To predict the outcome of a World Cup group based on its first round results would be foolhardiness; yet, one wouldn’t be considered too brash if they assumed that Germany are going to safely make it through.
While by no means the toughest group in the competition, Group G was always going to be an interesting one: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, the U.S of A. What made it even more interesting though, were the two first round results: Germany thrashed Portugal 4-0, while the US beat Ghana 2-1. Germany- Portugal was always going to be a fascinating fixture, and I’d be lying if I said I expected a rout. However, contrary to the outburst of praise for Germany and derision for Portugal/Ronaldo by fickle-minded individuals on social media, I honestly believe that the scoreline was a little harsh on Portugal; a soft penalty for the shirt-tugging on Goetze and a soft red card for Pepe (not the referee’s fault, though; Pepe’s reputation does precede him) did help the Germans’ cause to no small degree.
Where the Germans DO deserve undiluted credit though, is their effective defense; they did keep Ronaldo almost invisible for 90 minutes. Per Mertesacker, having recently concluded a season filled with consistently stellar performances for Arsenal FC, was a sturdy rock; and Hummels has anyway repeatedly proven his mettle on the international stage. Any questions that lingered over the reliability of Howedes at right-back (he usually plays at right center-back) and the effectiveness of Boateng’s skill at stopping Ronaldo were quenched with the final whistle.
And it is precisely in that department that Ghana face a problem; their defeat at the hands of the US was quite unexpected, but not as much as their defensive frailty was. The team looked like a shadow of the African heroes that almost entered the record books as being the first African nation to reach the WC semi-finals 4 years ago. This should take nothing away from the US team, though; Klinsmann has forged them into a tight unit, and they have put in some great performances on the road to WC qualification. Indeed, their upcoming clash with Portugal is one fraught with considerable interest for the neutrals.
Many questions were raised about Schweinsteiger’s absence in the game against Portugal, which many believed to be due to his fitness issues. However, coach Joachim Loew said that he was fit, but he had to undergo a medical exam “for insurance purposes”. Regardless, considering the superb job the midfield trio of Lahm, Khedira and Kroos carried out on Monday, Loew is unexpected to change that formula against Ghana.