=== Klose double powers Germany to 3-0 victory, Group A top spot ===

Berlin, Germany (My Sportsbook) - Miroslav Klose gave Germany a reason to believe with two goals in the first half to lead his team to a 3-0 victory over Ecuador on Tuesday and the Group A first place spot.

Klose scored the first two in the first half, and Lukas Podolski added a third in the second half to secure the important victory.

With the win, Germany will face the second place team in Group B, which could be England, Sweden or Trinidad & Tobago. This is the first time Germany has won all three of its group matches since 1970.

With first place on the line, Germany opened the first half with dominant ball control, quickly pressuring the Ecuador net.

In the fourth minute, the Germans capitalized, when Klose knocked a shot in from close range to score the crucial first goal.

With the ball on the right side, Bastian Schweinsteiger quickly sent a solid pass to Klose, who maneuvered the ball into the back of the Ecuador net, giving Germany the 1-0 lead inside of the first 10 minutes.

The goal was the striker's third of the tournament and the first Ecuador had conceded in its 2006 tournament schedule.

Klose nearly found his second of the match in the 15th minute when he lunged to connect with Philipp Lahm's cross but fell short.

With the first half coming to a close, Germany doubled its lead, courtesy of an easy goal from Klose, his second of the match for the 2-0 lead. With Germany on the attack, Michael Ballack chipped a pass over the head of an Ecuador defender and through to Klose, who was on the run. Klose snatched the ball, maneuvered around goalkeeper Cristian Mora and easily knocked in the goal from the right side.

With the 2-0 lead, Germany closed out the strong first half with three shots on goal, and the majority of the goal scoring opportunities to take a step closer to the Group A first place spot.

In the 49th minute, Ecuador found just its first shot on goal, when Edwin Tenorio sent a shot from 35-yards out that safely found the hands of Jens Lehmann.

But it would be Germany to find the back of the net first in the second half, as Podolski netted the team's third goal of the day in the 57th for the 3-0 lead.

After blocking a shot from Ecuador, Germany quickly took the attack, with Schweinsteiger sending a pass to Bernd Schneider, who sprinted down the right side with the ball. Upon reaching the box, Schneider sent a low cross right to the center of the penalty box that met Podolski, who reached to send a shot left of the goalkeeper and into the back of the net, securing the win.

In the other early match on the schedule, Poland's Bartosz Bosacki scored twice for the 2-1 win over Costa Rica. Both teams were already eliminated from the tournament before Tuesday's kickoff.