SHENYANG, China (AP) _ Germany has already made a big victory on Chinese soil by lifting the women’s football title on an impregnable defense, and is now right on track for another one at the Olympics. The Germans did a magical performance last year at World Cup title in China last year without allowing a single goal in six matches. And again defense has been the key again in the Beijing Games.

Goalkeeper Nadine Angerer and her defenders have kept Germany in contention for its first Olympic gold medal. “Last year, we scored 11 goals in the first game and then we had no goals against,” Germany coach Silvia Neid said. She feels as historical and unique, and definitely something that will be very difficult to repeat. The team’s current streak without conceding a goal is at eight matches.

Germany got Brazil on draw 0-0 in its Olympic debut and edged Nigeria 1-0 in its second game, with the winner scored by Kerstin Stegemann, a defender. Angerer was key in both matches, coming up with big saves.

The ace goal keeper was successful in denying FIFA Player of the Year Marta from scoring on Wednesday, and made two crucial stops on one-on-one breakaways against Nigeria on Saturday. “Nadine is one of the most important players in our team,” feels Neid.

Nadine had proved herself last year. She knows to control the ball and to work magically in the box. She is self-motivated and she knows how to encourage the other players. Angerer stopped Marta’s penalty kick in the World Cup final last year, when the Germans were up 1-0 before eventually winning 2-0.

Agerer says that she don’t care if goal comes or not. Her primary concern is winning the match. “My goal is to win the title, not just to not allow goals. I will be just as satisfied if they score four times but we win 5-4.”

Germany will take over North Korea on Tuesday in Tianjin needing a victory or draw to secure a quarterfinal berth. It is second in Group F with four points. Brazil too carries the same number of points but leads on the number of goals scored. North Korea has three points and Nigeria is virtually eliminated with none. The top two teams from each of the three groups plus the best two third-place finishers advance to the second round.

“It will keep us going in the tournament and give us a chance to win the gold medal,” feels Angerer. Germany is now in second place behind the United States in FIFA’s rankings and the defending European champion is yet to play in an Olympic final in women’s football. Since the tournament debut in 1996 in Atlanta, it has grabbed the bronze twice in Sydney in 2000 and in Athens four years ago, losing to Norway and the U.S. in the semifinals, respectively.

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North Korea keeps World Cup Dreams Alive
HONG KONG: Hard as it is to believe, North Korea is moving ahead in football. The North Korea’s football team is firmly on course for the 2010 World Cup. It reached the last round of qualifying without la .loss or even conceding a goal.

If they do make it, it will be the North Korea’s first World Cup in 44 years. The isolated Communist country is down in world ranking of 94. Even countries like Gambia and Suriname ranks at higher level than North Korea.

This endeavor should be read along with the in-house turmoil that burns the country. This Communist country ruled with an iron fist by Kim Jong-Il, is believed to be suffering acute food shortages, reviving memories of a famine in the 1990s leading to the death of one million people. Known more for its nuclear weapons program and dubious human rights record, North Korea, have hardly endeared themselves either with their defensive brand of football. But still they made it.

In the previous qualifying group North Korea scored just four goals in their three wins and three draws. But they succeeded in maintaining a clean sheet every time with a solid rearguard action.

With big shots like Brazil sitting uncomfortably in their qualifying group on the other side of the world and other end of the football spectrum, it raises the spectre of a World Cup with North Korea. Only a few among the North Korean players boot outside the North Korean borders and one among them is 24-year-old striker Jong Tae-Se, of Kawasaki Frontale, a mid-table side in Japan’s J-League. Japan-born Jong, dubbed “Asia’s Wayne Rooney” by South Korean media, has no doubt of North Korea’s entry into South Africa 2010 despite being drawn in the harder of two final Asian qualifying groups.

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