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  • Kick-off: 19:45
  • Venue: Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna
  • Attendance: 50000
  • Referee: Gonzalez, M E M

Live Commentary

90mins

FULL-TIME: AUSTRIA 0-1 GERMANY

90mins

Tim Borowski replaces Fritz for Germany

90mins

Three minutes will be added for stoppages

90mins

Klose finds himself through on goal but he drills a low shot straight at the keeper to sum up his own below-par night

89mins

The German fans are beginning to anticipate a mouth-watering quarter-final showdown with Portugal on Thursday - but they'll need to improve on this performance against the Group A winners

88mins

To Austria's credit they are refusing to throw in the towel but they're unlikely to prise open the German defence at this late stage

86mins

Joachim Low looks fairly relaxed in the stands but it has been anything other than a comfortable night for the Germany coach

84mins

Hoffer turns in the box but rifles a left-foot shot well wide of Lehmann's goal as time begins to tick on Austria's stay in this tournament

83mins

Podolski heads off to be replaced by Oliver Neuville

82mins

Lahm saves his side as Andreas Ivanschitz bundles his way through two tackles and was ready to shoot from 12 yards before the full-back's intervention

81mins

Frings' corner deflects off the head of Garics but it's straight at Macho who manages to punch clear despite knowing little about it

79mins

Macho dives in bravely at the feet of Klose to stop the striker from sliding the ball under him from a one-on-one and requires treatment to an chest injury

78mins

Stranzl lifts an ambitious through ball straight out of play and that has been the story of Austria's night so far

77mins

Josef Hickersberger cuts a forlorn figure in the stands as his team are just lacking quality in the final third

75mins

Klose has a half-chance from a tight angle but produces a feeble sliced shot which is comfortably wide to continue his poor night

74mins

Lehmann flaps at a corner but escapes as the whistle blows for a foul on the keeper by Stranzl

72mins

The dogged Lahm blocks two crosses from Korkmaz as Germany remain on the back foot

71mins

Ballack plays Podolski down the line but he tries to beat his marker rather than pick out the unmarked Klose and loses the ball - that was really selfish play

69mins

Mertesacker gets his leg to a cross which Kienast was shaping to meet with a first-time effort from just eight yards

67mins

Roman Kienast replaces Harnik in a third and final change by Austria

66mins

Klose takes a driven through ball superbly in his stride but the outstretched leg of Pogatetz deflects his shot behind for a corner - that was quality defending

65mins

Lehmann plucks a hanging cross out of the air to relieve the pressure on his defence - the Austrian's are beginning to believe they might score here

64mins

Aufhauser is replaced by Jurgen Saumel

62mins

Pogatetz is fortunate to escape a caution for reacting angrily to a decision from the referee - he is on a last warning now

60mins

Thomas Hitzlsperger comes on for the poor Gomez

59mins

Friedrich blocks a potentially dangerous cross with an outstretched leg and perhaps Austria aren't out of this just yet?

57mins

Austria are starting to look like a beaten side as that Ballack strike has taken the wind out of their sails- there's still plenty of time left though

55mins

Christoph Leitgeb has come on for Hiden in an attacking change by Austria

54mins

Podolski goes for goal from 30 yards with a sweeping left-foot drive but it rolls just the wrong side of the post

52mins

Lahm cuts inside from the left flank but drags a low shot comfortably wide of the upright to end a promising break on a bad note

51mins

The German contingent inside the stadium are in full voice now as they begin to anticipate a place in the quarter-finals

49mins

AUSTRIA 0-1 GERMANY: BALLACK produces what is destined to be the goal of the tournament as he drills a 30-yard free-kick into the top corner with a stunning strike - that was a sensational effort!

48mins

Andreas Ivanschitz is booked for hauling down the breaking Lahm

47mins

Per Mertesacker gets away with a clanger as he looses the ball but Hoffer tries to do too much and beat two defenders when a pass to Korkmaz would have opened up Germany

46mins

Germany kick-off the second half of a game that has so far failed to ignite

45mins

HALF-TIME: AUSTRIA 0-0 GERMANY

45mins

Germany have carved out the better of what few chances we've seen in a disappointing first half, but really it is Austria who have played the better football

44mins

Frings whips in a cross which is wildly over-hit and the isolated Germany strikers have a look of utter bemusement on their faces

42mins

Both Josef Hickersberger and Joachim Low have been sent to the stands by the Spanish referee and the atmosphere inside the stadium has been cranked up a few notches

40mins

Austria are certainly finishing this half the stronger of the two sides and the home fans are enjoying this!

39mins

Joachim Low looks thoroughly unimpressed with his side's efforts so far and the German players could well be in line for a half-time dressing down

37mins

Korkmaz drills over a cross from the right which Christian Fuchs can only head well off target in what was only a half-chance

36mins

Podolski feeds Ballack who looks to latch onto a lofted return pass but the defence holds firm and Macho claims ahead of the striker

34mins

Klose wins a corner with a towering header but his effort from 12 yards bounces comfortably wide of the mark

32mins

Klose nods down a Philipp Lahm cross looking for Gomez but it's too close to the keeper who claims

31mins

Hoffer has his name taken for a foul on Ballack who he leaves in a heap in the centre circle

28mins

Germany just haven't clicked in the final third so far and Klose, Podolski and Gomez have been peripheral figures

