Ballack bails out abject forwards

VIENNA: Michael Ballack's knack of scoring vital goals took Germany through to the quarterfinals at Euro 2008, but if it is to progress any further it will surely need to solve its crisis of confidence up front.

Ballack blasted in a free kick from 25 m, clocked at 121 kph, to give Germany a barely deserved 1-0 win in Monday's Group B game against co-host Austria, setting up a quarterfinal against Portugal on Thursday in Basel.

Ballack's first of the tournament continued a trend that has seen all four of Germany's goals come from midfield, with Lukas Podolski having contributed the others in a 2-0 win over Poland and a 2-1 defeat by Croatia.