Round of 16: Day 2

Germans In Bloem

Germany   4-1   England        Bloemfontein

Germany produced the most spectacular display of the tournament in thrashing the English 4-1 in Bloemfontein. The game was shrouded in controversy but there can be no doubting which team deserved to progress to the quarter finals.

Four goals of varying degrees of beauty were the least die mannschaft deserved from what was a fascintating last 16 tie between two of the World Cups traditional heavyweights. The pace, movement and passing of the German attack and midfield was so potent they looked like scoring from every surge into the oppositions half. 

Following this victory over one of their many Europeans adversaries, this young German team must now be considered serious contenders for the grand prize. Two weeks ago they were an unknown quantity but now they are the most promising team in world football with Mesut Ozil as their prized asset.

Once the scrappy early exchanges were concluded the Germans went about putting their stamp on the game. Ozil run from deep caught the English defence unawares and the first may have come after a matter of minutes had it not been for David James. The Three Lions had been given a warning of things to come.

For all their pace and clever interplay it was a very English move than provided the opening goal. A long punt from German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer bounced over John Terry only for Miroslav Klose to pounce and poke home his 50th international goal. 

Twelve minutes later they scored a second. Klose released the enthusiastic Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller down the right in the 32nd minute, who keep his cool and passed the ball across the box to Lukas Podolski who took one touched before unleashing a customary left foot rocket that went in off the far post.

At 2-0 Fabio Capello's team were yet to turn up. Wayne Rooney and Jermaine Defoe were isolated up front and the only shots that Neuer faced were speculative attempts from distance but then they got a lucky break. A short corner allowed Steven Gerrard the space to plant a cross on Matthew Upson's head who nodded into the empty net beyond the nervy Schalke 'keeper. 

The games pivotal moment came only two minutes later. Amid a scramble on the edge of the German 18-yard box Frank Lampard attempted to lob Neuer. The Chelsea midfielder achieved just that but the ball was adjudged to have not crossed the line. The majority of those in the stadium knew it was a goal but the referreeing officials believed otherwise.

Such a scenario once again raises questions about the use of goal line technology. One would have thought a bigger controversy than the Thierry Henry incident was unlikely to occur so soon but it already has. The most high profile game of the World Cup so far has seen an officiating error outrageous proportions. Another embarrassing moment for Sepp Blatter was only hours away as well, in the evening game in Soccer City.

England pressed for the remainder of the half and their opponents were clearly rattled and in dire need of the half time break. Engalnds pressure though, was no more than kick and rush, or huff and puff. Capello's prehistoric 4-4-2 system contained no element of surprise but the players didn't exactly help. The midfield was icapable of linking with the strikers and players couldn't find each other from ten yards. When a simple pass was on offer the likes of Gareth Barry and Gerrard were more interested in firing fifty yard hail mary passes diaganolly across the pitch, a tactic that saw them lose the ball rather than penetrate the German rearguard. 

A composed mannschaft came out for the second half. Jogi Low's team started passing the ball elegantly once more and ultimately just reward would come through two ruthless counterattacks. Firstly, a Lampard free kick rebounded off the wall and ten seconds later the ball was in the English net. With options ahead of him Bastian Schweinsteiger kept his composure to pick out Muller on the right hand edge of the penalty area who drilled the Jabulani past a hapless James, who was partly at fault. 

Only minutes later an attacking England throw-in became goal number four. With Terry in an advanced position an English defence was non existent. A long clearance come pass found Ozil on the left, who turned on the after burners to brush past Glen Johnson. Once on his own the Werder Bremen schemer waited for Muller to arrive at the far post, who was all to happy to end England's "golden generation". 

The Germans passed the ball effortlessly to a chorus of oles as the game became an embarrassment for the Premier League's superstars. Despite the misfortune surrounding the goal that never was, the Three Lions can have no complaints about their exit. All their talk of finishing the job in 90 minutes and being ready for penalties if they came about now looks a tad silly. The national confidence that followed the narrow win over Slovenia was completely in vain. 

The inquest will now begin into their spectacular demise. Capello may become the new Sven while the teams elder statesmen may be cast aside in favour of a more German approach. In the end it was the standard of the players rather than their manager that ended their World Cup dream. The English stars of the Premier League have a supporting cast of the world's top talent, and how they would love to call upon the likes of Javier Macherano, Didier Drogba and Nemanja, Vidic but put a bunch of Englishmen together and they cant pass the ball five yards in front of them.            

As for the Germans, there is no limit to how far they can go. Argentina's clueless performance against Mexico will see them become favourites to reach a third successive semi final when they meet next Saturday in Cape Town. Further showings like todays and that they may go even further than that. 

God Still on Diego's Side

Argentina   3-1   Mexico     Soccer City, Johannesburg

Another came that involved controversial undertones was Argentina's victory of the Mexicans at Soccer City. Diego Maradona's team made the most of their good fortune to set up a quarter final with their Nemesis from 2006, Germany.

A bright start from the Mexican players was rendered pointless once Carlos Tevez headed home from an offside position. The Manchester City forward was the closest man to the Mexican goal when Leo Messi clipped the ball towards his head but the referees assistant failed to see the blatant offside before his eyes.

The goal visibly rattled Javier Aguirre's team. The incident was shown on the big screen in the stadium and th injustice was there even for the officials to see. Both groups of players swarmed the assistant referee as the Mexicans hoped to have the goal rescinded and the Argentines tried to enforce the letter of the law and keep their goal.

The yellow card Rafael Marquez picked up for a heavy challenge on Barcelona team mate Messi was an indictment of how his team had crumbled, as was the second goal. Ricardo Osorio's under hit pass across his 18-yard box to Marquez only found Gonzalo Higuain who rounded Oscar Perez and slotted the ball into an empty net. World Cups are won and lost in such moment.

If the first goal was hard to come to terms with then the second was a killer. Their impressive start to the game that saw both Andres Guardado and Carlos Salcido seemed like a different match as the sides approached half time.

Departing the field at half time the Mexicans were still clearly upset about the previous 45 minutes. Both benches and staff members clashed on the side lines as the teams departed the field of play.

Tevez put the final nail in the coffin only minutes after the restart. His rocket from 25 yards left Perez with no chance as the ball shock the top right hand corner of the net. Much like his coach had done in 1986, Tevez followed up a controversial goal with a sublime one.

For the remainder of the game El Tri pressed forward but at times only half heartedly. Chances were few and far between and those that did arise were badly executed such as a header from Javier Hernandez and a tame near post effort from Pablo Barrera. Otherwise they were restricted to shooting from distance. 

The Argentine's looked a little lost for the majority of the second period. Rarely did their front three get on the ball and their play looked more off-the-cuff than pre-ordained. If Messi and Tevez aren't prominent in the game then Argentina may not have the fire power elsewhere to create and score goals, which is exactly how the second half was played. 

Hernandez pulled a goal back and in so doing proved his worth to Manchester United fans with the quality of his finish. It gave his side some brief hope of an unlikely comeback but as the clock counted down any openings were not forthcoming. In the end the Argentines could wind down the clock and turn their attention to next Saturday's grudge match. 

Four years ago la albiceleste were inglorious in defeat in Berlin. Jose Peckerman's disastrous substitutions had cost his team a place in the semi finals as Germany equalised and went on to win on penalties. Tensions boiled over after the shoot-out and revenge will surely be in the air for the likes of Gabriel Heinze and Javier Mascherano when they meet again next week.