DORTMUND - Germany scored a dramatic goal in stoppage time to beat historic rivals Poland 1-0 on Wednesday in a match marred by the worst fan trouble since the start of the World Cup.
After over 90 minutes of hard-fought scoreless play, substitute Oliver Neuville latched on to a low cross from David Odonkor to slide the ball past Polish keeper Artur Boruc, setting off wild cheers in Dortmund's Westfalenstadion.
The German victory culminated a thrilling goal-filled sixth day of the World Cup which saw Spain thrash Ukraine 4-0 in Leipzig and Tunisia score in stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw with Saudi Arabia in the other Group H match.
The drama on the pitch was colored by clashes between rival German and Polish fans in Dortmund's city center.
Ahead of the match there, police rounded up some 300 Polish and German hooligans and other fans that had turned violent -- by far the largest number of detentions since the tournament began on Friday.
As the police moved in, German fans pelted them with beer bottles, fireworks and the chairs and tables from restaurants, according to a Reuters eyewitness.
Earlier a group of German supporters greeted Poles with the Hitler salute -- a criminal offence in the host country and a grim reminder of Poland's suffering under German occupation in World War Two.
A police spokeswoman said both fans and police were lightly injured in the clashes.
The stakes in the Germany-Poland match were high.
After a disappointing 2-0 loss to Ecuador in their opening match, the Polish team needed a win or draw to have a realistic chance of progressing beyond the group stage of the tournament.
Poland had not beaten their neighbors in 14 attempts spanning 85 years and both teams played tenaciously and physically from the start of the high-paced encounter.
With Chancellor Angela Merkel and Polish President Lech Kaczynski watching from the stands, the Polish defense repelled wave after wave of German attacks as the clock ticked down.
Poland goalkeeper Artur Boruc made two outstanding saves to deny Philipp Lahm and Neuville, who had come on for striker Lukas Podolski in the 71st minute. But with the match seemingly headed for a scoreless draw, Neuville stretched for Odonkor's dipping cross and sealed Poland's fate.
"When everything comes together like this it's like a big burst, one feels the emotion of the players," German Coach Juergen Klinsmann said.
It was Germany's first win against a European team at the finals of either the World Cup or European Championships since their victory over the Czech Republic in the final of Euro 1996.
Earlier, Spain produced one of the best team performances so far at the World Cup, overwhelming debutants Ukraine with goals from Xabi Alonso, a David Villa double and Fernando Torres.
Ukraine, who had defender Vladislav Vashchyuk harshly sent off early in the second half, looked off the pace and top striker Andriy Shevchenko struggled on his return from injury.
In an all-Arab clash in Munich, Tunisian defender Radhi Jaidi scored a stoppage time header to seal the 2-2 draw after an 84th minute strike from Saudi substitute Sami Al Jaber appeared to have put his team on track to victory.
The relationship between Germany and Poland, especially between their soccer supporters, has been tense and colored by their violent history.
At first the mood in Dortmund was largely friendly with boisterous groups of fans drinking beer in the sunshine, but it turned darker when a group of German skinheads wearing black T-shirts began to behave threateningly.
Police said some of the Germans and Poles they detained were "problem fans" known to police as troublemakers. Others were carrying "dangerous objects" such as batons, police said.
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