Germany’s dramatic victory over Poland in 2006 sparked frenzied celebrations in host nation
David Odonkor, who teed up Oliver Neuville’s stoppage-time strike, took trip down memory lane with FIFA
The result, which came 20 years ago to this day, considered catalyst for Klinsmann’s charges’ dream run
The 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ is commonly known as the 'Summer Fairytale' in the host nation. With a variety of factors coming together to produce a real feel-good atmosphere, the tournament was a month-long joyride for the locals, which left indelible memories.
One key component was the weather: the summer of 2006 was unusually warm in , with record levels of sunshine to boot. These conditions lent themselves perfectly to boisterous outdoor watch parties, which took place on a greater scale than ever witnessed before.
However, the buzz along the so-called 'fan miles' was fuelled above all by the success of the home team. The German fans’ expectations had been fairly low in the lead-up to the tournament, so a heady mix of surprise and glee greeted the swashbuckling exploits of Jurgen Klinsmann’s side.
While a 4-2 curtain-raising triumph over Costa Rica in Munich set the tone, it was the injury-time drama in the hosts’ second outing, against Poland in Dortmund on 14 June, that sent the hype into overdrive. Germany had spurned a string of glorious chances and looked certain to be held to a deflating stalemate before second-half substitute David Odonkor rose to the occasion.
“What happened that day was unlike anything I experienced at any other stadium, and there’ll never be anything quite like it again. It was utter bedlam: the crowd cheered, chanted and wept with joy, and strangers hugged each other,” the former winger enthused in an interview with FIFA.
It was a finale befitting a Hollywood blockbuster. The then 22-year-old Borussia Dortmund academy product had only been introduced shortly after the hour-mark, trotting on for just his third senior international appearance and his first at his club’s stomping ground, which made the occasion extra special for the youngster.
It had been a frustrating evening for Germany up to that point. “We should’ve been one or two goals to the good long before I was brought on. The ball just wouldn’t go in for us,” reminisced Odonkor, whose searing pace was known to spread panic among opposition backlines.
With Poland flagging after a gargantuan effort — their task was further complicated when Radosław Sobolewski was sent off with a quarter of an hour remaining — the flanker’s remit could not have been clearer: to wreak havoc. “On the touchline before I came on, Jürgen Klinsmann said to me, ‘David, play your game and use your speed. You can make the difference'."
So it would prove, although it was not until the final throes of the encounter that the whizz-kid was able to work his magic. With the clock ticking down in stoppage time and the crowd roaring them on, Germany continued to pour forward in search of an elusive winner, which ultimately materialised thanks to a well-rehearsed move.
“The sequence was always the same,” Odonkor explained in reference to Bernd Schneider’s exquisite dinked ball that released him down the right. “If I took three or four steps back towards the halfway line, I could drag my marker with me and create enough space for a pass in behind. Bernd saw that unfold and clipped the ball over the top.”
The Dortmund livewire – who had found the net a couple of minutes earlier, only to be denied by the referee’s whistle – needed no second invitation. “I knew I had room to run into and I simply had to keep going towards goal and hit the cross. I struck it very crisply, so Oliver only had to apply the lightest of touches – which he did with the sole of his boot – to put it away.”
The Polish players crumpled to the turf in despair as Germany clinched the most spectacular of triumphs. Cue pandemonium up in the stands... and down below. “I sprinted towards the dugout and celebrated with a dive,” Odonkor recalled. “Gerald Asamoah stepped on my hand and almost broke it. You never forget experiences like that. It was really amazing. I got to play in the World Cup on home turf and did my bit with an inch-perfect cross. It was an incredible moment for all of us, and it remains fresh in everyone’s minds 20 years on.”
Odonkor had often been unfairly written off in some quarters as a one-trick pony – there was far more to his game than fleetness of foot – and he relished the opportunity to show exactly what he was made of in his “own backyard” and to turn a high-stakes World Cup showdown that was balanced on a knife-edge. “I wanted to help the team, and I managed to do just that. It was a boost for the team and for me personally. I was able to prove to myself, and to a lot of people out there, that I could cross as well as run!”
A wave of euphoria swept across the country in the aftermath. Countless clips of jubilant supporters reacting to Neuville’s strike were shown on German news programmes in the ensuing days. The scenes crystallised what that World Cup would be all about, with excitement reaching fever pitch nationwide as Klinsmann’s side surged to the semi-finals before eventually bagging the bronze medal.
Sources: FIFA Official
