on the next two games against Ghana and Serbia. Two wins will mean qualification, a draw against Ghana and victory over Serbia will mean it will probably go down to goal difference with Ghana for second place, and two draws or defeats will mean they are going home.

Andrew McTernan – Row ‘S’ Army