Germany 3-1 Portugal

Germany beat Portugal 3-1 to claim third place on Saturday as midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger scored two goals and forced an own-goal from Portugal. The scoreline was a bit flattering as Portugal did not play too badly and have several glit-edged chances but they were wasted due to their poor finishing as well as the superb form of Oliver Kahn.

In the 56th minute, Schweinsteiger fired home his first goal of the competition from long range to put Germany ahead. Five minutes later, a Schweinsteiger free kick was deflected into his own net by Portugal midfielder Petit, a halftime substitute. Schweinsteiger added a third with a similar effort to his first in the 78th minute, the ball flying into the top right corner. Substitute Luis Figo created Portugal's consolation, crossing perfectly from the right for Nuno Gomes to head home from close range two minutes from time.

Germany carried on with their signature attacking football and entertained their fans in this "meaningless" match. During the past 4 weeks, the transformation of Klinnsman's vilification to rave reviews is nothing short of a miracle and the euphoria and nationalistic fervour sweeping the nation caught many people by surprise, albeit a pleasant one. From their very first match against Costa Rica, Soccer Pundit was impressed and they went on to show that the attacking style is now the norm rather than the exception.

One can only imagine the pressure on Klinnsman as he revolutionise the defensive and cautious approach of past German teams. Ultra-defensive play was a tested and proven method for Germany that has yielded three World Cups for them and Soccer Pundit would not be surprised if Klinnsman had stepped on many toes along the way. He also stripped Oliver Kahn of the captaincy (a brave act considering the influence Khan wields on the team) and threw in a whole bunch of youngsters into the fray.

There was hardly any player in the team who can be called a superstar, short of Michael Ballack. Nevertheless, Klinnsman stood firm in his belief and took all the brickbats in his stride; for that he deserved the highest respect and all the accolades (from friends and foes) that are now coming his way.

So yes, the World Cup is out of reach but winning is not everything. For Soccer Pundit, he will never support a team whose motto is to win at all cost and that means to deploy whatever methods at their disposal (play-acting, cheating, illegal challenges, negative and boring play). The victories are hollow and leave a sour/bitter taste for fans and their opponents. That is not the way which this game is to be played.

Not since the Netherland's Total Football has a European country exhibit such prowess and commitment to attack (even when they are leading comfortably). That is usually something which fans associate with the South American teams like Brazil and Argentina. Of all teams to make the change, it was Germany. England looks good on paper to pull off this task with two top-notch attacking midfielders, Gerrad and Lampard, but their campaign has gone horribly wrong (shucks!)

Sven, for all his years as a coach, could learn something from Klinnsman who is inexperienced but he dares to be adventurous and pursues his own dream. For that matter, Scolari is also another coach who dares to be different when he dropped Romario for the 2002 World Cup to great outcry (even Brazil's President intervened) but in the end, he stood up to the pressure and chose an unfit and off-form Ronaldo as the main target-man. Soccer Pundit has no doubt that both men have deep respect for each other as they faced the same circumstances before.

This match also draws to an end the illustrious careers of two soccer icons, Luis Figo and Oliver Kahn. It is a pity that neither had won any World Cups but both had achieved greatness in their playing career and will be remembered by their own fans for their contributions. Meanwhile, there is another soccer icon who will be retiring, Zizou, and the question on everybody's mind will be whether he end up as world champion again...