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Story highlights
Germany held 2-2 by Ghana in Group G
Miroslav Klose scores late equalizer for Germany
Klose equals World Cup scoring record of 15
Asamoah Gyan had put Ghana 2-1 ahead
Veteran striker Miroslav Klose equaled the World Cup scoring record of Brazilian great Ronaldo to rescue a point for Germany in a pulsating 2-2 draw with Ghana in Fortaleza Saturday.
The 36-year-old had only just come off the bench when he reacted quickly to a flicked header by Benedikt Howedes from a Toni Kroos corner to grab the equalizer in the Group G game.
It was his 15th goal in the world’s biggest sporting event, breaking the German record he had held with Gerd Muller.
Klose also became only the third man to score in four World Cup finals tournaments, along with Pele and fellow German Uwe Seeler.
He screwed a late chance wide, but a win for the Group G leaders would have been harsh on Ghana, who gave them an almighty scare.
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The Black Stars had the better of the first half and only two fine saves by Manuel Neuer denied Sulley Muntari and Christian Atsu.
Germany started the second half brighter and Mario Gotze headed the opening goal – which deflected in off his own knee – in the 51st minute after a pin point cross from Thomas Muller.
Ghana, so disappointing in its opening defeat to the USA, equalized almost immediately as Andre Ayew jumped to head home his second goal of the tournament.
Just after the hour mark, Muntari picked out Asamoah Gyan, who raced through to beat Neuer with a fine finish.
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It was his fifth goal in World Cup finals, equaling the African record held by the great Roger Milla of Cameroon.
Ghana substitute Jordan Ayew might have put the game beyond Germany’s reach but he opted for goal rather than passing to the unmarked Gyan.
It proved a vital moment and almost inevitably Germany drew level with Klose’s close-range strike in the 70th minute to leave Joachim Low’s team with four points after two games and set for qualification to the last 16.
“It doesn’t matter whether I play from the start or come off the bench: all games are important and 15 goals in 20 World Cup games isn’t bad,” said Klose, who plays for Italian club Lazio.
He took another of Muller’s records for Germany’s all-time leading scorer when he grabbed his 69th goal in a 6-1 thrashing of Armenia in a World Cup warmup game earlier this month.
Muller scored 68 in just 62 games, his final goal for his country being the winner in the 1974 World Cup final against the Netherlands.
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Ghana, quarterfinalist in 2010, will go into its final group match knowing victory against Portugal will be needed to have a chance of progressing further.
But midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng said it had been the right result after one of the best matches of a tournament full of incident-packed games.
“It went backwards and forwards, Germany could have won it, we could have won it – the point was fair,” said Boateng, who plays for German club Schalke and represented the country’s under-21 team before choosing the nation of his father.
Boateng’s half-brother Jerome was in the Germany side, only the second time in World Cup history this has occurred.