Germany v. Serbia: Live Report 

Germany_Serbia_world_cup_2010_18062010

A German supporter before the start of the World Cup match against Serbia © AFP Toshifumi Kitamura

A German supporter before the start of the World Cup match against Serbia © AFP Toshifumi Kitamura
PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (AFP) In Belgrade, the streets are empty like it was a Sunday morning.
My colleague Stephanie Van Den Berg tells me that tram drivers and passengers are listening to radio broadcasts or watching the match on small battery operated TV’s.
“In Djeram market, even the sloppiest thief could have stolen everything as several people watched the game on a TV set outside a butcher shop,” she says.
“My wife made me come to the market, but I could not come home in time. It’s better here, she doesn’t understand the importance,” said Bosko, an elderly farmer from the Belgrade suburb of Grocka
– 90+3 mins: FULL TIME Germany 0 Serbia 1
-90 mins: The fourth official signals there will be three minutes of injury time. – 88 mins: Germany are leaving plenty of space as they look for an equaliser, Serbia launch a quick counter-attack but Krasic overhits his cross…Dearie me…
-82 mins: The game has really gone off the boil after all those substitutions! Podolski  takes aim but his long-range daisycutter goes well wilde
– 79 mins: Serbian coach Rudi Antic makes his final change as he sends on Danko Lazovic for Jovanovic
77 mins: Loew makes his final substitution and sends on muscular striker Mario Gomez for Badstuber
– 76 mins: Serbia make their second change and Radoslav Petrovic comes on for Kuzmanovic
-75 mins: Werder Bremen’s beanpole defender Per Mertesacker has really struggled to contain Zigic, who looks a real handful.
– 74 min Krasic races down the right and sends a pinpoint cross for Zigic who thumps his header against the bar.
– 73 mins: YELLOW CARD! Loew — who normally looks very calm and relaxed — looks furious after the referee books Schweinsteiger.
– 69 mins: Here comes the cavalry! A wave of substitutions as Serbia replace Ninkovic with Gojko Kacar.
Germany make a double substitution and replace Ozil and Mueller with Marko Marin and Cacau.
-66 mins: Germany have really seized control of this match but Serbia nearly double their lead as Jovanovic sees his shot smash off the post!
– 60 mins: PENALTY MISSED. Unbelievable. The Serbian players embrace their keeper who dives low to his left to palm away Podolski’s weakly hit spot-kick
59 mins: PENALTY AWARDED TO GERMANY! Vidic fails to deal with a diagonal cross and handles the ball.
Huge roar from the German supporters as the referee sprints across the pitch and shows the Manchester United defender a yellow card and points the spot.
-54 mins: Ouch! Khedira takes a swing at a loose ball and hits Kolorov across the face.
52 mins: The tigerish Schweinsteiger has been at the hub of every German attack this half and his goal-bound shot is blocked by Vidic.
– 50 mins: Ozil has been largely anonymous in this match as he has struggled to escape the attention of the tenacious Stankovic.
– 47 mins: Podolski has the first shot of the second half, but it goes well wide.
46 mins:Serbia get the second half under way and immediately blast a long ball up for Zigic.
– 1230 GMT: Germany will have to change their tactics and hit Serbia on the counter-taack,” says Shearer.
– 1217 GMT: “This is a really fussy referee,” says former England captain Alan Shearer who is working as an analyst for the BBC. “That was a really harsh decision and it ruined the match,” he adds.
– 45+1 mins: HALF TIME Germany 0 Serbia 1
– 45 mins: There will be a minute of added time.
38 mins: GOAL! Germany 0 Serbia 1
The sending off has really upset Germany and Serbia have capitalised! Krasic runs down the right wing and pings a cross for Zigic who knocks the ball down for the galloping Jovanovic who blasts the ball past the keeper
-37 mins: RED CARD! Klose is sent off for a second bookable offence.
-33mins: Oooohh! Kolarov steps up to hit a curling free kick which just misses the target. That was close!
32 mins: The referee reaches into his pocket and books Lahm for a studs-up tackle on Krasic on the edge of the area
– 30 mins: Serbian fans breath a huge sigh of relief as the linesman raises his flag just as Klose collects a slide-rule pass from Bastian Schweinsteiger  and knocks the ball into the net.
– 27 mins: Mueller collects the ball and races to the byline but overhits his cross to Klose who was in acres of space. What a waste by Mueller.
– 23 mins: After a promising start, this match has turned into a really scrappy affair.
