Germany captain Michael Ballack booked his side’s place in the UEFA EURO 2008™ quarter-finals with a thunderous free-kick, ending the hopes of Austria despite a valiant effort from the co-hosts in Vienna.

Clinical strike
To overtake their opponents and claim the runners-up spot in Group B, Austria needed to beat their neighbours – something they had not achieved since defeating West Germany in 1986. The home team enjoyed long periods of possession but, as in their February friendly loss in this stadium against the same opposition, were made to pay for a lack of a cutting edge up front – Ballack settling the contest in the 49th minute with a characteristically clinical set-piece. Coach Joachim Löw, who was sent to the stands with his Austria counterpart Josef Hickersberger just before half-time, can look forward to a quarter-final against Group A winners Portugal in Basel on Thursday.

Remarkable miss
Hickersberger made three changes to the side that snatched a last-gasp draw with Poland on Thursday, surprisingly giving 21-year-old Erwin Hoffer his second senior start in place of Roland Linz up front. If that was designed to improve the co-hosts’ potency, it initially backfired as Germany enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and, but for a remarkable Mario Gómez miss, the home crowd would have been silenced by the fifth minute. Miroslav Klose was the architect of the move, tricking his way down the right and delivering a low cross that bypassed goalkeeper Jürgen Macho, only for Gómez to mistime his shot at the unguarded net, allowing György Garics to head his looping effort off the line.

Austria advance
Gómez then drew a regulation save from Macho with a low angled drive, before Hoffer began to provide evidence of the poaching skills that made him such a prolific scorer in his country’s youth teams, narrowly failing to control an Andreas Ivanschitz cross which would have left him clear. Austria nevertheless took heart from that opening and enjoyed their first spell of sustained pressure, Jens Lehmann diving to his right to touch behind René Aufhauser’s low shot, although Macho had to do likewise to keep out a Lukas Podolski attempt from distance.

Ballack breakthrough
With so much at stake, it was little surprise that tensions were running high on and off the field, and following a heated exchange on the touchline Hickersberger and Löw were dismissed. It was the latter whose side seemed less affected by their coach’s absence, however, and within four minutes of the restart Germany were ahead. Ivanschitz pulled down Philipp Lahm as the left-back drove forward and Ballack exploited the resulting free-kick to the full, driving an unstoppable shot high into the net from 25 metres.

Positive omen
Lahm and Podolski both missed the target while Macho saved from Per Mertesacker and Klose as Germany sought to increase their advantage. Nonetheless, Austria never lost heart and Hoffer flashed a shot just wide of Lehmann’s goal. Germany have now won their last five games against these opponents and at the final whistle celebrated reaching the last eight for the first time since 1996 – when they went on to lift the trophy. Meanwhile, for the first time no host nation will be represented in the knockout rounds.

Michael Ballack is fully aware his nation’s hopes at UEFA EURO 2008™ are now riding on just 90 minutes as Germany prepare for an emotional derby clash with co-hosts Austria in their final Group B game on Monday.

‘Win every game’
Germany’s defeat by Croatia and Austria’s last-gasp penalty to snatch a draw against Poland last Thursday mean both sides can still join the Croats in the last eight with victory in Vienna. “There is no second round in the [UEFA] European Championship, but this match is like one,” said Ballack. “We now need to win every game. The right attitude and a great deal of passion are the basis for that.”

Perilous encounter
Passion will not be in short supply in the Austrian capital, though the tide of popular feeling will mostly be against Ballack’s side at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion. The Chelsea FC midfielder acknowledged that the atmosphere and the Germans’ billing as favourites makes the encounter perilous. “The real danger of this kind of game is that a defeat means you can lose everything,” said the former FC Bayern München man. “We’re expecting to face a team who have nothing to lose and who will be determined to throw everything they have at us in their own stadium. We would have liked, of course, to have qualified for the quarter-finals before this game, but now we will have to give it our all.”

Fierce criticism
The reason Germany’s future still hangs in the balance is their 2-1 loss to Croatia in Klagenfurt in their second group match. That reverse provoked fierce criticism, none more so than from within the squad itself as the players met – without coach Joachim Löw present – to dissect the defeat. “The players got together after the Croatia match to discuss the mistakes which had been made. We were very self-critical, but the result was a very positive one,” revealed the 31-year-old. “We have a lot of room for improvement and want to show what we can do in Vienna tomorrow. I’m not at all worried about this match.”

‘Not inhibited’
While Lukas Podolski, Philipp Lahm, and Heiko Westermann are all expected to shake off minor knocks, Marcell Jansen’s shoulder injury will prevent him from playing. Ballack, though, will again lead the team, and he shrugged off criticism of his own performances in the tournament. “I’m not at all inhibited, the amount of pressure is totally normal for me and criticism after such a defeat is a part of that,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the game.”

The disappointment following the 2-1 loss against Croatia was still etched on the face of Joachim Löw as he addressed the media today. The 48-year-old seemed very tense, perhaps the pressure of expectation weighing on his mind ahead of Germany’s encounter against their neighbours in what is sure to be an emotional night at a sold-out Ernst-Happel-Stadion against co-hosts Austria.

High expectations
After his team struggled to cope with a lively Croatian side in Klagenfurt yesterday, Löw will be asking himself if his players can handle such an all-or-nothing match such as the one which now awaits the Mannschaft. The whole country expects the team to make amends for the loss against Croatia, while the whole of Austria, given hope after the draw with Poland, are hoping for a surprise victory over Löw’s title favourites.

Strong nerves needed
Defender Philipp Lahm expressed his confidence that he and his team-mates are focused enough to see off Asutria and claim the win they need. But is he being overly optimistic? Captain Michael Ballack has not yet been able to reach his usual high standards. The German rearguard looked particularly unstable against Croatia, while in attack, only Lukas Podolski, with three goals in two games so far, seems the only threat. Can the Germans cope with the white-hot atmosphere which is waiting for them in Vienna.