Germany shocked

Germany fell behind by three goals in an amazing first-half in this soccer friendly at the Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, and never recovered.

The poor display of the World Cup quarter-finalists was all the more remarkable since Bruce Arena's US team had not scored in two recent games. But the goal which broke the drought was worth waiting for.

On 15 minutes Jovan Kirovski seized on a loose ball in the outside left channel, feinted to the right to outwit Bayern Munich's Markus Babbel, and unleashed a rocket shot which rose diagonally past goalkeeper Oliver Kahn into the top left corner.

It was no more than the Americans deserved. A second-minute cross from Eddie Lewis should have seen Brian McBride hit the net, and Lewis's 14th minute centre just failed to meet two white shirts running in on Kahn.

The Germans were undone in a two-minute burst midway through the half. In the 23rd minute Tony Sanneh dispossessed Jens Jeremies near halfway and raced clear to shoot low past Kahn. Two minutes later Jones's cross into the middle was laid off to Chris Armas. The debutant lobbed over the defence to Lewis who set up the unmarked Reyna to slot home from three yards.

It was apt punishment for the leaden-footed Germans who appeared to be more concerned with the Florida sun than the task at hand. The side looked a shadow of the German teams we have come to know.

Germany came back from a similar deficit against the Brazilians in Washington in the run up to the 1994 World Cup, and against Yugoslavia and Mexico in France, but there was no hint of a turnaround here. Arena refused to try out squad players after the interval, going instead for a piece of history which the team's performance thoroughly deserved.

Save for a missed effort from Preetz in the 87th minute when Frankie Hejduk headed across his own goal, the party never looked liked being spoiled.

The defeat prompted Franz Beckenbauer to brand the present German team as a "bunch of journeymen". The football legend, who captained West Germany to World Cup victory in 1974 and coached them to another triumph in 1990, let rip as the once mighty Germany's decline continued.

Beckenbauer, now Bayern Munich president and head of his country's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup, said: "There are too many mediocre players in this team, they are journeymen. Where have all the talented players gone? Players like (Andi) Brehme, (Rudi) Voller and the young (Lothar) Matthaus. For the first time we are finding it hard to produce a new generation."