21 mins: YELLOW CARD!  Its 2-2 in this yellow card battle! Do FIFA have a yellow card tie-breaker? Germany’s Khedira goes into the book for a lunge at Milos Krasic
-18 mins: YELLOW CARD! Maybe Serbia need to take a deep breath, as their two full-backs get booked for hefty challenges.
Ivanovic is the first Serbian to be booked for upending Podolski, before Aleksandar Kolarov takes out Thomas Mueller on the half-way line.
17 mins: Serbia are starting to get a foothold in this match and look a lot more threatening than in their first game against Ghana.
15 mins: Danger for Germany as Serbia earn a free kick on the edge of the penalty area, but Jovanovic overhits the ball and it curls out for a goal-kick.
– 12 mins: YELLOW CARD! The Spanish referee books Germany striker Miroslav Klose for clattering into the back of Ivanovic
10 mins: Serbia’s defence features Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic and Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic but they have looked a little flat-footed in this World Cup.
Germany look like they will punish any lapses in concentration.
8 mins: That was close! Serbia fails to clear a cross and Podolski wallops a volley that flies narrowly wide of the mark.
7 mins: There is a real multi-cultural feel to the Nationalmannschaft (German national team) with midfielder Sami Khedira (holding a Tunisian passport) joining Brazilian-born striker Cacau and Mesut Ozil, whose parents were Turkish nationals. Mesut means happy in Turkish!
5 mins: Podolski is lucky to avoid a booking as he takes a swipe at the Serbian keeper as he shepherds the ball out of play.
3 mins: Germany launch their first attack but the fast-charging Sami Khedira cannot reach Mesut Ozil’s lofted pass.
1 min: Serbia have the first effort on goal but Milan Jovanovic heads well wide.
1130 GMT: AND WERE OFF! Referee blows his whistle and Germany get us under way.
1128 GMT: Germany are wearing their tradional kit of white shirts and black shorts, while Serbia are all in red.
1127 GMT: The Serbian players stand with their arms locked for a passionate rendition of their anthem. Very moving!
1125 GMT: The vuvuzuelas go quiet as the German supporters lift the roof off the stadium with a rousing version  of their national anthem!
1123 GMT: Serbia coach Radomir Antic — the only man to have coached Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid — was full of praise for his opponents.
“Germany played the best game in the first part of this World Cup,” he said on the eve of the match. “They (Germany) have young very gifted players who give a special quality to their squad.”
1120 GMT: Germany have named an unchanged side but Serbia have been forced to make two changes with Neven Subotic named as a replacement for Aleksandar Lukovic who was red carded in the defeat to Ghana. Dynamo Kiev midfielder Milos Ninkovic meanwhile replaces striker Marko Pantelic.
1117 GMT: The starting line-ups are out!
Germany: Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm (capt), Per Mertesacker, Arne Friedrich, Holger Badstuber, Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Mueller, Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose
Serbia: Vladimir Stojkovic, Branislav Ivanovic, Neven Subotic, Nemanja Vidic, Aleksandar Kolarov, Zdravko Kuzmanovic, Dejan Stankovic (capt), Milos Krasic, Milan Jovanovic, Milos Ninkovic, Nikola Zigic
Referee Alberto Undiano (ESP)
1115 GMT: My colleague Nick Reeves tells me that the stadium is bathed in sunshine.
“The pitch has dried out after torrential rain earlier in the week which forced the cancellation of pre-match training for both teams.
“We are expecting a near full house with Port Elizabeth boasting a sizeable German community, not many Serb flags spotted so far,” he adds.
WELCOME TO THE NELSON MANDELA BAY STADIUM where three-time champions Germany can virtually assure themselves a place in the knock-out stages of the competition with victory over Group D rivals Serbia.
Germany’s dazzling 4-0 victory over Australia was arguably the performance of the first round, and Joachim Loew will be looking for more goals against a sluggish Serbian side who went down 1-0 to an inspired Ghana.
Serbia might make wholesale changes they will become the first team to be dumped out of the tournament if they lose and Ghana earn a point against Australia on June 19.
An intriguing battle for midfield supremacy will likely determine the outcome of this match with Germany’s Mesut Ozil vying for dominance over Serbia’s midfield dynamo Dejan Stankovic.
Can Serbia pull off a World Cup shock or will Germany continue to find the net? Stay with us to find out as kick-off is at 1130 GMT

