Klose downs Alkmaar with a double

AFP - 12 April 2007 23:12

Germany striker Miroslav Klose, seen here celebrating his team´s third goal, ended his goal drought in style here Thursday with a brace in Werder Bremen´s 4-1 win over AZ Alkmaar which secured their place in the UEFA Cup semi-finals.

BREMEN, Germany (AFP) - Germany striker Miroslav Klose ended his goal drought in style here Thursday with a brace in Werder Bremen's 4-1 win over AZ Alkmaar which secured their place in the UEFA Cup semi-finals.

The Polish-born forward scored in the 36th minute to end his barren spell, which dated back to January 31 and lasted 1158 minutes, to add to Tim Borowski's opener - which had been pegged back by Moussa Dembele's excellent 32nd minute equaliser.

Any doubts that Werder - who almost put Barcelona out in the Champions League group stages - would not be in the final four were settled when Klose added their third in the 62nd minute.

Inspirational Brazilian playmaker Diego rounded off the scoring against the plucky Dutch with a well deserved goal eight minutes from time, hitting home from the edge of the penalty area after playing a neat 1-2 with Klose.

Werder coach Thomas Schaaf said the thought had never entered his mind that Klose had lost his touch.

"Miroslav always trained hard and never lost confidence," said Schaaf.

"His situation was never as catastrophic as people said.

"He knew he had not lost his goalscoring talents and today his work paid off."

The first half came to a boil after Borowski netted in the 19th minute, escaping the attentions of an Alkmaar defender to latch onto a delightful lobbed ball from Diego to shoot into the far corner of the net.

Alkmaar were far from cowed and captain and former Rangers striker Shota Arveladze almost levelled with a splendid lob from outside the area which took a deflection for a corner.

The Dutch side, though, did draw level as Dembele produced a fierce left footed shot from just outside the box which beat the diving Tim Wiese in the left hand corner for his fourth goal of the campaign.

It had coach Louis van Gaal punching the air in delight, but the former Barcelona and Dutch national coach was not in the same mood when Klose got on the end of Aaron Hunt's pass across the five-yard line to score his first goal of the competition.

Indeed van Gaal was in even more of a fury when what looked like a perfectly good goal was disallowed and he had several words with the fourth official over referee Mike Riley's decision.

The hosts should have been 3-1 up a minute later as Borowski squared the ball from the right but Klose was only able to screw the ball over the bar.

The second half was as exciting an affair with Werder's Naldo going agonisingly close with a rasping free kick but it was to be Klose who closed things down for the German side.

Again Diego was the architect, the pocket-sized Brazilian floating over an inch-perfect cross from the right for Klose to send a diving header past the keeper and secure his brace, and Bremen's victory.