`전차군단' 독일이 에콰도르를 완파하고 조  1위를 확정, 우승을 향한 진군을 계속했다. 

독일은 21일(이하 한국시간) 베를린 올림피아슈타디온에서 열린 2006년 독일 월드컵 본선 A조 3차전 에콰도르와 경기에서 2골을 몰아친 간판 공격수 미로슬라프 클로제(베르더 브레멘)의 활약에 힘입어 3-0으로 이겼다. 

독일은 이로써 조별리그 3전 전승을 거둬 A조 1위를 확정해 오는 25일 뮌헨에서 B조 2위와 16강전을 치른다. 

2승1패로 조 2위가 된 에콰도르는 26일 슈투트가르트에서 B조 1위와 8강 티켓을 두고 한판 대결을 펼친다. 

클로제는 지난 10일 코스타리카와 개막전에서 2골을 터뜨린 데 이어 이날도 2골을 보태 페르난도 토레스(3골.스페인)를 제치고 득점 단독선두로 나섰다. 

폴란드는 하노버에서 A조 3차전에서 코스타리카를 2-1로 누르고 1승2패로 조  3위가 됐고 코스타리카는 3전 전패로 최하위로 떨어졌다. 
 

◇ 독일-에콰도르 
 
독일로서는 수도 베를린에서 갖는 첫 경기에서 승전고를 울린데다 1970년  멕시코 월드컵 이후 36년만에 조별리그에서 3승을 거두는 기분 좋은 한판이었다. 

홈관중의 열성적인 응원을 등에 업은 독일은 경기 시작부터  일방적인  공세를 펼쳤다. 

독일은 전반 4분 페어 메르테자커(하노버 96)가 골 지역  왼쪽에서  오른쪽으로 크로스를 올렸고 바스티안 슈바인슈타이거(바이에른 뮌헨)가 떨궈준 볼을 클로제가 골문 왼 구석에 차넣어 선제골을 따냈다. 

클로제는 그간 자제했던 앞공중돌기 세리머니로 7만2천여 관중의 박수갈채를 독차지했다. 

독일의 파상 공세 속에 추가골도 클로제의 발에서 터져나왔다. 

클로제는 전반 44분 페널티아크 정면에서 수비진을 일거에 따돌리는 미하엘  발라크(바이에른 뮌헨)의 로빙패스를 받아 골키퍼를 제치고 텅빈 골문에 가볍게  볼을 차넣었다. 

무기력하게 전반을 마친 에콰도르는 후반 들어서도 별다른 반전을 보지 못했다. 

독일의 밀집수비를 뚫기 위해 위협적인 중거리슛을 몇 차례 날렸지만 골키퍼 옌스 레만(아스날)의 손에 막혀 만회골로 이어지지 않았다. 

독일은 후반 12분 역습 기회에서 신예 루카스 포돌스키(FC 쾰른)가  페널티지역 오른쪽에서 올라오는 크로스를 논스톱 슬라이딩 발리슛으로 밀어넣어 일찌감치  3-0으로 승리를 굳혔다. (연합뉴스) 
 
Germany 3 : 0 Ecuador 

[GER] 11. KLOSE Miroslav (4') 11. KLOSE Miroslav (44') 20. PODOLSKI Lukas (57') 

BERLIN (AP) - Now that Germany, backed by its enthusiastic home crowds, has accomplished its first goal, it sure looks ready to challenge for a fourth World Cup title. 

Juergen Klinsmann's team beat Ecuador 3-0 on Tuesday to win Group A. The Germans are off to their best World Cup start in 36 years. 
"We wanted to win the group, we scored three victories, we got more confidence and we are growing as a team," the coach said. "Now, the real World Cup is beginning. We have fantastic fans and great support and this integration with our fans is great, but we have to keep our feet on the ground." 

Miroslav Klose scored twice and his partner at striker, Lukas Podolski, added the third against Ecuador, which rested some starters after having qualified for the second round. 

Even better than Germany's prolific offense - eight goals in the first round - is a once-vulnerable defense that has not conceded a goal in two straight games. 

