It was put up or shut up time today after the war of words in the media in the lead-up to the all-important quarterfinals between Germany and Argentina.
But what I can say is that Germany were the better team start to finish creating the best chances of the match and finishing with surgical precision 80 percent of them. In fact Miroslav Klose, who had two goals, missed the only other golden opportunity in the first half on a beautiful ball played into the box from Thomas Muller in which Klose blasted it over the bar.
I said it to Rich at one point in the game, Argentina and most of the South American teams like Brazil cannot play from behind - Uruguay are the only ones to have won playing from behind and really should have been eliminated by Ghana as Gyan missed a penalty literally with the final kick of extra time. These teams are wonderful front-runners, really the best front-runners, able to devastate when teams come forward, but they become unglued when they go down.
Bastian Schweinsteiger was the absolute best player in the game. I also said before the tournament that is was a good thing that Michael Ballack was no longer going to be the trigger man because that meant Schweinsteiger - the best German player - would take on that role and open things up for the young thoroughbreds. It's exactly what has happened.
Today Schweinsteigher picked out Muller - the best young player in this tournament - for the first goal, was sensational tracking back to stop the Argentine attack through the middle time and again stealing the ball in his defensive third and making good outlet passes, and then he dribbled through the a tired and exposed Argentine defense before picking out Arne Friedrich for the third German goal - the death blow.
Muller was also on his game as well scoring the first goal on a header off a free kick in the 3rd minute of the game to set the tone and also set up the second German goal when he fell, but still had the composure to slide the ball to Lukas Podolski, who then found Klose. It's a crime and I will cry this from the rooftops if it has an impact in the semifinals, that Muller was carded by the referee in the first half for a deliberate yellow card. First of all, Di Maria had done the same thing within the first 5 minutes of the match even worse sticking out his arm to block a counter, but was not carded. Muller definitely handled the ball, but his was not so cynical that it deserved a yellow, and with that card he is now suspended from the semis an absolute disgrace.
I have to also give props to an old favorite in Klose. I have been highly critical of the Bayern Munich forward, who barely played this past season and I think only scored 4 goals all season. I have thought he was too old and at times he has frustrated me with his lack of sharpness missing very good opportunities like the one he had in the first half that he tapped over the bar in the 24th minute. However, the reason why Klose is now tied with Gerd Muller for the second all-time lead in World Cup goals scored with 14 only trailing Brazil's Ronaldo with 15 is this very simply fact - he puts himself in the right space through great movement for players to find for easy goals. The great goal scores have instinct for making the critical runs, and Klose although not the same player he was in the past two World Cups, still has the confidence with the national team and the ability to get in the right spots for his teammates to find him. And with his second goal tonight, the whole world got to see his signature Flip-celebration.
What a game for Germany, what a finish we have set up here. If Spain beats Paraguay, like they should, I will have successfully predicted three of the final four, but really any of the three remaining European teams could win this tournament. I think the Netherlands will beat Uruguay, who are without Suarez after the red card vs. Ghana, but I truly believe the winner of Spain-Germany wins this World Cup.
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