Japan Upsets Germany 1-0 in Overtime.

Japan pulled off one of the biggest upsets in women's soccer history in defeating the host German squad by 1-0 in overtime in a match played in Wolfsburg, Germany. In a match featuring two of most talented sides in women's soccer, it took 108 minutes before a goal was conceded, one that would shock the hugely pro-German crowd.

It was 2nd half substitute Karina Maruyama who became Japan's hero in the 108th minute. Perhaps her legs were just a little fresher than everyone elses at that late stage of the match. In perhaps of foreshadowing of things to come, Maruyama had scored a late goal against Germany five years ago in a 6-3 loss. This one had to be a bit more exciting for the Japanese veteran.

Once again, German coach Silvia Neid decided not to start Birgit Prinz. Little did anyone know that Prinz may have played her last World Cup match against Nigeria in Germany's second match.

Things started off on the wrong foot early on for the Germans. Just three minutes into the match, as both Mizuho Sakaguchi and Kim Kulig would go up to head a corner kick, Sakaguchi was knocked off balance and fell onto the leg of Kulig. Sadly, it appeared to be a serious injury for the German midfielder and she was forced to leave the match almost before it had started. Kulig was replaced by Bianca Schmidt, who entered as a defender, with Linda Bresonik moving from her outside back position into the midfield.

In the 9th minute, Kerstin Garefrekes broke through on the right side and sent a soft cross to the middle, but the Japanese defense were able to clear. It was a theme that would be repeated over and over throughout the match, Germany sending the ball into the penalty area and the Japanese defense clearing or Japanese keeper Ayumi Kaihori making a save.

A Melanie Behringer free kick from just outside the right side of the penalty area, came dangerously close to going in, with Saki Kumagai heading the ball out from very close to the goal line. Kerstin Garefrekes appeared to have control of the ball behind the Japanese defense on another free kick, but couldn't quite get a shot off and Japan once again cleared.

But while Germany were getting their chances, Japan clearly dominated possession in the first half, playing a beautiful passing game to control the tempo of the match. They nearly scored in the 30th minute as Saskia Bartusiak muffed an attempted clearance and Yuki Nagasato gained control of the ball on the right side of the box. However, Nagasato hooked her shot well wide of the post from 15 yards out.

Throughout the match, again and again, Kaihori made solid plays in goal. In the 32nd minute, she thwarted Celia Okoyino da Mbabi's sliding attempt only a few yards to the right of her goal. Meanwhile at the other end, Japan were troubling German keeper Nadine Angerer very little, in spite of their possession advantage. The half ended scoreless.

Norio Sasaki would send Maruyama out to start the second half in place of Nagasato. Having already used a substitution for the injured Kulig, Silvia Neid made no changes.

In the 48th minute, Garefrekes sent a soft serve to the 12 yard mark, which Inka Grings headed well over the crossbar. One had to feel that in spite of Japan's solid play, it was only a matter of time before Germany would score.

In the 56th minute, Germany came as close as they possibly could to scoring the first goal. Melanie Behringer's free kick was served perfectly to the back post, where Simone Laudehr had an uncontested header from in close. She guided it to the inside of the right post, but Yukari Kinga cleared the ball off the line.

In the 62nd minute, Aya Miyama tried to hit the upper left corner from 20 yards, but her shot sailed wide with Angerer there to cover it if it was on net.

In the 64th minute, Neid sent Lena Goessling in for Bresonik, who had been ailing with the flu earlier in the tournament. Sasaki countered by sending in Mana Iwabuchi for Shinobu Ohno. Iwabuchi would certainly be troublesome for the German defense in the later stages of the match, but her size was a disadvantage against the German back line who were usually able to shield her off the ball before she could get a shot off.

A Japanese corner kick almost produced a good chance, but Mizuho Sakaguchi's shot from 12 yards was blocked by Lena Goessling. With only 15 minutes left in regulation, both sides had to be wondering if either would score.

Germany nearly scored in the 77th minute. Simone Laudehr attempted to dribble into the box, but the ball was knocked away, only to be picked up by Garefrekes, who burst through an opening on the right side of the penalty area. She dribbled to the six uncontested and crossed the ball to Behringer who volleyed it well over the bar from 15 yards out.

