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Mersey World Cup memories no.4: Hamann stars in unlikely Germany run to 2002 final

It's hard to say which was the unlikeliest aspect of the World Cup 2002 final – Dietmar Hamann tasked with being a playmaker in Yokohama, or the fact Germany were there in the first place.

The Germans were a team in transition, still licking their salted wounds; salt that had been crushed into them by England less than a year earlier after consigning Germany to a 5-1 defeat. A 5-1 defeat in Munich, no less.

After qualifying through the play-offs against Ukraine, Rudi Voller's men were expected to be also-rans in Asia – but they obliterated Saudi Arabia 8-0 in the opening group game to make people take note once more.

Their success in that game was based on the bulging forehead of Miroslav Klose, the low-key Kaiserslautern striker with superb off-the-ball movement and excellent finishing ability. His hat trick in Sapporo, albeit against a poor Saudi Arabia side who would lose three from three, panicked the rest of the world.

But any success from that moment revolved around their midfield, the mainstays being Michael Ballack and Hamann, with Torsten Frings and Bernd Schneider making fleeting appearances in the centre; Ballack, more advanced, was tasked with both creating and scoring, while Hamann were to help protect the back four, just as he had that season for Liverpool.

Hamann had enjoyed a successful season at Liverpool, finishing second – but arguably his best performances of that season came in Japan and Korea. While Voller tweaked and tinkered with his side – he shifted from a 3-5-2, to 5-3-2, to a 4-4-2 – Ballack and Hamann remained consistent.

Hamann, who only missed the second round game against Paraguay through suspension, was part of a squad who – after the eight-goal demolition of Saudi Arabia – would only scored six in the next five games, conceding just one.

WATCH: Brazil down Hamann's Germany in Yokohama

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But their run to the final – with 1-0 wins over Paraguay, United States and South Korea – was soured when Ballack, scorer of the winners against United States and South Korea, was suspended after picking up a booking against the hosts.

In Ballack's absence, Voller shifted Hamann further forward for the final against Brazil – a role he had not fulfilled at club level since leaving Newcastle. With no Ballack, Germany also ditched their solid 4-4-2, opting for the 5-3-2 wing-back system instead.

And in selecting Hamann, he became the first Liverpool player since Roger Hunt in 1966 to play in a World Cup final.

Hamann, further forward, tried to influence the game both deeper in midfield and closer to goal. But Brazil had been a joy to watch throughout the tournament with their triumvirate of Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Ronaldo picking apart defences.

With Gilberto Silva and Kleberson – much-maligned in Manchester, revered in Rio – sitting deep, Hamann's playmaking ability floundered. He dropped deeper, looking to help out Jens Jeremies and allowing Schneider to try his luck at penetrating the Brazilian three-man defence instead.

He did manage to keep Ronaldinho – up until that point, imperious – quiet. He also worried Brazil a couple of times with long-range efforts, each one getting closer.

But then, after a cagey 67 minutes, disaster for Hamann. Deep in his own half, he dwindles on to possession too long and is dispossessed by Ronaldo. Ronaldo gives it to Rivaldo, who takes a pot shot from outside the area. Oliver Kahn – voted Player of the Tournament – spills it, and Ronaldo taps home.

It was an unfortunate, unjust moment for Hamann, who had been excellent throughout that tournament. Granted, he did not have a team-mate to pass to and was soon surrounded by a cluster of yellow shirts, but that will not help. What does help, however, is the mistake Kahn made – the goalkeeper would be villain of the piece.

Brazil would go on to win 2-0, courtesy of another Ronaldo strike. The Germans' unlikely win, and Hamann's unlikely dream, was over.

Tomorrow: Michael Owen stuns the world

More Mersey World Cup memories:

Number 5: Labone sheds a stone - and stars - alongside Moore against Brazil

Number 6: Four-goal Eusebio lights up Goodison Park

Number 7: Crouch goes from freak to favourite in Germany

Number 8: Bjornebye and Leonhardsen down Brazil

Number 9: Alexandersson strengthens Swedish stronghold over England

Number 10: Aldo reaches boiling point - and nets crucial goal v Mexico

Number 11: Reds meet Blues in 2010 final

Number 12: Superb Souness proves a point in 1978

Number 13: Bilic faces backlash after Blanc sees rouge for France

Number 14: Gerrard and Howard lock horns in the South African heat

Number 15: Tim Cahill makes history for the Socceroos

Number 16: The forgotten Goodison semi-final

Number 17: Laurie Hughes and the Miracle on Grass

Number 18: Kevin Sheedy scores the goal of his life - and heaps misery on McMahon

Number 19: When El-Hadji Diouf sent Reds fans into a summer frenzy

Number 20: Pele's Samba stars humbled at Goodison