A potential crunch match for both teams
Hosts Germany take on Poland in the first of the second group stage round of matches. Jürgen Klinsmann's men can all but book their place in the next stage with victory while Poland will be looking to avoid an early exit. After losing to Ecuador, the Poles are staring down a barrel. They will be fighting tooth and nail to survive. The two countries have previous: historical and geographical rivals - but this is now all about soccer and the World Cup.

The teams:
Germany (4-4-2): 1-Jens Lehmann; 3-Arne Friedrich, 21-Christoph Metzelder, 17-Per Mertesacker, 16-Philipp Lahm; 19-Bernd Schneider, 8-Torsten Frings, 13-Michael Ballack (captain), 7-Bastian Schweinsteiger; 20-Lukas Podolski, 11-Miroslav Klose Coach: Jürgen Klinsmann Poland (4-5-1): 1-Artur Boruc; 4-Marcin Baszczynski, 6-Jacek Bak (captain), 19-Bartosz Bosacki, 14-Michal Zewlakow; 8-Jacek Krzynowek, 16-Arkadiusz Radomski, 7-Radoslaw Sobolewski, 21-Ireneusz Jelen, 9-Maciej Zurawski; 15-Euzebiusz Smolarek Coach: Pawel Janas

Michael Ballack leads Germany out
The FIFA World Cup Stadium Dortmund erupts as captain Michael Ballack leads the Germany team out onto the pitch. It is the midfielder's first appearance in this World Cup and he will want to make an early impression.

The national anthems sound out
Taking the recent criticism to heart, the German crowd raise their voices to the skies in a passionate refrain -- a million miles away from the lackluster rendition they gave at the opening game which led to some commentators to accuse the crowd of lacking enthusiasm.

1. min.
Kick-off: Germany vs. Poland
Poland get the game underway in this cauldron atmosphere at the Westfalenstadion.

1. min.
Germany look to get as many people around the Polish players as possible as soon as they get the ball.

2. min.
Klose gets his first sniff of goal but his jump with keeper Boruc is deemed unfair. Free-kick Poland.

3. min.
Kryzynowek gets the first yellow
Kryzynowek goes through former Leverkusen team mate Bernd Schneider and ends up in the ref's book.

5. min.
Germany are using the flanks to great effect as they did against Costa Rica. Ballack is playing up behind Klose and Podolski, supporting the attack. It's a very offensive formation.

8. min.
Poland build their first attack and the German defense backs away, looking unsure. Smolarek finds a yard but there has been a foul and the play is brought back.

9. min.
Klose shoots; Boruc saves
Klose gets Germany's first clear chance. Ballack floats over to the left, picks up the ball from Schweinsteiger and plays Klose in behind the defense. He strikes the ball well but Boruc saves when Podolski looked in a better position.

12. min.
Players are slipping over all across the pitch. The temperature is 31 degrees Celsius at pitch level and the groundstaff have had to water the pitch before the game. Maybe too much?

15. min.
Poland look every inch the team to have their World Cup status taken away from them this evening. Sloppy passes, nervous positioning and clumsy challenges all add up to a team having a crisis of confidence.

19. min.
Klose misses a sitter!
Lahm floats in a beautiful ball and Miro Klose is all alone and just needs to loop the header over a stranded Boruc. The header floats past the post, leaving Klose cursing to the heavens.

22. min.
Poland seem enthused by that glaring miss from Klose. They seem to have found a new lease of life. The game is getting scrappy and it appears to favor Poland's style.

25. min.
Germany seem to be harrassed and the crowd is getting restless. 25 minutes gone and the early goal all German fans expected has yet to materialize. The pressure is rolling down onto the pitch from the stands.

27. min.
Sobolewski gets the second card
Michael Ballack's injured calf gets a kick as Radoslaw Sobolewski takes a swing at the Germany captain, getting booked in the process.

30. min.
The Poles are growing in confidence after weathering the initial storm. They still lack a cutting edge and while they are breaking dangerously, they lack conviction in the final third.

34. min.
Podolski shoots on the turn
Podolski gets in on goal for the first time. Lahm again floats another quality ball into the box; Podolski controls and hits the ball on the turn but into Boruc's arms.

37. min.
Schneider sends over a cross which is too high for the assembled Germn attackers and Christoph Metzelder comes in to header goalwards but he fould the defnder on the way in. Free-kick Poland.

41. min.
Scweinsteiger balloons a good chance way over the bar.

45. min.
Podolski misses from a meter out!
Lukas Podolski is clear through and pokes the shot wide!

45+1. min.
Half-time: stalemate in Dortmund
Lukas Podolski's miss is the last piece of action of the half as the referee blows for half-time. The Germany striker rues his chance, picking up a great pass from Philipp Lahm, taking it past a defender but poking the ball wide of Boruc and wide of the post

45. min.
Second-half: Germany restart the match


46. min.
Germany look to capitalize on the good finish to the first half by piling on early pressure at the start of the second period.

47. min.
Germany's assistant coach Joachim Löw has said at half-time that Germany needs just one goal for the Polish house of cards to come down. They have to score that one goal first though...

50. min.
...and they have two clear chances to get it! Ballack misses a diving header from an Arne Friedrich cross and the Klose bustles through to poke wide from an offside position.

54. min.
Bastian Schweinsteiger is undoubtedly a talent but why must he insist on beating a player twice when once will do? His tricks are creating space but to repeat them immediately is losing him the ball.

57. min.
Jelen gets a shot on target for Poland but Lehmann accepts it gratefully with safe hands.

58. min.
Ballack booked for tactical foul
The Germany captain's frustrations boil over and he cynically takes out Radomski as he drifts past him.

61. min.
Germany are being harried off the ball but lucky for them, the Poles are just as wasteful. It's a nervy, tetchy game which teeters on the point of exploding as both sides play on the edge.

63. min.
Odonkar comes on in place of Arne Friedrich
The Dortmunder comes on for defender Friedrich to add some pace to an attack lacking ideas. It's a brave tactical move by Klinsmann, exposing the fragile defense in a bid to go for the goal.

64. min.
Klose gets a shot in off the rebound as Frings bangs an attempt at a wall of defenders but Boruc is equal to it, parrying the ball away to safety.

67. min.
Odonkor gets a yellow
Odonkor is getting a lot of joy on the right wing and has put in some dangerous crosses. He wins a corner...which is wastede and then gets booked.

67. min.
Metzelder gets a yellow


77. min.
Neuville on for Podolski; Borowski on for Schweinsteiger


80. min.
Germany lay siege to the Poland goal
Philipp Lahm drops his shoulder on the left and gets in the box; his shot is beaten out. Ballack follows up and has his shot saved. Neuville from close range is also thwarted!!

83. min.
Dudka on for Zewlakow


86. min.
Time is running out as Germany pile forward
Germany are throwing everyone forward but for now the Poles are standing strong. The rpessure is intense. can the Poles keep Germany at bay? Can the hosts crack them before the end?

88. min.
Boruc the Polish keeper is booked
Time wasting by Boruc earns him a card after Tim Borowski skims a shot just wide of the goal.

90+1. min.
GOAL GERMANY
Oliver Neuville gets on the end of a looping Odonkor cross and hits the winner!! That comes after Klose and then Ballack hit the bar from close range. Poland are sunk and Germany saved.

90+3. min.
GERMANY WIN!!
Germany win and qualify. Poland lose and can pack their bags after the last group game against Costa Rica.