Both teams traded half chances in the latter stages of the match, but there would be no scoring and the game headed to overtime.

Japan would have a scary moment just as overtime started. Homare Sawa appeared to get kicked or take a cleat to the groin area and was down for several minutes. She had to come off the field and Japan played short for a few minutes while she recovered.

Germany would get the first solid chance of the overtime. Okoyino da Mbabi would turn on Japanese defender Azusa Iwashimizu and get off a left-footed shot from 14 yards that would go wide of the left post. Japan appeared to be tiring as they started to make unforced turnovers in their own end. One led to a wide open Grings shot from inside the box, but it too went wide of the mark in the 101st minute. Neid sent Alexandra Popp in as her final substitution for Grings toward the end of the first overtime.

A 40-yard Miyama free kick proved to be quite a bit of trouble for Nadine Angerer. As she waited to catch the ball, Iwashimizu flashed in front of her and she appeared to drop the ball with it rolling off to the side and wide of the goal. Just a minute later an Okoyino da Mbabi shot was blocked by Iwashimizu at the other end. The match headed into the second overtime, with penalty kicks looming.

Just as the large crowd starting singing in an effort to boost the home side, Iwabuchi picked up a loose ball in space touching it to Homare Sawa. Sawa put the ball through into the right side of the penalty area. Maruyama beat Bartusiak to the ball and released a shot from a very steep angle. Angerer guessed near post, but Maruyama went far post and the ball found the side netting just inside the post to put Japan ahead 1-0.

Japan had scored a stunning goal, but now they had to withstand 12 more minutes of German pressure. Almost incredibly, Kaihori appeared to get more calm and in control her penalty area as the pressure increased. In the 109th minute, Behringer hit a hard shot from 20 yards, but Kaihori punched it over the net. A couple of minutes later, Okoyino da Mbabi hit a looping header from 10 yards, but Kaihori tipped that one over the net as well.

Wave after wave of German attacks in the closing minutes, but Kaihori and the Japanese back line were able to withstand the pressure as time ticked away. Time finally ran out on Germany as the goal that everybody thought would come, never did.

While Maruyama's goal was obviously the moment and star of the match, there were many heroes for the Nadeshiko. Kaihori and her back line couldn't have played any better. Homare Sawa was solid in the middle and came back after it appeared an injury would end her day.

For Germany, this has to be a bitter disappointment. They had been prohibitive favorites to win their third in a row and appeared to have the best team. But they just never took advantage of their many chances. While taking nothing away from the Japanese, it is in many ways a shame that Germany are out. They have had great support from huge crowds in Germany.

Japan will now take on the winner of the Sweden-Australia match which will be played tomorrow. And perhaps Japan has gone from being the big underdog against Germany, to being one of the favorites to win it all. With the 2nd ranked Germans out of it and either the #1 USA or #3 Brazil being eliminated tomorrow, they will be the second highest ranked team remaining.

Germany 4, France 2

Germany won the match, but not before a few anxious moments, defeating France 4-2 in their final group stage match. The Germans won Group A and will meet Japan in a quarterfinal match on Saturday. France finishes second in the group and will play England.

While Germany certainly had the better of play, the French kept coming back at every turn, making the Germans work the whole match to hold on.

Germany was in control for most of the match and they did so without Birgit Prinz, who sat through the match on the German bench. Silvia Neid made several other changes to her lineup, inserting Bianca Schmidt, Lena Goessling, Inka Grings, and Fatmire Bajramaj.

French coach Bruno Bini made changes as well. Wendie Renard was back in the lineup after missing the last match with an injury. Laure Boulleau and Elodie Thomis were also given starts, with Marie-Laure Delie and Camille Abily sitting on the sidelines at the start.

Most of the early part of the match was played from 18 to 18, with few chances. Bajramaj shot from 15 yards was blocked by the French defense in the 12th minute. Another Bajramaj effort was caught by Berangere Sapowicz in the 15th minute.

Germany started to take more control of the match and they finally broke through in the 25th minute. And it was Kerstin Garefrekes doing what she does best, using her head to score. Babett Peter took a free kick from 40 yards out and Garefrekes beat Renard, heading the ball cleanly into the upper left side of the net. Germany led 1-0.