Both teams were assured of advancing before the kickoff. Germany plays Sweden on Saturday in Munich, then Ecuador faces England on Sunday in Stuttgart. 

"The next games are going to be very different and we are going to be playing teams of a different caliber," Klinsmann said. 

"We have no problem with being named as one of the favorites. We are playing at home and more wins and shutouts will earn us more respect. People will have to count us in." 

Klose, who now has nine World Cup goals, finished off strong German pressure early in the match when he scored in the fourth minute. 

After a German corner kick, the Ecuadorean defense could not clear the ball and it was sent back to defender Per Mertesacker, who flicked it over to the far post. Bastian Schweinsteiger crossed it back onto the path of Klose, who drove it inside the far post. 

Klose celebrated with his trademark somersault, a gesture he says is reserved for important goals in big games. 

"Miro has been in great form for months," Klinsmann said of Klose, who led the Bundesliga last season with 25 goals. "He's got a great hunger to score." 

The striker, who also scored twice in Germany's 4-2 opening win over Costa Rica, had several other shots and another attempt stopped by goalkeeper Cristian Mora. 

Then, the German team suddenly came alive again. 

Captain Michael Ballack chipped a pass to the edge of the Ecuador box, Klose shook off two defenders while playing the ball off his thigh, went around Mora and coolly slotted home. 

Edwin Tenorio gave Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann his first real test of the match in the 49th with a long-range shot that Lehmann tipped over the crossbar. 

Luis Valencia then nearly took the German captain out of the game with a vicious kick that hit Ballack in the left foot. After some treatment, Ballack stayed in. 

Podolski nearly brushed the post after a quick move in the 54th. And with Ecuador trying to go forward, large gaps left in its defense were exploited by the Germans in the 57th. 

Robert Huth blocked a shot outside the Germany penalty area, and Schweinsteiger carried the ball forward. He waited to time his pass to Bernd Schneider perfectly. Schneider then curled a cross into the box, finding the galloping Podolski, whose poke rolled inside the right post. 

"We didn't have possession of the ball," said Ecuador coach Luis Fernando Suarez. "We had problems, especially in the final quarter of the field. It happened all the time, we recovered a ball only to again lose it right away. 

"We are going to show (in the second round) that what was said about us in the first two matches was true. I hope we will do nothing of what was seen in this match." 

After the match, the Germans walked around the field and waved to the fans giving them a standing ovation. The players then stopped, linked hands and raised their arms in unison to thank the thousands of flag-waving spectators. 

"We need support from our fans," Ballack said. "We have difficult rivals ahead of us. If we play up to our potential, we can beat anyone." 

It was a memorable scene in a stadium where Jesse Owens won gold medals in front of Adolf Hitler 70 years ago. The German team rarely plays in the Olympic Stadium - but has its sights on another trip to the historic arena, on July 9 in the World Cup final. 

"We like returning to the stadiums we know and hopefully we'll be back here," Klinsmann said. 
 
 

초반 주도권은 세계적인 골잡이 파울로 완초페(에레디아노)를 앞세운  코스타리카가 잡았다. 

코스타리카는 전반 25분 완초페가 폴란드 페널티 지역 오른쪽을 파고 들다 파울을 당해 얻은 프리킥 찬스를 제대로 살려냈다. 

폴란드 수비벽 틈새에 서있던 코스타리카 선수 3명이 순간적으로  몸을  빼내는 사이 키커로 나선 로날드 고메스(사프리사)가 빈틈으로 강력한 프리킥을 날렸고  골키퍼가 꼼짝 못하는 골이 됐다. 

그러나 코스타리카의 우세는 오래 가지 못했다. 

반격에 나선 폴란드는 33분 코너킥으로 건너온 볼을 코스타리카 골키퍼가  잡으려 뛰쳐 나오다 비운 골문으로 바르토스 보사츠키(레흐 포즈난)가 밀어넣어  승부를 원점으로 돌렸다. 

폴란드는 후반 21분 오른쪽 코너킥 때 보사츠키가 헤딩슛으로 결승골을  뽑아냈고 남은 시간을 잘 버텨 값진 1승을 올렸다. 

