International football match Iceland - Germany 2003

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The international football match Iceland - Germany 2003 is the football match in qualifying for the 2004 European Championship in Portugal on September 6, 2003 between the Icelandic and German national teams in Reykjavík . The game ended in a goalless draw. Posterity did not remember the game because of what happened on the pitch, but rather because of an interview that Waldemar Hartmann and Rudi Völler had on ARD shortly afterwards , during which the latter turned into an angry speech.

Starting position

At the beginning of 2002 the German national team and the Icelandic national team were drawn into a group in the European Championship qualification. In the summer of 2002, the German national team was runner-up at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea .

Germany won their opening game in the European Championship qualification group 5 in Kaunas against Lithuania 2-0. In the following four games followed two wins and two draws, a 1-1 on March 29, 2003 in Nuremberg against Lithuania and a 1-1 in Glasgow against Scotland. With this balance, the interim table lead was gambled away.

Iceland lost their first game at home to Scotland 2-0, with one defeat and three wins in the following games. With that Iceland conquered the championship lead.

On August 28, 2003 team boss Rudi Völler nominated his squad for the game against Iceland and a few days later against Scotland.

Course of the game

The early stages of the game were disheveled; Germany was visually superior and Iceland was defensively compact, although Germany could not generate any scoring chances. The German team tried, but they came across as over-motivated and hectic. In the 20th minute there was the first chance for the German team to score when Michael Ballack failed with a header at Icelandic goalkeeper Árni Gautur Arason and a chance from Oliver Neuville after work by Miroslav Klose was stopped by Indriði Sigurðsson . Shortly thereafter, Eiður Guðjohnsen had a chance for Iceland. The German national team showed no ideas, as long balls were shot forward from their own half but did not find their addressees. Defensively, however, they did not present themselves badly. In the 40th minute, however, Guðjohnsen came dangerously in front of the German goal after defeating Christian Wörns and Frank Baumann , but Oliver Kahn was able to parry.

After the half-time break, the German national team was still offensive, but in the 50th minute Miroslav Klose managed to hit the post with a header. Two minutes later, a free kick from Eiður Guðjohnsen flew past the left goal triangle and a minute later Baumann and Wörns rescued within a few seconds from the line of the German goal. As a result, the German team played much more cautiously and could hardly generate well thought-out actions. Sebastian Kehl came in the 65th minute, and after his preparatory work, substitute Kevin Kuranyi attempted a direct decrease from the left penalty area position, which went over the gate. Three minutes later Carsten Ramelow came after a one-two between Bernd Schneider and Kuranyi in front of the Icelandic goal, but as he hesitated, the ball was spitzelt away from him. In the 81st minute, Jóhannes Karl Guðjónsson came after a flank change with a shot from twelve meters, but this went over the crossbar. That was the last action worth seeing in the game.

Iceland Germany
IcelandIceland
European Championship qualification 2002/2003 (group 5)
September 6, 2003 in Reykjavík ( Laugardalsvöllur )
Result : 0-0
Spectators: 7,065 (sold out)
Referee: Graham Barber ( England ) EnglandEngland 
Match report
GermanyGermany


Árni Gautur Arason - Lárus Orri Sigurdsson , Ólafur Orn Bjarnason , Hermann Hreiðarsson - Þórður Guðjónsson , Pétur Marteinsson (75. Arnar Grétarsson ), Indridi Sigurdsson (84. Arnar Viðarsson ) - Johannes Karl Guðjónsson , Rúnar Kristinsson , Eiður Guðjohnsen , Heiðar Helguson (78 . Helgi Sigurðsson )
Coach: Ásgeir Sigurvinsson 		Oliver Kahn - Arne Friedrich , Christian Wörns , Frank Baumann - Carsten Ramelow , Michael Ballack , Sebastian Kehl , Christian Rahn (60th Michael Hartmann ) - Bernd Schneider (69th Sebastian Deisler ) - Miroslav Klose , Oliver Neuville (46th Kevin Kuranyi )
Trainer: Rudi Völler
yellow cards Jóhannes Karl Guðjónsson (87.) yellow cards Rahn (5th), Kehl (28th), Klose (47th), Hartmann (88th)

After the game

Iceland remained leader of the table, but the qualification for the finals or at least for the play-offs was missed after losing the last game against Germany 3-0 in Hamburg . After the game in Reykjavík, ARD presenter Gerhard Delling and expert Günter Netzer described the game as a "[absolute new] low point". Then Rudi Völler freaked out because of her, in his opinion, inappropriate and negative reporting in an interview with Waldemar Hartmann. Hartmann, who refused to accept this, was also reprimanded by Völler. Völler later apologized publicly for his choice of words, but stuck to his fundamental criticism of what he saw as disapproving reports. In addition, Völler accused Hartmann of having “ drank three wheat beers ” and was therefore able to “easily” report negatively about the German team. The Paulaner brewery picked up the much-noticed incident shortly afterwards in an advertisement for wheat beer and hired Hartmann as a long-term testimonial for TV commercials.

Völler's “angry speech” came about mainly because Völler had arrived at the studio a little earlier than usual and was thus aware of Netzer's and Delling's preliminary reports. ARD presenter Hartmann later explained this in an interview: Normally the coaches always have a “cool down phase” after the game, “[a] about that was more of a district sports facility in Reykjavik . He came up three steps and down three steps straight into the studio. And for the first time he was able to hear what Günter Netzer and Gerhard Delling had to say about the game "

Germany were eliminated from the group stage at the 2004 European Championship finals in Portugal . Rudi Völler then announced his resignation as head of the German national team on June 24, 2004.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Spiegel-Verlag Rudolf Augstein GmbH & Co. KG (ed.): DFB squad: Christian Rahn is also left footed. In: Spiegel Online. August 28, 2003, accessed June 30, 2016 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Olympia Verlag GmbH (ed.): Ballack could not set any accents. In: Kicker-Sportmagazin (kicker online). September 6, 2003, accessed June 30, 2016 .
  3. ↑ a b c d Spiegel-Verlag Rudolf Augstein GmbH & Co. KG (ed.): EM qualification: German team disappointed in Iceland. In: Spiegel Online. September 6, 2003, accessed June 30, 2016 .
  4. ↑ tz.de : Weissbier-Waldi is eternally grateful to Völler , accessed on October 10, 2017
  5. ↑ Waldemar Hartmann advertises Paulaner , Horizont.net from September 17, 2003
  6. ↑ Thank Völler: Sports presenter “Waldi” continues to drink Paulaner , Horizont.net from June 21, 2010
  7. ↑ "Cheese, Guru, Wheat Beer" - Ten years ago: Rudi Völler's outburst. tagesspiegel.de, September 5, 2013, accessed on May 29, 2018 .