Klose your big mouth!

They say ‘what goes around will come around’; and the age-old saying is all so true on the soccer field where good-old poetic justice is just a strike or a miss-hit away.

And for lovers of the game, it is a pleasure to witness justice when the ‘big-talking’ ‘gyaan giving’ players of the World Cup get a taste of their own medicine, not by verbal volleys, but on the field.

Ask Miroslav Klose and he will tell you more!

Klose made fun of England the other day, pointing out the Three Lions’ dismal record in taking penalties. “If we play England we know if it goes to a shootout we will beat them,” Klose was quoted in an English tabloid. The German striker adding that he wants to face Steven Gerrard and Co in the pre-quarterfinals as he knows they will win on penalties.

Klose was speaking just after Germany ran through Australia in their opening Group C match while England’s opening match was a howler-featured 1-1 draw with the Americans.

Klose can, of course, be pardoned for being confident. But there is a fine line between being confident and over-confident. You have to be either a Maradona or a Messi to be overconfident dear ‘German goal-machine’. Otherwise fate will hit you hard and it could happen just in a matter of days!

Time: Early evening; place: Port Elizabeth; Date: Friday (June 18); Result: Soccer triumphs! Lucas Podolski stepped up to the spot with just the Serbian goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic in the “Christ-the-redeemer” pose in front of him. The scene was from the 60th minute of Germany’s second Group match against the minnows of the Cup.

The Germans were searching for an equalizer after going behind 0-1. Podolski faltered or rather Stojkovic guessed right as he jumped to the left to parry the weak penalty kick wide. And the “best team in the Cup” so far lost to Serbia, who I would say, played with passion the Germans could only talk about these days.

And where was Mr. Klose when all this happened? He was cooling off in the dressing room after getting sent off earlier in the match. All talk and no action eh ‘Herr Striker’.

Efficient planners that they are, Joachim Loew and his men were already scheming for a possible second round match against England. Now they will have enough time to plan on how to get there first, somehow.

While, Klose can now sit out fingers crossed as his countrymen fight to stay alive in the tournament. Justice indeed!