26mins

Aufhauser and Podolski are involved in an off-the-ball incident but the referee is happy to let the pair off with a warning - the Austria skipper appeared to raise his hands there and is lucky to avoid at least a caution

24mins

Macho dives smartly to his left to palm a powerful low Podolski drive from 20 yards around his upright - that was close to beating the keeper but in the end he did well

22mins

Lehmann tips a Rene Aufhauser shot from 20 yards around his post - the effort was already going wide but the veteran keeper wasn't 100 per cent sure of his bearings

20mins

Lehmann is alert to come sprinting off his line and take the ball off the toes of Hoffer who had beaten the offside trap and was looking to control a clever reverse pass into the danger zone

18mins

Metzelder is back in the action almost immediately as he hooks clear an early cross looking for Umit Korkmaz

17mins

Hoffer goes down in the box under challenge from Christoph Metzelder but there's no danger of a penalty there - despite a clumsy challenge from the tall central defender

15mins

Martin Hiden does well to deny Lukas Podolski a clear sight of goal as his body deflects a powerful left-foot shot from 18 yards away from goal

13mins

Stranzl isn't quite so lucky as he is booked for catching Klose in the midfield area with a late tackle

12mins

Frings sends Martin Harnik crashing to the ground and is told to calm down by the Spanish referee - there's no sign of a yellow card yet

11mins

Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings are beginning to dictate the tempo in the centre of the pitch and that could be an ominous sign for Austria

9mins

Arne Friedrich wins the ball off Emanuel Pogatetz wide on the Germany right but his cross bounces untouched through the six-yard box by either Klose or Gomez

7mins

Gomez tries to make amends with a shot from an acute angle which is low and straight at Jurgen Macho who holds with ease

5mins

Gomez is guilty of the miss of the tournament as a Miroslav Klose ball through the six-yard box bobbles up and strikes his shin before ballooning into the air and being cleared off the line - that was harder to miss than score!

4mins

Martin Stranzl comes to the rescue at the other end as he slides in to dispossess Mario Gomez and end a swift German break which threatened to open up the defence

3mins

Jens Lehmann has to rush out of his goal to clear the ball ahead of the breaking Erwin Hoffer

2mins

Germany are playing keep ball in these opening moments and the home fans' whistles highlight the hostile atmosphere

1mins

Austria get this game underway in an electric atmosphere in Vienna

0mins

Austria do have history on their side as they dumped then holders West Germany out of the 1978 World Cup in Argentina after a shock 3-2 victory

0mins

But Austria have been buoyed by their late equaliser in last week’s 1-1 draw with Poland, which means they would qualify behind Croatia with an upset over the Germans

0mins

Germany are firm favourites to bounce back from their surprise defeat to Croatia and secure second place in the group with at least a draw here at the Ernst Happel Stadion

0mins

Austria and Germany go head-to-head for a place in the quarter-finals in their final Group B game tonight in Vienna

Match Report

Germany will face Portugal in a fascinating quarter-final showdown after Joachim Low's side limped past Austria with a narrow 1-0 victory over the co-hosts in Vienna.

Michael Ballack's stunning 49th minute free-kick was enough for Germany to sign off their Group B campaign on a high, but they will certainly need to improve against an impressive Portugal unit if they are to go any further in Euro 2008.

Defeat for Austria means they joined fellow co-hosts Switzerland in failing to make it out of the group stages of their own tournament.

Josef Hickersberger's side knew that a win over Germany would have seen them and not the pre-tournament favourites qualify for the last eight, but they never really looked capable of causing an upset in front of a partisan 50,000 crowd.

Austria showed plenty of spirit and desire, but they ultimately lacked quality in the final third and failed to significantly test Jens Lehmann in the opposition goal throughout a disappointing 90 minutes.

Germany would have been ahead with only five minutes on the clock had Mario Gomez not been guilty of the miss of the tournament so far.

Miroslav Klose's low cross through the six-yard box bobbled up and struck the shins of the Stuttgart striker and he could only watch in horror as the ball ballooned up in the air and Gyuri Garics cleared off the line.

In a first half devoid of much goalmouth action, the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock after that was a thunderous 20-yard strike from Lukas Podolski which Jurgen Macho turned around his post with a smart save.

Austria had sights of goal as Erwin Hoffer went down under a clumsy challenge from Christoph Metzelder after 18 minutes but the referee ruled that no infringement had taken place.

The same player was also unlucky to see Lehmann nip the ball off his toes when he had beaten the offside trap to meet a low cross.

Both Josef Hickersberger and Joachim Low were sent to the stands on the stroke of half-time for a touchline argument between the two coaches which was out of character in a decidedly low-key game.

After the interval, moments of attacking brilliance continued to be at a premium until Ballack illuminated a lacklustre game with a stunning strike which could well prove to be the goal of the tournament.

The Germany captain let fly with a 30-yard free-kick which found the top right-hand corner of the net and left the diving Macho grasping at fresh air.

Philipp Lahm and Klose had half-chances snuffed out by the outstretched legs of committed defenders as Germany were happy to play on the break after taking the lead.

Macho then dived in bravely to deny Klose when one-on-one, before substitute Oliver Neuville wasted a glorious chance to set the seal on the victory in stoppage time after dwelling on the ball and allowing the defence to regroup when he could have played in one of three team-mates.

Austria

Germany

Corners

86

Fouls

2211

Goal attempts

914

Shots off target

67

Offsides

02

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