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (AFP) – 12 mins: YELLOW CARD! The Spanish referee books Germany striker Miroslav Klose for clattering into the back of Ivanovic
10 mins: Serbia’s defence features Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic and Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic but they have looked a little flat-footed in this World Cup.
Germany look like they will punish any lapses in concentration.
8 mins: That was close! Serbia fails to clear a cross and Podolski wallops a volley that flies narrowly wide of the mark.
7 mins: There is a real multi-cultural feel to the Nationalmannschaft (German national team) with midfielder Sami Khedira (holding a Tunisian passport) joining Brazilian-born striker Cacau and Mesut Ozil, whose parents were Turkish nationals. Mesut means happy in Turkish!
5 mins: Podolski is lucky to avoid a booking as he takes a swipe at the Serbian keeper as he shepherds the ball out of play.
3 mins: Germany launch their first attack but the fast-charging Sami Khedira cannot reach Mesut Ozil’s lofted pass.
1 min: Serbia have the first effort on goal but Milan Jovanovic heads well wide.
1130 GMT: AND WERE OFF! Referee blows his whistle and Germany get us under way.
1128 GMT: Germany are wearing their tradional kit of white shirts and black shorts, while Serbia are all in red.
1127 GMT: The Serbian players stand with their arms locked for a passionate rendition of their anthem. Very moving!
1125 GMT: The vuvuzuelas go quiet as the German supporters lift the roof off the stadium with a rousing version  of their national anthem!
1123 GMT: Serbia coach Radomir Antic — the only man to have coached Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid — was full of praise for his opponents.
“Germany played the best game in the first part of this World Cup,” he said on the eve of the match. “They (Germany) have young very gifted players who give a special quality to their squad.”
1120 GMT: Germany have named an unchanged side but Serbia have been forced to make two changes with Neven Subotic named as a replacement for Aleksandar Lukovic who was red carded in the defeat to Ghana. Dynamo Kiev midfielder Milos Ninkovic meanwhile replaces striker Marko Pantelic.
1117 GMT: The starting line-ups are out!
Germany: Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm (capt), Per Mertesacker, Arne Friedrich, Holger Badstuber, Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Mueller, Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose
Serbia: Vladimir Stojkovic, Branislav Ivanovic, Neven Subotic, Nemanja Vidic, Aleksandar Kolarov, Zdravko Kuzmanovic, Dejan Stankovic (capt), Milos Krasic, Milan Jovanovic, Milos Ninkovic, Nikola Zigic
Referee Alberto Undiano (ESP)
1115 GMT: My colleague Nick Reeves tells me that the stadium is bathed in sunshine.
“The pitch has dried out after torrential rain earlier in the week which forced the cancellation of pre-match training for both teams.
“We are expecting a near full house with Port Elizabeth boasting a sizeable German community, not many Serb flags spotted so far,” he adds.
WELCOME TO THE NELSON MANDELA BAY STADIUM where three-time champions Germany can virtually assure themselves a place in the knock-out stages of the competition with victory over Group D rivals Serbia.
Germany’s dazzling 4-0 victory over Australia was arguably the performance of the first round, and Joachim Loew will be looking for more goals against a sluggish Serbian side who went down 1-0 to an inspired Ghana.
Serbia might make wholesale changes they will become the first team to be dumped out of the tournament if they lose and Ghana earn a point against Australia on June 19.
An intriguing battle for midfield supremacy will likely determine the outcome of this match with Germany’s Mesut Ozil vying for dominance over Serbia’s midfield dynamo Dejan Stankovic.
Can Serbia pull off a World Cup shock or will Germany continue to find the net? Stay with us to find out as kick-off is at 1130 GMT

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