Germany's walking wounded eventually fended off a far more Australia-like Junior Matildas combination 5-1 on North Harbour Stadium's outer oval on January 31, but they were certainly made to work hard for their latest victory in the Future Stars Invitational Tournament. All went according to plan early on for the European combination, with both Svenja Huth and Lynn Mester going close inside the first eighty seconds of play. The pair were involved again in the fourth minute, this time with scoreboard-changing consequences. Mester played a ball forward for Tabea Kemme to chase, but she was beaten to it by Australian goalkeeper Casey Dumont, who headed the sphere to seeming safety from the edge of her penalty area. Huth had other ideas, however, and calmly chipped home over the stranded custodian and into an empty net. Three minutes later, Mester released the speedy yet silky-skilled Turid Knaak down the right. She played a lovely cross into Huth, whose shot on the turn was parried by Dumont. Kemme followed in to turn home the rebound, but was thwarted by the combined efforts of Ella Mastrantonio and Nicola Bolger. A mistake by German captain Valeria Kleiner five minutes later gave the Australians the opportunity to score a shock equaliser. Teigan Allen pounced on the error straight away and scampered through, side-stepping inside Julia Debitzki's despairing challenge. In doing so, Allen turned right into the path of the retreating figure of Kleiner, who was able to mop up the threat with aplomb, making sure not to tread on the ball as she did so this time round! Kleiner immediately sparked a counter-attack, which saw referee Nick Waldron over-rule assistant Nick Van der Salm's offside flag and allow Huth to hurtle goalwards. Into the penalty area she charged, only to see her shot ricochet to safety off the legs of the advancing Dumont. After Mester had sent a shot fizzing across the face of goal, Annika Doppler lashed a twenty yard free-kick towards the top near corner of the net, only for Alesha Clifford to rise high and head the ball to safety. It sparked a period of play in which the Junior Matildas started to get in the faces of their German opponents, and the approach should have paid dividends in the 25th minute. Allen was all over Laura Vetterlein like a rash, and forced the defender into an error. The striker swooped on the ball and set up Marianna Tabain for a shot on goal, but she managed to direct her effort straight at German goalkeeper Anna Felicitas Sarholz - a great chance missed. It was to prove a costly one, for just two minutes later, the Germans doubled their lead. Huth and Kemme worked a neat one-two around the edge of

the Australian penalty area, where the scorer of the first goal deftly laid the ball into the path of the lively Knaak. She potted a peach of a left-footed strike into the top left-hand corner of Wood's net from twenty yards - 2-0. Within six minutes, a third goal had been notched by the European combination, who have to finish top of their qualifying group in April in order to be in contention for a top-three placing at May's UEFA play-offs, and the return trip to New Zealand such a finish offers. It was another well-conceived and executed effort, sparked by Claudia Bujna's ball down the right which allowed Knaak to stretch her legs and fire in a cross. It was cleared, but only as far as Kristine Zumbult, who, from twenty-five yards, smashed home a beauty into Dumont's top left-hand corner, the shot proving too hot to handle for the goalkeeper, who got her fingers to it but was beaten by its sheer power. 3-0 to Germany, then, but Australia's performance was far more in keeping with what Kiwis have come to expect of those playing in green and gold, and their never-say-die approach in this match paid dividends on the stroke of half-time. Seconds after a late offside call had denied Sophie Hogben a goal, the same player sparked the move which gave Australia belief. She released Tabain down the left, and from the edge of the penalty area she curled an inviting cross to the far post, where fourteen-year-old Emily Van Egmond towered over all-comers to direct a downward header into the bottom left-hand corner of the net. It was a goal from which the Australians took a great deal of heart, because from the very first whistle in the second half, they were right in the faces of their German opponents once more, and the free-kick count was rising by the minute - it was getting a little bit willing in the heat of battle, make no mistake. The most frustrated player on the park, however, was Allen, because ten minutes into the half, she let fly with a dipping twenty-five yarder which looked to have Sarholz beaten all ends up. But the `keeper, who was diving backwards, somehow managed to extend her arm those extra inches necessary in order to flick the ball onto the crossbar and avert the danger - it was a fabulous save. And a crucial one, because six minutes later, Germany replied to Australia's increased presence in the best manner possible - they stashed the ball in their opponents' net once more! Mester, seconds after being booked, channelled her aggression into a strong, surging run from inside her own half which culminated in a pass to Huth, who brought Bujna into play. The overlapping fullback scythed inside and let fly, only for Dumont to parry her effort. Doppler was following in, however, and after controlling the ball neatly, caressed the ball into the net despite the presence of a fast-closing defender.

The Germans had already begun to feel the physical effects of Australia's new-found aggression, with Kemme and Vetterlein both succumbing to injuries. Their number of walking wounded was to rise still further before the finish, dramatically so in the case of Huth, who collapsed in the 74th minute and was stretchered off looking rather the worse for wear. Prior to her premature departure, both goals came under threat. Doppler directed an Inka Weserly cross at Dumont in the 66th minute, while the goalkeeper, with assistance from substitute Rachel Wynne, thwarted the jinking run and shot of Bujna seconds later, after half-time substitute Marie-Louise Bagehorn had picked out the fullback with a crossfield pass. Sarholz was then called into action as Australia pressed for a second goal, the `keeper saving in fine style from both Hogben and Van Egmond. But an awful misunderstanding in the Junior Matildas' defence in the 76th minute saw Vedrana Popovic and Dumont well and truly get their wires crossed, outside their penalty area! The `keeper retrieved the situation, however, her clearance preventing Huth's replacement, Alexandra Popp, from capitalising on the situation. Mester, following up, had her own ideas on that score, and promptly swooped on the ball and chipped it towards the untended target some thirty yards away. Racing back towards it was Dumont, and she nonchalantly flicked the ball away from the goal to complete an unlikely recovery in style. There was plenty of that on show five minutes later, as Popp scored one of the goals of the tournament so far. Latching onto the ball on half-way, she set sail down the left, powering past two opponents before careering into the penalty area, where she calmly lured Dumont out of goal prior to calmly stroking the ball between the advancing goalkeeper and her near post - an 81st minute strike which simply oozed quality. That made the score 5-1 in Germany's favour, and with four minutes left, Dumont ensured the European team wouldn't notch a sixth goal when blocking at the feet of Popp. Meanwhile, Australia's eagerness to reduce the deficit saw substitute Samantha Kerr smash a ferocious close-range volley a yard over the top in the final minute, her shot the last in a match which saw six goals, five of them to a technically sound German combination who conclude the tournament on Saturday with a winner-take-all encounter against the USA, at 3.30pm. Germany:     Sarholz; Bujna, Vetterlein (Simon, 57), Kleiner, Debitzki; Knaak (Bagehorn, 46), Mester (booked, 60), Zumbult (Pietsch, 69), Doppler; Kemme (Wesely, 54), Huth (Popp, 74) Australia:     Dumont; Wallace (Wynne, 48), Popovic, Mastrantonio (O'Neill, 54), Clifford; Bolger, Butt (booked, 83) (Kingsley, 83), Van Egmond, Bolger (Andrews, 89), Hogben (Kerr, 74); Allen Referee:     Nick Waldron