Germany Rolls Through Argentina, Into Semifinals With 4-0 Win

Three goals in the final 22 minutes gave Germany an easy 4-0 victory over Argentina, qualifying them into their third consecutive World Cup semifinal.

The Germans were up after three minutes through Thomas Müller, the 20-year-old attacker heading home a Bastian Schweinsteiger dead ball for an early 1-0 lead.

Diego Maradona has made his first change, bringing on creative midfielder Javier Pastore and ending a tough day for right back Nicolas Otamendi.

Otamendi lost Thomas Müller on the set-piece responsible for the first goal from a foul he had give. The Vélez Sársfield central defender had also picked-up a yellow card and was part of the breakdown on Miroslav Klose’s goal.

Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain has provided Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer with his first test of the match in the 34th minute, putting a left-footed shot to Neuer’s lower left-hand corner, forcing the German `keeper to lay-out to save the show.

Higuaín, with the ball on the right side of attack, cut-back onto his left foot, creating room between himself and defender Arne Friedrich. The ensuing shot was hit along the ground to the near post, the be saved by Neuer.

A relatively easy chance for Miroslav Klose has gone over the crossbar in the 24th minute, leaving Germany up one goal over Argentina.

Build-up through the right side eventually put Thomas Müller with speed into the right side of Argentina’s penalty area. As Nicolas Burdisso moved to play the oncoming attacker, Müller cut the ball back to Klose, by himself 12 yards from goal. Klose opened his right foot onto the ball only to put the shot well over the crossbar.

After what was far from the most egregious tackle of the first 11 minutes, Nicolás Otamendi’s difficult start against Germany got worse when he was shown a yellow card.

Otamendi’s tackle on Arne Friedrich deep in the Germany end brought out the card, though Otamendi could have been carded eight minutes earlier, cynically taking down Lukas Podolski after the winger had played a ball past him. The card stayed in Ravstan Irmatov’s pocket, though Germany scored on the ensuing set piece, Otamendi having lost goal scorer Thomas Müller on the play.

Germany easy converted a set piece in the third minute to take a 1-0 lead over Argentina in the teams’ 2010 World Cup quarterfinal match-up.

Bastian Schweinsteiger service from the left flank, a dead ball won by Lukas Podolski against Nicolás Otamendi, was curled toward the near post where Thomas Müller was running clear of his man (Otamendi) to easily head the opening goal past Sergio Romero.

Like Diego Maradona, Joachim Löw has no surprises for him XI to face Germany in 20 minutes. Lukas Podolski and Mesut Özil, both held-out of training this week, are in the team.

Germany Starting XI

G - Manuel Neuer

LB - Jerome Boateng

LCB - Arne Friedrich

RCB - Per Mertesacker

RB - Philipp Lahm

M - Bastian Schweinsteiger

M - Sami Khedira

LW - Lukas Podolski

AM - Mesut Özil

RW - Thomas Müller

F - Miroslav Klose

Diego Maradona has no surprises for us on Saturday, starting the XI that had been speculated:

Argentina’s Starting XI

G - Sergio Romero

LB - Gabriel Heinze

LCB - Nicolás Burdisso

RCB - Martín Demichelis

RB - Nicolás Otamendi

DM - Javier Mascherano

LM - Ángle Di María

RM - Maxi Rodríguez

SS - Lionel Messi

LF - Carlos Tévez

F - Gonzalo Higuaín

Four years later, Italia 1990’s final featured a rematch, with West Germany earning a head-shaking win after a 10-man Argentina was called for a dubious,late penalty, Andreas Brehme winning the World Cup for the Germans.

Argentina, Going Forward: Gonzalo Higuaín and Carlos Tévez will play in front of Messi, the reigning World Player of the Year a free, withdrawn role. In front of a three-man midfield, this leads to almost everything going through Lionel Messi, with Tévez occasionally taking things into his own hands.