The first match in October brought bad news for German soccer fans when the national team failed to qualify directly for the World Cup by playing a less-than-impressive 0-0 draw against Finland. The showdown in the Schalke 04 Stadium in Gelsenkirchen on October 6 was supposed to boost Germany into the World Cup qualifying list, but instead fans went home disappointed, their hopes dashed for an automatic qualification.

In years past the Germans have qualified automatically for the World Cup soccer match. Their place in the qualifying list was always a given both within Germany and abroad. This year though, the team will be hitting the road for a second round of play-offs in the Ukraine.

Initially hopes were high that the Germans could rally up enough strength to defeat Finland and thus squeak into the qualifying list. But the flaws on the playing field were obvious even to an amateur observer. And when England’s Beckham scored a clinching goal against Greece in a parallel game to determine the top qualifiers, it was clear that Germany was out of the running.

A Beleagured Team

The defeat against Finland is only the latest in a streak of bad luck plaguing the German national team. Under the direction of Coach Rudi Voller the team seems unable to muster up enough strength on the field, while sickness and injuries resign some of the best players to the sidelines. And after the dismal 5-1 loss to England back in September, Coach Voller is having an even tougher time convincing fans that the German team will recover from its dire performance in the Euro Cup.

On November 10, German soccer fans will turn towards Kiev and hope their team performs better in the distant cold than at home. So far the Ukraine has never qualified for a World Cup match, but then again the German team has never had to go into the second round of play-offs.