Valiant Efforts

Today Germany will take on Portugal in the third place match of the world cup. Both sides have done well this tournament and exceeded most expectations. The host nation was involved in curious amounts of controversy leading up to the cup and their were even calls for the firing of boss Jurgen Klinsmann for a number of reasons including the style of soccer he had his team playing. Now many in the national media are running a petition to keep him as coach. The Portuguese side also has played wonderful soccer in the tournament. After winning their group they disposed of Mexico in the round of 16, and then took down European powerhouses Holland and England before losing to France in the semi's thanks to only surrendering a goal via PK's. Today's fixture will be the perfect lead up to tomorrow's championship match between Italy and France.