Germany waltzed into the semifinals this morning in Cape Town with a 4-0 two-step past a shocked Argentine side. Goals from Miroslav Klose, Thomas Mueller and the surprising Arne Freidrich left the South Americans in tatters, and raised comparisons to another great German team of the past, the side that won the 1974 World Cup.
At Ellis Park, Spain slipped by Paraguay, 1-0, in a poor contest thanks to a late goal by David Villa. The pre-tournament favorites will not convert any critics with a disjointed performance. Nonetheless, the result gives it a berth in the Wednesday semi against the Germans.
Paraguay has now played in two of the worst games seen at this World Cup. This team begs the question: If it’s a “must-win” game, why in the world would you not even try to win?
Against Japan, an insipid Paraguay transparently played for penalty kicks, lacking the confidence and verve to even bother what most would regard as a very average team. In today’s quarterfinals, Paraguay displayed anti-football, and you have to suspect even folks negatively disposed towards Spain were out of their seats when David Villa’s goal in the 83rd minute finally broke the deadlock. At least we wouldn’t have to sit through 30 more minutes of this!
You can forgive the South Americans for being more cautious against the European champions, but you cannot forgive them for playing a game — if that’s even the phrase — that destroyed what could have been, if not an absorbing contest, then perhaps a diverting one. Paraguay started off playing some decent, rattling football, then inexplicably shifted tactics after the break and simply declined to go forward.
But blame Spain as well: It failed to break down a team that learned the lessons the Swiss and the Americans had taught them. If you put a body on the Spaniards and disrupt every play, you can beat them. Of course, it helps if you shoot the ball at the net, and sadly that’s something Paraguay spectacularly failed to do.
Truth is, the game was so poor that if it hadn’t been for some laughable moments in the match, we’d have little to talk about.
There was a minor kerfuffle in the first half when Nelson Valdez had his goal in the 42nd wiped off because his teammate Oscar Cardozo was judged active and offside. Replays showed Cardoza hadn’t touched the ball, but this one was a judgment call, and the linesman had every right to flag the play.
Then there were the penalty kicks. Three of them.
First, referee Carlos Batres pointed to the spot when Gerard Pique manhandled Cardozo to the ground. Cardozo stepped to the spot and hit a poor shot too close to Iker Casillas, for an easy save. On the ensuing play, David Villa latched on to the long ball, and was promptly hauled down by Antolin Alcaraz. Another penalty was awarded, this one taken by Xabi Alonso. He sunk it, but Batres ordered it retaken because of encroachment by the Spanish players. Keeper Justo Villar saved Xabi’s next shot ... then took out Cesc Fabregas while attempting to save the rebound. No call — and this one looked more of a foul than Alcaraz’ — and the game trudged on.
Villa’s goal nearly didn’t happen. Andres Iniesta dragged the ball across the edge of the box, setting up sub Pedro Rodriguez, who drove his shot onto the far post. The rebound fell to Villa, who hit his shot off the opposite far post, saw it bounce off the near post, and finally settle into the back of the net.
Paraguay finally got things into gear, and for one sickening moment it looked like we’d head to extra time when Casillas bobbled a shot by Lucas Barrios, dropping the ball right at the feet of Roque Santa Cruz. Luckily for fans worldwide, the Real Madrid keeper recovered well to make a big stop.
It was just desserts. For once at this Cup, anti-football lost the day.
Earlier in the day, Diego Maradona was uncharacteristically quiet at his team’s postgame press conference. He thanked his team and his opponent, and defended his best player against the ridiculous criticism he has weathered at home. That player, of course, would be Lionel Messi. He and Argentina are heading home because every time Messi touched the ball, four German players were there to greet him. This defeat wasn’t Messi’s fault.
Maradona will bear the brunt. He should take heat for his roster — leaving Gabriel Milito and Esteban Cambiasso home now seems very dumb. He shouldn’t be blamed for much else. Considering the joy and flair Argentina had shown in a Cup so lacking in either, would anyone have expected a thumping of this magnitude? No.
Why did Argentina lose? Because the Germans were better.
Howls of anguish from Buenos Aires could be heard in Cape Town after only the third minute, when Nicolas Otamendi fouled Lukas Podolski, allowing the Germans a dangerous free kick. Man of the match Bastian Schweinsteiger curled the ball into the box, where Muller beat — you guessed it — Otamendi and headed the ball home.
It was no less that the Germans deserved. They came out with speed and a vision that Argentina were bluntly unprepared to handle. The Germans knew Martin Demichelis and Otamendi were liabilities. They attacked them without mercy, running Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil at them from the whistle. They also knew if they struck at the heart of the defense, Gabriel Heinze and Nicolas Burdisso would be pulled out of position. Phillipp Lahm used that revealed space like his own personal runway.
None of this would have mattered if not for the man who has made this Cup his personal coming out party. It was Schweinsteiger who pulled the strings on a magnificent, comprehensive display that left Argentina wondering what hit them. He sprung their counters, leading to three brilliant goals. He helped to shut down Messi, leaving Carlos Tevez to do more heavy lifting than possible. He forced Maradona to move Javier Mascherano back, taking a man who might have contributed to the attack out of the game.
Schweinsteiger has made the injury suffered by Michael Ballack look like a blessing in disguise. Khedira might have taken Ballack’s spot in the lineup, but it is Schweinsteiger who controls this team.
This German team knows the ball moves faster than any player can, and behind Schweinsteiger they are using it to slice through defenses in a way that echoes the play of a team that won the Cup in Munich almost 36 years ago to the day. Of course, this team doesn’t boast names like Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Mueller, Uli Hoeness and Wolfgang Overath. Yet.
The signal moment? Schweinsteiger’s plunge toward the Argentine net in the 74th minute, which saw him beat four defenders and keeper Sergio Romero. Schweinsteiger passed the ball to Freidrich, who, in tapping it home, scored his first ever goal for the national team after 77 appearances. Friedrich, 31, was one of only two men over 30 on the field today for the overwhelmingly youthful German team. The other is Klose.
Speaking of, with his two today, Klose now has four goals in this Cup and has gone past Pele on the all-time list. The Germans have scored four goals in three separate games. They have downed England and Argentina, and will next meet Spain, and then, perhaps Holland.
If it comes to pass, that pairing would be a repeat of a famous World Cup final — One which the Germans won in 1974.
Tomorrow
Nada. We have two days off before the semifinals begin on July 6. But don’t forget to tune in to FSC each night at 5 p.m. ET as Ticket To South Africa brings you the latest news and views from the World Cup.
