Soccer: Germany back at the top, and delighted to be there

German cities echoed to chants of "Deutschland, Deutschland" yesterday as thousands celebrated their country's return to the soccer elite with a 1-0 victory over South Korea to reach the World Cup final.

German playmaker Michael Ballack scored the winning goal in the 75th minute of the game in Seoul.

Revellers spilling their beer danced on bar tables and piled into streets, setting off firecrackers, blowing whistles, draping themselves in German flags and honking car horns.

"We played fantastically. One chance at goal and we scored," ecstatic fan Mario Tarun said.

Berlin's central Potsdamer Platz square was transformed into a sea of black, red and gold, Germany's national colours.

On the central Kurfuerstendamm shopping avenue, traffic was forced to a standstill as 1000 people waving flags blocked the road, chanting: "Germany returns!"

A bank robber took advantage of the pandemonium sweeping the city during the final frenzied moments of the match.

The gunman entered a Kurfuerstendamm bank about five minutes before the game ended and demanded money.

"The robber collected the money and was able to escape undetected," a police spokesman said.

In the western city of Duesseldorf, police detained 50 excited fans for setting off fireworks inside a shopping centre.

Fans said the team owed their success to the skill of goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.

"At least 70 per cent of Germany's success is due to Kahn," said Florian Kay, 23, a banker on his way back to work in the financial capital of Frankfurt after the game.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, an ardent football fan who stands to benefit in a September general election from any "feel-good" factor following Germany's success, said he would fly to Japan for the final.

The celebrations were partly a national sigh of relief.

Early exits from the 1994 and 1998 World Cup tournaments and an ignominious struggle to qualify for this tournament badly dented Germany's standing as traditional heavyweights of the game.

Now their soccer world is in order again.

Germany, who won the title in 1954, 1974 and 1990, were matched throughout the thrilling, end-to-end semifinal by Asia's first representatives in the last four, who were backed by a fervent crowd of 65,000.

South Korea's disappointed but proud fans were consoled as newspapers said their team's defeat ended a dream but had instilled people with renewed confidence.

"In the end, the South Korean Express simply ran out of steam, the Korea Times newspaper said in a front-page story under the headline "Germany end Koreans' dream."

"The toll of three weeks of heroics told as Hiddink's Heroes were outfought by a powerful and organised German side," it said, referring to Dutch-born coach Guus Hiddink.

The defeat was disappointing for South Korea's 48 million people - particularly the "Red Devil" fans who held unprecedented street celebrations.

But the nation's newspapers were philosophical.

"We are proud of Korea," said a headline in the Donga Ilbo .

"Well fought," said the Korea Economic Daily.

Millions of red-shirted fans who gathered on the streets to watch the match on giant screens returned home dejected but not completely devastated.

Many sang and chanted well into the night and cars honked their horns.

"Win or lose, we are confident of ourselves," read another headline in the Donga Ilbo, which also said "South Korean citizens, give a big hand to the players.

"South Koreans ... have never been united before. We have experienced what it is to become one through the World Cup."

Fans and media expressed the view that soccer has been raised to a new level in South Korea and would continue to grow.

- REUTERS

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