Argentina 0 - 4 Germany: Classy Germans stun the world

Published on Friday 2 July 2010 19:19

DIEGO Maradona's notorious ego wasn't just bruised in Cape Town last night, it was shattered into tiny pieces by a rampant German side who inflicted upon him the kind of indignity he wasn't used to as a player. By the time goals from Thomas Müller, Miroslav Klose (twice) and Arne Friedrich had sent his Argentina side crashing out of the World Cup finals, he had no stomach for the histrionics that had been his party piece earlier in the tournament.

• Close to perfect: Klose scored twice

These finals have shown no mercy to the big names. Like Brazil, Italy and France before them, Argentina have been sent from South Africa with their tails between their legs. Like Wayne Rooney, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, the galactico that is Lionel Messi has taken leave of the competition. And all the while, Germany's hitherto unheralded combination of youth and experience, talent and organisation, goes from strength to strength.

What a lesson they handed the South Americans here: an early goal, a steadfast response to their opponents' inevitable fightback and three second-half strikes that ruthlessly demonstrated the art of the counter-attack. It was the third time that they have scored four in these finals, which might go some way to making England feel better. In all, they have hit the net 14 times, with Klose scoring four of them.

His two in this quarter-final landslide takes his total in the World Cup finals to 14, a mark bettered only by Brazil's Ronaldo. And this was his 100th cap for Germany. That the Bayern Munich striker, who scored just three goals in 25 Bundesliga appearances last season, always comes good on the biggest stage is one of football's enduring mysteries.

Mller, meanwhile, is at the other end of the spectrum, one of the young players in whom Germany's coach, Joachim Lw, has shown commendable confidence. He had another dazzling game here, scoring his fourth of the finals, and tearing at Argentina without a hint of intimidation. A booking for handball means that he will miss Wednesday's semi-final, but they can worry about that later.

For all their free-scoring progress into the last eight, the rap was that Argentina had yet to be properly tested, that they had never been a goal down, that their much-criticised defence had been given too easy a ride. Well, less than three minutes of this one were required to put that right. That was how long it took for the Germans to seize the lead with a goal that confirmed the worst fears of Maradona's critics.When Bastian Schweinsteiger's inswinging free kick curled across the back four, Mller nicked in ahead of them to make the slightest of connections. His marker, Nicolas Otamendi, was reduced to the role of spectator as Mller's glancing header flew into the net. Timed at exactly two minutes and 40 seconds, it was the quickest goal so far recorded at these finals.

This was new territory for Argentina, and it showed. In a quite breathtaking opening quarter, they were given the runaround by Germany, who reached every ball first, slung it about with impressive confidence and might have extended their lead. Klose really should have scored a second when Mller burst into the box and cut the ball back, but the big striker couldn't do the needful.

It was a good half hour before Argentina steadied themselves, but even when they started to make inroads, their opponents had them at arm's length. Messi's best work was too deep, and their chances were far from clearcut. The best fell to Carlos Tevez after a clever threaded ball by Gabriel Heinze, but by the time he had fed Gonzalo Higuain - who found the empty net - offside had been given.

For a young side, Germany were well drilled and tactically superior to their opponents, but for the middle section of the match, Argentina had more urgency. Doubtless invigorated by Maradona's interval team talk - oh, to be a fly on that wall - they started the second half much as Germany had the first.

Angel Di Maria, the Benfica midfielder, was seeing plenty of the ball, on one occasion releasing a shot that faded only narrowly high and wide.

Messi, too, was stretching the game with an array of passes in keeping with his reputation, and gradually, the end product became more and more threatening. Tevez and Di Maria both fired straight at Neuer, and when Messi slipped another of those delicious balls behind the full-back, Higuain's shot was spilled by the goalkeeper.

But, the more Argentina grew desperate, the more they laid themselves open to Germany's speed on the break. The mistake did for England, and it did for Maradona here. When Lukas Podolski broke into the box midway through the second half, he was composed enough to look across the six-yard area and see Klose waiting. The pass, between goalkeeper and defender, was perfect enough to leave his fellow striker the luxury of a touch before knocking it over the line.

Then the roof caved in on Argentina. Schweinsteiger, who had dominated throughout, set off on a mazy run into the box, cut the ball back from the byeline and left Friedrich with the simple task of converting. And with three minutes left, Klose sidefooted home a simple volley. Few expected this crop of Germans to be in the same class as those who won the World Cup in 1954, 1974 and 1990, but you wouldn't bet against them now.

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