End of the dream for Klinsmann

By Barry Whelan Jul 5, 2006, 1:53 GMT

German coach Juergen Klinsmann walks off the field after Italy won by 2-0 in the semi final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup between Germany and Italy in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, 04 July 2006. EPA/FELIX HEYDER

Berlin - Juergen Klinsmann had a dream: to win the World Cup with Germany. The dream was shattered on Tuesday at the end of a dramatic extra-time semi-final with Italy.

Klinsmann stood rooted to the spot for a long time. He had not been as still as that on the touchline for almost two hours.

But it was not long before he was striding across the pitch to console his distraught players one by one. There was a brief shake hands with Italy coach Marcello Lippi, too.

There was little more Klinsmann could do. It had been a dramatic evening but this time it did not go Germany's way.

Only a few weeks ago, Dortmund had been the stage for a similar thrilling climax when Oliver Neuville scored to give Germany a 1-0 win over Poland.

Two late goals in extra time from Fabio Grosso and Alessandro del Piero had now suddenly ended his hopes of taking Germany to the World Cup final.

After five successive victories and a wonderful campaign, Germany had met their match against a seasoned Italian side who deserved their win in a hostile Dortmund stadium which in 71 years had never seen a German defeat until now.

Klinsmann had been convinced his side would reach the final and go on to win a fourth world title. But afterwards he will have seen that his players had not only gone to their limits - they were in the end shown them as well.

'We believed that we would make it to the final until two minutes from the end of extra time.

'There is a lot of quality in our team and a lot of young players coming through. From the opening game against Costa Rica throughout every game we have shown a lot of heart and passion,' Klinsmann said.

'We played a fast-paced attacking football and even after a defeat like this today, which is hard to take, everybody can be proud of this team.'

A few more minutes and the Germans would have at least earned themselves a penalty shoot-out - a chance perhaps again for Jens Lehmann in goal to pull of something heroic.

But Lehmann was powerless to stop either Gross's beautifully curved shot or del Piero's well-worked second on the counter-attack.

Earlier in the tournament, Klinsmann had said it would be a 'catastrophe' if Germany were to go before the semi-finals.

Defeat to Italy will at least be no disaster for this young German side which has gone far further than most of their fans had believed they could.

But Klinsmann will still want to dwell on his future. Whether he continues after the World Cup, no one in Germany really knows. 'First we want to finish the tournament. Then I will talk to my wife and I will take a few days to think about things. I will not be pressurised into a quick decision.'

Klinsmann, who took charge almost two years ago, has now been accepted by even his most fiercest critics in the press.

The former international was very much a last resort to replace Rudi Voeller who had surprisingly resigned after Germany's poor showing at Euro 2004 in Portugal.

Nobody it seemed wanted the apparently impossible job of reviving a lifeless national team in time for the World Cup on home soil.

Now Klinsmann has done just that. The German Football Federation (DFB) would like him to stay on. The players, too. And the press?

After a defeat there is usually some criticism. But there is still the matter of the third-place match. The inquest - if there is one - will wait, and will probably in any case be of the milder sort.

'The tournament is not over yet - we still have the match for third place to play,' Klinsmann said.

'But it has been a huge success for the team and for the country, and (Germany) has shown an incredible new face to the world.'

Former Germany coach Franz Beckenbauer who won the World Cup as player and coach and heads the 2006 World Cup organising committee, said that as far as he was concerned Klinsmann had to stay.

'He has to stay. He has not finished his job yet. He said that he wanted to become world champion and he has not managed that yet. I cant seem him going back to California and not continuing.'

Die Welt newspaper reflected the opinion of many by saying it would be regrettable if Klinsmann were to go now.

'Among Klinsmann's important qualities is that both yesterday's critics and the back-slappers of today are equally unimportant to him,' it wrote.

He was 'not an outstanding trainer but a first-class team chief'. The current squad had lots of potential and with Klinsmann in charge 'the development was bound to continue'.