文章來源：2006 FIFA 德國世界盃 官方網站
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/
文章整理：Enzian.bbs@ptt.cc
整理時間：Tue Jul 4 2006 (如有錯誤或侵權，請告知)
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German bidding for home glory
With three world titles to their name, Germany are one of the great football
nations of the world. A German team has played in every FIFA World Cup? finals,
except the 1930 and 1950 tournaments, and they boast an outstanding record of
success.
In 1954, the famous 'Walter's Eleven' raised the trophy for the then West
Germany for the first time, defeating seemingly invincible Hungary 3-2 in the
final in the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, Switzerland. Fritz Walter, Helmut Rahn
and the rest of the team became idols and standard bearers for a whole country.
Twenty years later Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller led the West Germans to
FIFA World Cup glory again, this time on home turf. 'Kaiser' Beckenbauer
captained the hosts in a riveting final against a brilliant Netherlands side.
Johan Neeskens put the Dutch ahead, but Paul Breitner equalised, paving the way
for Muller, the greatest German striker of all time, to score the winning goal
in a 2-1 victory. It was magical stuff for German supporters and football fans
everywhere.
Germany's third and most recent FIFA World Cup triumph came in 1990 in Italy
after successive defeats in the finals of 1982, when they lost 3-1 to Italy in
Spain, and 1986, when Argentina saw them off 3-2 in Mexico. Beckenbauer played
a key role again, this time as coach to the squad captained by Lothar Matthaus.
In the final, Andreas Brehme converted a penalty against Argentina, giving
Germany a 1-0 win and restoring honour after their defeat by the Gauchos four
years earlier.
An unremarkable decade on the world stage followed before Germany bounced back
with a vengeance at the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan?, battling to the final
only to go down 2-0 to Brazil. The runners-up spot still represented a
sensational achievement for Rudi Voller's men just two years after a dismal
UEFA EURO 2000 campaign in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The 1996 European champions fared poorly at EURO 2004 in Portugal and Voller
resigned following his side's ignominious group stage exit, making way for a
new coaching crew headed by Voller's former international strike partner Jurgen
Klinsmann, who set his sights high right from the start. "Our target is to win
the World Cup," the new man declared on taking the helm.
German hopes rest squarely on the shoulders of Bayern Munich playmaker Michael
Ballack, as the national captain seeks to inspire the youngsters around him
with his experience and class. Rising stars such as Bastian Schweinsteiger and
Lukas Podolski impressed at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2005, unleashing a wave
of euphoria among the home faithful. Germany finished third after a narrow 3-2
defeat by Brazil in the semi-finals, boosting hopes of stirring performance at
the 'main event' in summer 2006.
Founded 1900
Affiliated 1904
WC participations 15 (1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1962,
1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982,
1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002)
WC honours Three times world champions (1954, 1974, 1990)
Continental Titles Three times European champions (1972, 1980, 1996)
Facts
˙The German national football team are among the most successful in the
history of the FIFA World Cup. Only Brazil have played in more finals and won
more titles. The Germans first claimed the trophy in 1954, causing shock
waves when they defeated the clear favourites Hungary 3-2 in the final.
˙Twenty years later Germany won their second title, this time on home soil.
In the final in Munich they came from behind to beat Holland 2-1. A key
member of the 1974 team was Franz Beckenbauer, manager of the German team
that 16 years later claimed a third World title.
˙In the Italy '90 final Germany beat Argentina 1-0 with a late penalty. The
German team have never lost an away game in the qualifiers to date.