In a compelling second half, Robben made it clear that Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho do not have to worry about his form or commitment. Three minutes later Ballack pulled one back when he nodded in a corner from Sebastian Deisler. The Dutch increased their lead in the first minute of the second half when Roy Makaay set up Robben, who again gave Kahn no chance. The only German chance in the first half came in added time when Arne Friedrich picked up the ball after a scrimmage in the penalty area but his shot went over.ĭutch coach Marco van Basten replaced four players at the beginning of the second half, while Klinsmann made only two changes. It became clear Germany depend completely on Ballack for creativity and, although he was not hindered by a marker, the German skipper lacked the support to create serious danger. Midway through the first half Juergen Klinsmann German team regained some control over the match but failed to test the Dutch defence. Minutes later Netherlands midfielder Denny Landzaat appeared unmarked in the area but his lob hit the crossbar. The most fluent Dutch attack after a splitting pass from Cocu to Robben, who outplayed two defenders to set up Van Nistelrooy but the central striker just missed target. The Germans played with a static four men defence and faced several problems with the Dutch strikers. The Dutch had a flying start when Christian Woerns made a poor clearance from Philip Cocu's pass to Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robben, picking up the ball just outside the box, left Oliver Kahn no chance with a curling shot into the top corner. Germany playmaker Michael Ballack pulled one back three minutes later and Gerald Asamoah handed the 2006 World Cup hosts a draw nine minutes from time. Winger Arjen Robben opened the scoring after three minutes and doubled the Dutch lead one minute into the second half. ROTTERDAM, Netherlands - Germany showed great team spirit, fighting back from two goals down to hold the Netherlands to a 2-2 draw.
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