DORTMUND, Germany, June 13 (UPI) -- The key game in the World Cup's Group A was always thought to be Poland vs. Germany, but the first-game results made it even bigger for the Poles.
Shortly after Germany posted a 4-2 victory over Costa Rica last Friday, Poland was surprised by Ecuador and lost 2-0. Suddenly Poland was three points behind two teams in group play, and to fall behind by six would pretty much dispel hopes of advancing out of Group A.
Poland goes against Germany Wednesday in Dortmund.
"The second game against Germany is now a very hard task," Poland's Michal Zewlakow said.
"For us, it will be a do-or-die game, so it could make things difficult. But sometimes in these situations you can gain strength and motivation."
Germany already has that motivation. The Germans entered the opening game without injured Michael Ballack and still overpowered the Ecuador defense with 21 shots. Among the four goals were two by Miroslav Klose.
"This win gives us confidence for the next games, although we know we still have to improve," Klose said.