양팀은 32개의 반칙을 주고 받으며 10개의 경고를 나눠 가지는 공방전을 치렀다. (연합뉴스) 
 
Costa Rica 1 : 2 Poland 

[CRC] 11. GOMEZ Ronald (25') 
[POL] 19. BOSACKI Bartosz (33') 19. BOSACKI Bartosz (66') 

HANOVER, Germany (AP) - The Polish fans who made the short trip to neighboring Germany for the World Cup have been chanting "We want a goal! We want a goal!" for two weeks. 

They finally got one - two, in fact - and a win to boot. Too bad it was too late. 

Bartosz Bosacki scored twice to lift Poland to a 2-1 win Tuesday over Costa Rica in a Group A match between two teams already knocked out of the tournament. 

Poland's red-and-white clad supporters danced and sang in celebration of the win. But they had been hoping for a performance that would erase bitter memories of the Poles' dismal showing at the 2002 tournament in South Korea, not repeat it. 

Poland, which lost its first two games in Germany, also won its last game at the 2002 World Cup, when it beat the United States 3-1 after dropping its first two group games. 

And once again, the Poles are going home early. 

The winner against Costa Rica came in the 66th minute, when Bosacki rose above Paulo Wanchope to powerfully head Jacek Krzynowek's corner kick into the goal. 

"The whole team rose to the challenge today," Bosacki said. "The game cost us a lot of energy, but I'm happy that we can leave the tournament with our heads held high. It's just too bad that we're going home so soon." 

Poland coach Pawel Janas was proud of his team's effort, even if it "came too late." Poland lost its opening game to Ecuador 2-0, and its second game to Germany 1-0. 

"The team really fought hard today and left a lot on the field," he said. 

Costa Rica took a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute when Ronald Gomez's low, left-footed free kick from 19 yards out got past the defensive wall and goalkeeper Artur Boruc. 

Gomez then gave the Ticos a chance to go up 2-0 when he skipped clear of two defenders to feed an unmarked Paulo Wanchope at the edge of the penalty area. But Boruc easily smothered Wanchope's weak right-footed shot. 

Bosacki tied the score in the 33rd off a corner kick by Maciej Zurawski. Costa Rica goalkeeper Jose Porras ran out in an attempt to punch the corner kick away, but he stumbled and the ball fell to Bosacki, who knocked it in the net. 

"We paid dearly for our distractions. They cost us in all three matches," Costa Rica coach Alexandre Guimaraes said. "Today, the goals came on our carelessness on set plays." 

Poland had another solid opportunity just before halftime, but Porras pushed midfielder Krzynowek's dipping free kick from 25 yards wide of the goal. 

Costa Rica took the initiative early in the second half. Mauricio Solis took a long lob from Walter Centeno into the box. But his flick shot was easily snagged by Boruc. 

"We played much better today," Guimaraes said. "We were very good penetrating into the area, but we were not concentrating on their corners." 

Poland also had solid chances. In the 53rd minute, Euzebiusz Smolarek dribbled clear for a shot from the top of the box, but knocked it straight at Porras. 

The Poles controlled the flow of play after Bosacki's second goal pushed them ahead. Still, with Wanchope testing the Poles' offside trap, the Ticos seemed capable of poaching a goal to earn the draw. 

It looked as if Wanchope had done it for them. Costa Rica's all-time leading scorer flicked the ball past Boruc in the game's last moments, but was ruled offside. 

Bosacki, who plays for Lech Poznan, wasn't originally on coach Janas' 23-man World Cup roster. He joined the team after Damian Gorawski failed his physical due to circulatory and respiratory problems. 

But he still wasn't enough to get Poland into the second round. 

Thousands of Poles made the short trip to neighboring Germany to support their team. They dominated the crowd, festooning the stadium with red-and-white Polish flags and chanting "Poland! Poland!" 

Costa Rica heads home after surrendering nine goals in its three losses. 

"Despite the best effort the team gave, it wasn't enough," Guimaraes said.