Germany are through to the World Cup semifinals after a comprehensive 4-0 win over Argentina at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Thomas Mueller, Arne Friedrich and two from Miroslav Klose scored as Diego Maradona’s dream run at the finals came to an inglorious end.
Germany started like a team with something to prove and took the lead after just three minutes through Mueller. Lukas Podolski won a free-kick on the left which Bastian Sweinsteiger swung in, and the Bayern Munich striker got in front of his marker to head home.
Twenty minutes later and it should have been 2-0. A defensive slip by Martin Demichelis allowed Mueller a run in on goal. Instead of taking a shot, he squared to Klose, who uncharacteristically blasted over from 12 yards out.
Germany were controlling the play, and it took Argentina all of 33 minutes to get their first shot on target as Di Maria found space on the right and then cut inside a defender, but his shot was tame and straight at goalkeeper Manuel Nauer.
Gonzalo Higuain, who had hardly touched the ball up until that point, then found some space on the edge of the area, beat a defender and fired in a shot, but the goalie got down well to save. Argentina did have the ball in the back of the net through Di Maria on 38 minutes, but the effort was rightfully ruled offside.
Podolski and Muller had more chances for the Germans just before the break, while Lionel Messi summed up his afternoon by firing well over on the stroke of halftime.
Whatever Maradona’s teamtalk was, it seemed to do the trick as Argentina came out firing after the break.
Di Maria bent one just wide, before Carlos Tevez and Higuain both fired straight at Nauer. Argentina were dominating at this stage, but on 68 minutes, and against the run of play, Germany added a second.
The ball fell to Mueller just outside the area, and his run and cutback found Klose, who made no mistake this time around, tapping in from two yards out.
Six minutes later and the game was dome and dusted. The brilliant Sweinsteiger looked like he had nowhere to go when the ball was played to him on the edge of the area, but his mazy run beat three defenders before cutting back for Friedrich to tap in.
Argentina kept trying, but were unable to create and clearcut chances as the world’s best player, Messi, finished the tournament without a goal to his name.
Insult was then added to injury as Klose got his second on the stroke of fulltime, volleying home from Mesut Oezil’s pinpoint cross.
