The result means that Germany, who remain top of Group D on goal difference, Ghana and Serbia all now have three points, while Australia are yet to get off the mark. The Black Stars and the Socceroos will play their second game in Rustenburg tomorrow. 

Germany quickly found their rhythm following kick-off, but it was Serbia who had the first meaningful attempt on goal, Zdravko Kuzmanovic executing a firm, low drive from the edge of the box that went two yards wide. The Germans responded instantly, stringing a series of passes together before Mesut Oezil dinked the ball through to Sami Khedira, who was promisingly positioned inside the area but unable to keep his volley down. Podolski was next to try his luck, reacting first to Nemanja Vidic's clearance and sending a thumping volley narrowly wide. 

Serbia then enjoyed a fruitful five-minute spell. Krasic neatly set up Milos Ninkovic, who volleyed over from inside the area. Then Ninkovic skipped around Arne Friedrich and was felled as he approached the Germany penalty area but Radomir Antic’s side wasted the consequent free-kick. The Serbia defence was standing firm against the three-time world champions ?  Neven Subotic made one crucial challenge on Khedira, while a Vidic interception denied Klose a run on goal. 

Klose did have the ball in the net on the half-hour but had strayed marginally offside. The Germany forward's afternoon reached an early end eight minutes before half-time, however, when following an earlier booking, he received a second yellow card for bringing down Dejan Stankovic from behind, and was sent off. Serbia capitalised immediately. Krasic outstripped his marker down the right, got to the byline, and crossed to the back post, where Zigic was hovering. The towering striker nodded the ball back across goal and into the path of Jovanovic, who took it on his chest and fired acrobatically past Manuel Neuer from five yards. 

Germany, a man and a goal down, came agonisingly close to restoring parity on the stroke of half-time. From an Oezil corner, Stojkovic could only punch the ball into the path of Khedira, who thumped it against the crossbar from 12 yards. From the rebound, Thomas Mueller produced an overhead kick but Kolarov was intelligently positioned on the line and managed to hook the ball to safety. 

Germany raced out of the blocks following the restart. Bastian Schweinsteiger almost went through on goal, but Vidic made a sliding challenge to avert the danger. Oezil then slid Podolski in only for the Cologne ace to find the side-netting from eight yards. Poldi had a far better opportunity to equalise on the hour mark. Vidic unnecessarily handled Arne Friedrich's cross and referee Alberto Undiano pointed to the spot, handing the Manchester United centre-back a yellow card. Podolski aimed for the bottom corner but Stojkovic flung himself down to his left and pulled off a great save. 

The game flowed from end to end in the remaining 30 minutes. The inventive Krasic worked an opening for himself and forced Neuer into a good save, while the same player also crossed for Zigic, whose header struck the crossbar. Germany's best opportunities continued to fall to Podolski. Oezil and Mueller combined to free him down the left of the penalty area but he scuffed his shot. He tried again with four minutes remaining but failed to get a good connection on his ten-yard effort. It was not his ? or Germany's ? afternoon. Serbia, who pipped France to first place in their qualifying group, had once again served notice of their ability to hang with the heavyweights. 
 
 
 

• A조 (남아공,멕시코,우루과이,프랑스)

• B조 (아르헨티나,나이지리아,대한민국,그리스)

• C조 (잉글랜드,미국,알제리,슬로베니아)

• D조 (독일,호주,세르비아,가나)

• E조 (네덜란드,덴마크,일본,카메룬)

• F조 (이탈리아,파라과이,뉴질랜드,슬로바키아)

• G조 (브라질,북한,코트디부아르,포르투칼)

• H조 (스페인,스위스,온두라스,칠레)

Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac was forced to reshuffle his rearguard due to an injury to Isaac Vorsah, with Jonathan Mensah, who had sufficiently recovered from injury, forming a centre-back partnership with Lee Addy. For his part, Australia coach Pim Verbeek made no fewer than four changes to the side that had been overrun 4-0 by Germany. Harry Kewell started in place of the suspended Tim Cahill up front, with left-back David Carney brought in for Scott Chipperfield. In midfield, Richard Garcia and the injured Vince Grella were replaced by Mark Bresciano and Brett Holman respectively. 

After some nervy opening exchanges in front of the watching Germany coach Joachim Low, the Socceroos got the first chance of note on 11 minutes and they duly converted it. Mark Bresciano’s powerful free-kick from 30 yards was only parried by Richard Kingson, with the ball falling kindly for the onrushing Brett Holman, who gleefully fired in the first goal of the tournament for the Aussies. 

Ghana struggled for fluency early on and they had to wait a further ten minutes for their first serious attempt on goal, with Andre Ayew’s shot from the edge of the area stopped only by a crucial Lucas Neil interception. However, the Black Stars soon restored parity in a moment that proved a hammer blow to Australia's hopes. Asamoah Gyan equalised from the spot after Kewell was adjudged to have stopped Mensah’s shot with his right arm ? the Socceroos No10 earning a red card on his long-awaited return after injury. Prince Tagoe then had a chance to put his side into a lead minutes later, but he drilled the ball well wide of the left post. 

Ghana surged forward in search of their second goal with half-time approaching, and Kevin-Prince Boateng’s shot from the right side of the area only narrowly failed to find the mark, Mark Schwarzer making a fingertip save. The Black Stars began the second half where they left off in the first, with Kwadwo Asamoah and Gyan trying their luck from distance. 

Fleet-footed forward Quincy Owusu-Abeyie was brought on for Tagoe just before the hour, but the Ghanaians could not find a breakthrough against a resilient Australia defence. For their part, Australia called on Joshua Kennedy in an attempt to take control in the air and they had chances to win the match. Substitute Chipperfield headed over from a Luke Wilkshire cross and Wilkshire himself spurned a glorious opportunity after 72 minutes, shooting straight at Kingson. The Wigan Athletic goalkeeper then did well to stop a volley from Kennedy. 

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Australia kept on attacking and Verbeek also sent on striker Nikita Rukavytsya for Wilkshire. At the opposite end, though, the Black Stars might have scored a late winner but Mensah’s header went just wide of the right post and Owusu-Abeyie’s curling shot was tipped over by Schwarzer.