France attempted to come back, but their chances were not particularly dangerous. A Sandrine Soubeyrand long-range effort from 35 yards went well over the net in the 28th minute. A free kick from Soubeyrand was punched safely wide by Nadine Angerer.

Germany made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute and once again it was a header. Simone Laudehr placed a beautiful cross from the left side to about 12 yards out, with Inka Grings cutting across the box. Grings headed it just past Sapowicz's outstretched hands and Germany appeared to be in control with a two goal halftime lead.

Marie-Laure Delie and Camille Abily came in for Thomas and Louisa Necib at the half, while Ariane Hingst was inserted for Simone Laudehr.

If Germany thought they were going to have an easy time of it in the second half, France had other ideas. The French seemed to come out with renewed determination in the 2nd half and they were the ones to strike first. Soubeyrand took a French corner kick in the 56th minute and Delie headed the ball in from the near post about eight yards out. All of a sudden, France had life.

Germany was awarded a questionable free kick just outside the box in the 59th minute, while Renard was given a yellow card for what appeared to be a clean tackle. Grings low shot was headed just inside the left post, but Sapowicz made a beautiful diving save.

In the 65th minute, Inka Grings controlled the ball on the right side of the box and pushed a nice, soft pass across to Bajramaj. As the German midfielder attempted to move in for the shot, Sapowicz took her legs out. A red card was given to Sapowicz and a penalty kick awarded to Germany. On this call, there was no question. Inka Grings hit a solid shot into the right side, with replacement keeper Celine Deville guessing the other way. It was 3-1 Germany and the game appeared to be over. Well, maybe not yet.

Just when German fans thought they could breathe easy, France struck again. Camille Abily's corner kick went just over the head of Wendie Renard, but Laura Georges was right behind her and unmarked. Georges perfect header once again cut the lead to one. The French were not giving up easily. Four goals on headers had been scored at that point as both sides were having trouble defending in the air.

Delie nearly tied the match a minute later, getting in on the left side of the box, but her shot went wide of the right post. France was playing a player down, but were still making things interesting.

Grings' free kick in the 76th minute slipped just wide of the right post and hit the side of the net. Hingst hit a cross from the right side a minute later, with Deville missing the ball. Bajramaj's bouncer was saved off the line by a sliding Abily to keep the margin at one.

Germany finally finished it off in the 89th minute. A cross came from Alexandra Popp to the head of Inka Grings who flicked a header to the right side of the box where a wide open Okoyino da Mbabi was waiting. She drilled a hard shot passed the feet of Deville and into the left side netting to finally clinch it for the Germans.

Germany wins Group A with an undefeated record. France comes in second, with this match being their only blemish. In addition to Sapowicz's red card, which will keep her out of France's match with England, several yellow cards were handed out which could affect both teams further into the tournament. Renard, Georges, and Elise Bussaglia all received yellow cards for France. Bajmaraj and Lena Goessling each received one for Germany.

Germany 1, Nigeria 0

In what was one of the most unattractive matches in these proceedings, Germany edged Nigeria by a 1-0 margin. Germany clinched a quarterfinal berth, but now trail France in goal differential, so they will need to defeat France next Tuesday if they are to win their group.

The first half saw no scoring and few chances. Nigeria, while playing very competant soccer, apparently decided that one their primary tactics would be to intimidate the Germans. The Nigerians certainly held their own in the first half.

Germany nearly got on the board in the 3rd minue as Kim Kulig tried to take advantage of a mixup by the Nigerian defense. But while Kulig was able to get a touch on the ball, Precious Dede was there to make sure it didn't get as far as the goal.

Kulig again tried to get the Germans on the board in the 13th minute, but Dede made a diving save on the German midfielder's attempt from 30 yards out.

Nigeria appeared to have a three-on-two advantage in the 22nd second minute, but the German defense recovered and Sarah Michael's cross was grabbed by Nadine Angerer.

But for most of the first half, the most noticeable facet of the match was the Nigerians' consistently overly physical play, the referee consistently allowing it to go on, and the Germans consistently complaining about the lack of calls. Late in the half, there was some particularly nasty jostling before a set piece.

The first half ended scoreless, not surprisingly so. There were only seven shots on goal for the match, six for Germany and one for Nigeria.

The second half continued the same pattern, with the Nigerians being progressively more physical and Germans complaining progressively more about the lack of whistles.

