Another World Cup Upset: Serbia Takes Out Germany, 1-0

An apparently deliberate Nemanja Vidic handball earned the Serbian defender a yellow card and Germany a penalty kick, but Lukas Podolski’s attempt was saved by goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic, who kept Serbia ahead 1-0.

The kick was awarded when Vidic stuck his right arm out to play a cross delivered from Germany’s right flank. The resulting penalty kick was taken by Podolski, whose attempt to the lower right hand corner of goal was stopped by Stojkovic.

Left wing Milan Jovanovic, one minute after Miroslav Klose was dismissed, has up Serbia ahead of Germany, beating goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from close-range in the 38th minute.

The movement toward the goal started as Milos Krasic put a cross in from the right flank for Nikola Zigic, the 6’8” striker being marked at the bar post by one of the shorted men no the pitch, Philipp Lahm. Zigic headed the ball down for Jovanovic, who beat Neuer with a left-footed finish.

German forward Miroslav Klose has been dismissed in Port Elizabeth, earning a second yellow card in the 37th minute of Germany’s match against Serbia, leaving the team with ten men.

Klose had picked-up a harsh yellow card in the 12th minute, and his 37th minute challenge was also harshly dealt with by Alberto Uniando Mallenco, the Spanish referee.

Friday in Port Elizabeth, Serbia and Germany kick-off the second round of play in Group D, where the White Eagles’ first priority will be slowing down the Nationalmannschaft’s attack.

Serbia will offer more resistance than Australia, but the same formula should work. The play will move through Özil, who will try to find the German attackers moving behind the defense, who will then move the ball back toward the middle, finding players exploiting the spaces in the collapsed defense. This is how Germany scored three of their four weekend goals.