Germany crush Argentina to reach last four

CAPE TOWN,  (Reuters) – Germany outclassed Argentina  4-0 with a superb attacking display to hand their old rivals  their worst World Cup defeat in 52 years and reach the  semi-finals yesterday. 
 
Diego Maradona’s team, among the favourites after four  successive wins at the tournament, had only brief spells of  control in the quarter-final from the moment Thomas Mueller  headed Joachim Loew’s Germans into a third-minute lead.  

Much was expected from Lionel Messi, who was still looking  for his first goal at the finals, but Argentina hardly  threatened Manuel Neuer’s goal as they were easily knocked off  their close passing game.
  
It was Argentina’s worst World Cup defeat since the 1958  finals in Sweden when they lost 6-1 to Czechoslovakia, as their  reliance on a sometimes naive passing game was exposed by a fast  European side with precision passes and running into space. 
 
Rather than avenging a defeat on penalties by Germany at the  same stage of the 2006 finals, Argentina were definitely  second  best at the Green Point stadium. 
 
“Today our team was incredibly convincing in our defensive  play to totally neutralise Messi,” Loew told a news conference.
“What the team showed today in terms of determination to win  was the sort you would expect from champions, also the ambition  they showed, the speed and attacking tempo we showed in the  second half, it was absolute class.”  

A deflated Maradona told reporters: “This was like a punch  from Muhammad Ali.  
“(But) it doesn’t knock my pride in my players because I  know the result is not a reflection of what happened on the  pitch. They put in their chances, we also had some.”
  
He added it was too early to discuss his own future.  
“I could go tomorrow, but I want these kids to go on showing  the real Argentine football,” he said. “(Messi) had a great  World Cup … (he didn’t score) because the ball lifted or  goalkeepers were their teams’ stars.”    

BRILLIANT BASTIAN  

Bastian Schweinsteiger, commanding in the middle, was superb  marshalling the Germans’ counter-attacks with the help of the  creative Mesut Ozil.  
Javier Mascherano was often overrun as he tried to do the  job of two men in the middle for Argentina while Maradona paid  the price for opting against fielding veteran Juan Sebastian  Veron, who might have steadied the team and brought depth to  their passing. 
 
Mueller slipped away from Argentina’s defence at a  Schweinsteiger free kick from the left wing to head home at the  near post and put Germany one up after just three minutes with  his fourth goal of the finals.  

Argentina nearly conceded a second close to the half hour  but Klose, alone in the middle, shot over the bar.  
Gonzalo Higuain, who has scored four goals at his first  finals, had the ball in the German net late in the first half  but it was ruled offside.  
Argentina came out for the second half determined to take  the game to the Germans but Loew’s side held out with winger  Angel Di Maria coming closest with a left-footed shot from the  right that went just wide of the far post.  

Klose, who took his World Cup tally to 14, one short of  Brazilian Ronaldo’s record, tapped in the second from Lucas  Podolski’s low cross from the left in the 68th minute and  rounded off the rout in the 89th with a volley from Ozil’s  cross.  
In between, veteran defender Arne Friedrich scored his first  international goal.  

Man-of-the-match Schweinsteiger, speaking on German  television, said: “We may have to play Spain next — they’re the  best team in the world, in my view. But we’re good enough, we  believe in ourselves.”