Schweinsteiger fires Germany to win over Bosnia

FRANKFURT, Germany - Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger converted two penalties in four minutes to give Germany a morale-boosting 3-1 win over Bosnia in their last World Cup warm-up game on Thursday.

Germany's Bastian Schweinsteiger (R) challenges Bosnia-Herzegovina's Zvjezdan Misimovic during a friendly soccer match in Frankfurt June 3, 2010. [Agencies]

Germany looked sluggish in the first half but substitutes Thomas Mueller, Marko Marin and Cacau added pace after the interval as Germany struck three times in 27 minutes.

Related readings:  Paraguay too strong for sluggish Greece  England soccer team heads to S Africa for World Cup  Brazil Samba Boys beat Zimbabwe Warriors 3-0  Serbia plays friendly match with Poland ahead of Cup

Cacau, who replaced out-of-form striker Miroslav Klose and set up Philipp Lahm's equaliser, and Mueller, who came on for midfielder Piotr Trochowski and won Germany's second penalty, staked strong claims for a starting spot.

Defender Lahm, making his debut as Germany captain, helped give the Bosnians a 15th-minute lead when he tried to clear the ball but struck striker Edin Dzeko and watched the deflected shot sail over Germany keeper Manuel Neuer.

The 26-year-old Lahm, who will become Germany's youngest-ever World Cup captain after succeeding injured Michael Ballack, made amends early in the second half when he fired in the equaliser after being fed by Cacau.

Germany upped the pace and should have added another through Mesut Ozil who rattled the crossbar seconds after the equaliser. Schweinsteiger then struck two identical penalties in the 73rd and 77th minutes to give his team a deserved win.

Germany have been drawn in Group D of the June 11-July 11 World Cup in South Africa, alongside Serbia, Ghana and Australia.