At Euro 2000, when Germany managed to finish bottom of a group that included Kevin Keegan’s England, Bild carried a photograph of Zinedine Zidane alongside one of a bratwurst. “This is a footballer” one caption read; the other, “this is a German international”. For red-top Rottweilers from Munich to Magdeburg, here is another disaster to chew on.
Marrying obduracy with organisation, and nervelessness with nationalism, little Latvia’s collection of Skonto Riga scufflers, former Nationwide reserve players and Russian League also-rans frustrated mighty Germany. Their heroes were Maris Verpakovskis, a former Wolves trialist the club liked the look of, but not enough to sign, and Alexanders Kolinko, who was flogged to FK Rostov by Crystal Palace.
Not least there was the giant, impassable Igors Stepanovs, once everybody’s laughing stock. He ensured the joke was on others here. Stepanovs’s centre-back partner Mihailis Zemlinskis, the Colin Hendry of the Baltics, was also redoubtable. Germany’s strikers, Kevin Kuranyi and Fredi Bobic, were awful but the rest of Rudi Voller’s team were not and it would do a disservice to the Latvians to claim otherwise.
The story of a country of 2.3m, and just eight top-flight teams, holding at bay Europe’s most successful football nation seemed too good to be true, and in the second minute of stoppage time it appeared there would be the inevitable late German winner. Yet substitute Miroslav Klose, in front of an open goal, sent his diving header wide. When full-time blew 90 seconds later, there were high fives among the tiny Latvian press corps, and jets of toilet paper streamed in celebration from the small maroon-clad section of supporters in the stands.
During the anthems it had seemed a mismatch. The German end belted out Das Deutschlandlied; behind the other goal the sparse Latvian section strained to be heard throughout Bless Latvia O God.
Advertisement
It did not look good when, in just 35 seconds, Aleksandrs Isakovs had Mike Riley flashing his yellow card after harvesting Michael Ballack at the knees.
Germany came at Latvia with energy and in numbers, using the full width of the field, switching play quickly and simply, with Ballack directing. A double thrust in the 25th minute almost brought an opener. Bobic chested down to Ballack, whose header plopped to Bernd Schneider. He chipped to Kuranyi, who could only glance the ball wide.
Ballack and Schneider were more of a threat to Kolinko, but finding themselves still goalless after half-an-hour, doubts crept into German minds.
The Latvians then burst into life. Verpakovskis, with a boldness which astonished and terrified the Germans, broke clear of three white shirts in the centre circle and streaked towards goal leaving a fourth, Christian Worns, trotting behind him hopelessly.
Verpakovskis faltered when he reached Oliver Kahn, but after the interval caused Germany tremors again when he burst between Frank Baumann and Worns and went down in the area. No penalty, said Riley. Surely Latvia couldn’t hold out. German waves came crashing towards Kolinko. Ballack’s shot seemed bound for the net, but Valentins Lobanovs hurled himself across to block. The stalwart Stepanovs was also heroic, stopping a series of crosses with foot, forehead and knee.
Advertisement
Another Ballack drive, a free kick, shuddered the gristle in Kolinko’s wrists as he fisted it away. With the Latvians sounding their klaxons, the German fans grew quiet.
Asked how he drew such performances out of so many players who failed in English football —– such as the Bristol Rovers reject Vitalijs Astafjevs, the Latvia coach, Aleksandrs Starkovs, smiled. “It’s best to say it’s my professional secret,” he said. “That way I always have a job.”
Latvia Kolinko, Isakovs, Zemlinskis, Stepanovs, Blagonadezdins, Bleidelis, Lobanovs (Laizans 70), Astafjevs, Rubins, Prohorenkovs (Pahars 67), Verpakovskis (Zirnis 90).
Subs Not Used: Korablovs, Miholaps, Pavlovs, Piedels, Pucinskis, Rimkus, Smirnovs, Stolcers, Zakresevskis.
Booked: Isakovs, Astafjevs.
Advertisement
Germany Kahn, Friedrich, Worns, Baumann, Lahm, Hamann, Schneider (Schweinsteiger 46), Ballack, Frings, Bobic (Klose 67), Kuranyi (Brdaric 77).
Subs Not Used: Ernst, Hildebrand, Hinkel, Jeremies, Kehl, Lehmann, Nowotny, Podolski, Ziege.
Booked: Friedrich, Hamann, Frings.
Att: 30,000
Ref: Mike Riley (England).