2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup: Germany tops Group F

August 26, 2007Changwon, South Korea

Germany takes 1st place in Group F at 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup with a 5-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago.

The Germans took the lead in the 5th minute. Fabian Broghammer got into the left side of the penalty area before taking a low shot into the back of the net. Substitute Alexander Esswein scored making it 2-0 with a header from a corner kick from Henning Sauerbier. Esswein scored again making it 3-0 in the 37th minute with a pass from Broghammer. Germany Captain Patrick Funk scored Germany's 4th goal at 39th minute from a left-wing cross from Sascha Bigalke. Wolze sealed the victory by scoring directly from a free kick 3 minutes into stoppage time.

Germany now faces the Americans in the last 16 on August 30.

Quotes
Heiko Herrlich (GER), Germany coach: First of all, thanks to my players who performed very well tonight. We were nervous at first but after the opening goal everything went as planned. All credit to the defence for keeping a clean sheet. We also gave some of the rest of squad an opportunity tonight, and I was confident they'd play well as I have faith in all 21 players I brought here. We will shuffle things round to try and win our next game, against the USA, who we lost 3-1 to last month. Our aim now is just to reach the next round.

Anton Corneal (TRI), Trinidad and Tobago coach: It was a great experience for the players, and I think we've given a good account of ourselves during the tournament. But still we have to try to close the gap [in quality]. In the Caribbean we're a good team, but on the international stage we have room to improve, especially in terms of our physical level. What's interesting is that all the players started as equal here, but if someone has the right passion and knows how to learn from experiences, they develop into good players.

Alexander Esswein (GER), Germany forward: We played very well and could have scored another couple of goals. We were also very disciplined in defence, and I think we deserve the win and top spot in the group.

Jesse Fullerton (TRI), Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper: Although we started the game very well, we committed some errors in our man-marking. The World Cup was a good experience for the players, and this game against Germany was the first real test for us. I'm looking forward to coming back at U-20 level, where we'll play with even more commitment.