Germans trying not to think ahead (AP) Updated: 2006-06-19 20:08
Forget about England.
Germany and Ecuador, who are already assured of a place in the second round,
face each other Tuesday in their final Group A match.
"We are just thinking of our next game," Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann said
Monday. "We don't really care. It's going to be very hard in the knockout stage,
no matter who we play.
"And no, we are not practicing penalties," Klinsmann said, referring to
Germany's favorite way of eliminating England. "Tomorrow, we have a hard game.
We have a lot of respect for Ecuador. We want to win. We want to win the group
and we want to go into the next round with confidence."
A draw is enough for Ecuador, which has a better goal difference after
beating Poland 2-0 and Costa Rica 3-0. Germany, a three-time World Cup champion,
beat Costa Rica 4-2 and edged Poland 1-0.
If it wins, Germany would equal its best World Cup start, from 1970 in
Mexico, when it also won its first three games. It then played England _ and won
in extra time.
In the second round, the winner of the group plays the second-place team from
Group B _ likely to be either Sweden or England, although Trinidad and Tobago
also has a chance.
The Germany-Ecuador game is in the afternoon, while England plays Sweden in
the evening and the two teams will know before kickoff what they have to do to
avoid the host team.
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