Stuttgart, Germany – Fireworks thundered and flashbulbs popped all around the darkened stadium, illuminating the German players’ brilliant white shirts and the thousands of flags that waved in their honor.
Fans screamed and sang for an hour afterward, savoring the lingering moments as hosts of the World Cup tournament.
And that was after the consolation game.
Germany took third place Saturday in the World Cup, beating Portugal 3-1 on two sensational goals by Bastian Schweinsteiger. He also set up the third, when his free kick was deflected in for an own-goal by Portugal’s Armando Petit.
“We wanted to give our best to our fans,” German coach Juergen Klinsmann said. “It’s a phenomenal end to our tournament.”
It was also a far cry from playing in today’s final in Berlin, an honor that belongs to France and Italy. But at least it gave the home fans one last chance to party, and they embraced the opportunity, locking arms, waving flags and serenading their national heroes as they circled the field at Gottlieb-Damlier stadium.
Schweinsteiger’s two goals were almost identical, and they energized the game – just as Germany has done for the country’s national pride.
In the 56th minute, he retreated from the corner of the penalty area on the left side and worked to the middle of the field. From 25 yards he launched the ball without rotation, a frozen blast beyond the reach of a leaping goalkeeper Ricardo Pereira.
Six minutes later, the midfielder, who didn’t start in the 2-0 loss to Italy in the semifinals, set up the own-goal as Petit deflected his free kick behind Ricardo.
In the 78th, Schweinsteiger again sent a rising shot sailing over Ricardo’s hands. With that he yanked off his shirt, drawing applause from the sellout crowd that included seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher.
Nuno Gomez scored for Portugal in the 88th minute.
