THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
VIENNA, Austria — Germany captain Michael Ballack scored a fierce second-half free kick Monday to give his team an unconvincing 1-0 win over Austria and a place in the quarter-finals of the European Championship.
After a scrappy and tense first half in which Austria troubled its underperforming opponent, Ballack smashed in a 25-yard shot in the 49th minute to send Germany through and end the hopes of its smaller neighbour.
The goal ensured there was no repeat of what is known as “The Miracle of Cordoba,” when Austria shocked Germany 3-2 to knock the defending champions out of the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. Ballack said just the talk of a possible repeat had made his team determined to prevail.
“A lot was said before the match and maybe the Austrians bit off a little more than they could chew,” Ballack said. “To listen to them, you’d think we never managed to hit the ball and they were the world champions three times over.”
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