1 June 2002, 21:55 Seoul - Tokyo
GERMANY 8 : 0 SAUDI ARABIA
by FIFAworldcup.com

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Germany recorded their largest-ever margin of victory in a FIFA World Cup™ match against Saudi Arabia at the Sapporo Dome in Japan on Saturday. Miroslav Klose’s hat-trick led the way for Germany, who scored four goals in each half in their opening game of the tournament.
The Germans displayed mechanical timing in the first half, producing three headed goals, all to the left of Saudi Arabian goalkeeper Mohammed Al Deayea from left-side crosses. After Saturday afternoon’s 1-1 draw between Ireland and Cameroon, Germany move to the top of Group E.

The Germans asserted themselves right from the start, and Saudi Arabia melted under the onslaught, as Germany cut through the opposing defence time after time.

Carsten Jancker almost opened the scoring shortly after kick-off when he received a pass in the area with his back to the goal, but his spinning shot went wide of the far post (2’). Germany kept attacking, and Michael Ballack thought he had a gift when a fight for the ball on the edge of the area resulted in the ball rolling out to him in space, but his effort from 20 metres sailed over the crossbar (16’).

The inevitable German goal came when Ballack knocked in a cross from the left wing that bounced in the area up to the head of Miroslav Klose, who directed it into the net to the left of Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mohammed Al Deayea (1:0, 20’).

Germany wasted no time getting their second. Again it was Ballack who sent the cross from the left, and again it was Klose who headed it into the Saudi net, again to Al Deayea’s left (2:0, 25’).

The third goal was more of the same but with different names. This time it was Christian Ziege serving from the left, with Ballack heading to the left side of Al Deayea (3:0, 40’).

Germany changed up the formula for the fourth goal. The cross came from the right side, Klose flicked it on cleverly to Jancker, who ferociously finished passed Al Deayea (4:0, 46+).

With the game already well in hand and with Germany starting to concern themselves more with not picking up bookings or injuries, the Germans still managed to create dangerous situations by repeatedly putting the ball into the Saudi penalty area.

Klose benefited from one of those dangerous situations, heading in a cross from the right side for his third goal of the night, the first hat-trick of this year’s finals. He has now scored 11 goals in 13 full international matches. The hat-trick was his third for the German national team (5:0, 69’).

Thomas Linke got into the scoring act almost before Klose had finished celebrating. Linke rose up to head a corner kick from the right side into the net, the fifth headed goal on the night for the Germans (6:0, 73’).

Oliver Bierhoff, who had come on for Janker in the 67th minute, also had his chance to celebrate. He ran onto a ball from out of midfield and, as he fell down with a defender in his hip pocket, he fired a low shot into the left corner of the goal from 25 metres (7:0, 84’).

Bernd Schneider capped off the scoring in injury time with a curling free-kick from 20 metres into the upper-right corner (8:0, 91+’).