Germany had the first good opportunity of the second half, but Babett Peter's header was blocked by the Nigerian defense.

In the 54th minute, Germany was award a free kick just outside the left side of the box. Okoyino da Mbabi struck the ball into the middle. The ball was loose on a scramble with Alexandra Popp getting first crack at it. Her shot was blocked, but Simone Laudehr's rebound found its way through the maze of bodies into the net and Germany had finally scored.

In the 64th minute, Inka Grings' shot was partially blocked and Kerstin Garefrekes' stretching effort lifted the ball over the crossbar from 12 yards out. Grings caused Dede problems in the 77th minute as her 15 yard shot had good pace and overspin. The ball was briefly bobbled by Dede, but she grabbed it before Popp was able to try for a rebound. In the 79th minute, Kulig's drive from distance went just over the crossbar.

As the match wore on, Germany seemed to try to match Nigeria in physicality department and began to get in a few shots of their own, although it must be said that they were quite a bit more subtle about it than their opponent. Then a late game collision, as Angerer jumped to punch the ball out and Desire Oparanozie made a brash attempt to crash in and head the ball, nearly led to more hostility.

There is no doubt that Germany was thrown off their game by what was going on. The strange thing is that, physical play aside, the Nigerians played pretty well for most of the match. One would not have thought going in that Germany would have won each of their games by only a single tally at this point.

Nigeria will now play Canada in a match that will be purely for pride. Germany will play France in a match that will decide the order of finish atop Group A. Germany must defeat France in order to win the group.

Group A Preview: Germany

Germany (#2)
Region: UEFA
Coach: Sylvia Nied
How They Qualified: Host Country
Prior Cups:
2007: Champions
2003: Champions
1999: Lost in Quarterfinals
1995: 2nd Place
1991: 4th Place

Returnees from 2007 WWC: (13) Angerer, Bartusiak, Peter, Krahn, Bresonik, Behringer, Prinz, Holl, Laudehr, Muller, Hingst, Garefrekes, Bajramaj.

Roster (Average Age: 26.46)

Name	Pos	Club	Age	Caps/Goals
Nadine Angerer	GK	FFC Frankfurt	32	97/0
Ursula Holl	GK	FCR 2001 Duisburg	29	5/0
Almuth Schult	GK	Magdeburger FFC	20	0/0
Saskia Bartusiak	DF	FFC Frankfurt	28	40/0
Linda Bresonik	DF	FCR 2001 Duisburg	27	64/5
Verena Faisst	DF	VfL Wolfsburg	22	3/0
Lena Goessling	DF	SC 07 Bad Neuenahr	25	22/0
Annike Krahn	DF	FCR 2001 Duisburg	25	65/4
Babett Peter	DF	FFC Turbine Potsdam	23	50/1
Bianca Schmidt	DF	FFC Turbine Potsdam	21	15/0
Fatmire Bajramaj	MF	FFC Turbine Potsdam	23	46/8
Melanie Behringer	MF	FFC Frankfurt	25	64/17
Kerstin Garefrekes	MF	FFC Frankfurt	31	125/41
Ariane Hingst	MF	FFC Frankfurt	31	172/10
Kim Kulig	MF	Hamburger SV	21	23/6
Simone Laudehr	MF	FCR 2001 Duisburg	24	40/8
Celia Okoyino da Mbabi	MF	SC 07 Bad Neuenahr	22	54/10
Inka Grings	FW	FCR 2001 Duisburg	32	89/62
Martina Muller	FW	VfL Wolfsburg	31	92/30
Alexandra Popp	FW	FCR 2001 Duisburg	20	11/7
Birgit Prinz	FW	FFC Frankfurt	33	211/128

Recent Matches:

Date	Opponent	Competition	Result
6/16/11	Norway	Friendly	W 3-0
6/7/11	Holland	Friendly	W 5-0
6/3/11	Italy	Friendly	W 5-0
5/21/11	Korea DPR	Friendly	W 2-0
11/25/10	Nigeria	Friendly	W 8-0
10/28/10	Australia	Friendly	W 2-1
9/15/10	Canada	Friendly	W 5-0
5/22/10	USA	Friendly	L 0-4
3/3/10	USA	Algarve	L 2-3
3/1/10	China	Algarve	W 5-0
2/26/10	Finland	Algarve	W 7-0
2/24/10	Denmark	Algarve	W 4-0
2/17/10	Korea DPR	Friendly	W 3-0

When the World Cup convenes in 10 days, Germany will be the favorites to win it all. And it’s hard to argue against it. They are the two-time defending champions, with 13players returning from their 2007 championship squad. They are the host team and will play their matches in front of large supportive crowds. They have been winning all of their most recent matches without much of sweat. But the main reason is just that they’re that darn good.

