Ballack shines at last

Gareth Friel watches Michael Ballack steal the show as Germany defeat Austria 1-0.

A moment of magic from Michael Ballack lit up an otherwise dull encounter between Germany and Austria on Monday night. The Chelsea midfielder's stunning free-kick flew past the helpless Jurgen Macho and into the back of the net to seal a 1-0 win over their rivals and a last eight meeting with Portugal - managed by Ballack's soon-to-be club boss Luiz Felipe Scolari. Scolari will take over at Stamford Bridge at the end of Euro 2008, and Ballack could decide exactly when that is for Scolari and Portugal. Following two mediocre performances against Poland and Croatia, Ballack responded to the mostly justified criticism he has received in the best possible manner. Although he did not dominate the game as he has been doing in recent months in the Premier League against Austria, Ballack's display of power was a warning to the rest, and in particular Portugal. Having watched Germany's three games closely, it is clear they will need Ballack to be at his best when they go head-to-head with Scolari's men on Thursday. Mario Gomez looks out of his depth despite a fine season with Stuttgart, while Miroslav Klose relies on service from midfield, especially the wide areas. Lukas Podolski is clearly a quality striker/winger but unless Bastian Schweinsteiger can recapture his form of two years ago, Ballack is the only player in Joachim Low's squad who can unlock a defence with one pass or one shot. Scolari will have had mixed feelings watching the 31-year-old's performance against the Austrians - on the one hand he will be encouraged to see one of his key players for next season performing well, but although he wouldn't admit it, he must be slightly worried. Ballack looks like a man who is moving through the gears, and he could well be the one to send Scolari to Stamford Bridge a couple of weeks before he would have liked.