When one thinks of the German women’s team, they think of the brilliance of Birgit Prinz, the pure goal scoring ability of Inka Grings, the determined midfield play of Kerstin Garefrekes, and the steadfast goalkeeping of Nadine Angerer. Indeed, Germany is all of that, but they also have a strong nucleus of young players who make this side the envy of other teams.

Germany has nine players on their roster who are under 25 years of age. The new rising stars of the German team are the likes of Bajramaj, Okoyino da Mbabi, Laudehr, Peter, and Popp. It has been these young players, Popp in particular, that have been pouring in goals during three recent World Cup prep matches. Their mixture of experience and youth make them a formidable side.

But make no mistake about it, Prinz is the focal point of this team. She will be playing in her fifth World Cup, having scored 14 goals in her previous four. She is the most capped player in German women’s history with 211 and their all-time leading scorer with 128 goals. Now at age 33, a third championship on her own soil would be a crowning achievement, not that she hasn’t already achieved much in her great career.

If there is anyone on this team more hungry for a championship, it might be Inka Grings. One of the most prolific scorers in German history, she missed the 2003 World Cup with an injury and she was not on the 2007 squad. She was the top scorer in the 2009 Euros and is always a force to be reckoned with.

One might have thought, with no matches in nearly six months and only three in one year, that this team might be a little rusty. They quickly dispelled that notion in three warm-up matches, defeating North Korea 2-0 and then posting a pair of 5-0 victories over two teams that just missed being at the World Cup, Italy and Holland. They have pretty much had their way with opponents for quite some time now, with one exception.

The one team they have had problems with is the United States. Germany has lost their last three matches to the USA, including a surprising 4-0 defeat in Cleveland last May. Only one other team, Australia, has even scored on Germany over the past 18 months. But while the Americans have sputtered somewhat over the past year, Germany appears to be growing stronger with each match. The earliest the two teams could meet would be the semifinals, but it would be an intriguing matchup.

In spite of being drawn into a fairly tough group, one has to be confident that Germany can win Group A. In their last match against each of their Group A opponents, they won easily without much problem. They defeated Nigeria 8-0 last November, Canada 5-0 last September, and France 5-1 at the 2009 Euros. It would be hard to imagine them not advancing to the quarterfinals.

A recent ankle injury to Prinz surely gave German fans a scare, but she will be at the World Cup ready to play. So the question now is can Germany complete the task ahead of them? Everything seems to be in place for a nationwide celebration in Germany a month from now.

Note: Some information for this article was obtained at www.fifa.com and www.dfb.de.

It's Number 1 vs. Number 2 in Algarve Cup Final

The two top ranked teams in the world according to FIFA rankings will meet to decide the championship of the 2010 Algarve Cup. The US will meet Germany on Wednesday at 11 am eastern time.

The last time these two teams met was in October at Augsburg, Germany before a huge crowd of over 30,000. The US came out on top in that match by a 1-0 score. Strangely enough, the two teams did not meet in either the 2007 World Cup or 2008 Olympics.

Germany had very little trouble getting out of Group A in the competition at Algarve, winning all three matches by a combined score of 16-0. Ten different players have scored for the Germans. Inka Grings has scored 5 of those goals and has moved into 3rd on Germany's all-time leading scorer list with 55 goals. Teammate and three-time FIFA Player of the Year, Birgit Prinz is at the top of that list with 126 goals.

The US were able to defeat three strong opponents in Group B, including last year's Algarve champion, Sweden. The Americans have been led by Lauren Cheney and Abby Wambach, with 3 and 2 goals respectively. Lori Lindsey has added 3 assists for the US.

The two teams met in both the 2005 and 2006 Algarve Cup finals, splitting the two decisions.