GERMANY - ARGENTINA

LEHMANN ENDS ARGENTINE DREAMS

GERMANY 1 ARGENTINA 1

PENALTIES: 4-2

The Lowdown: This match was viewed by many as the biggest fixture of the tournament, at least so far, the immovable hosts versus the unstoppable favorites. You could say it lived up to its billing even though scoring opportunities were few and far between in regulation. I don't know what kind of injury Argentina goalie Abondanzieri sustained, but for his sake it had better be at least a cracked skull or something of similar severity because his departure forced coach Pekerman to bring in backup goalie Franco, who looked lost during the penalty shootout. Worse, it effectively used up a substitution that could have brought on the electric Lionel Messi. At the opening whistle Germany stormed out of the blocks, furiously pursuing the crafty Argentinian dribblers. But the referee was quick to call several fouls on the overzealous hosts and the tempo was set for Argentina to completely dominate possession in the first half. However, for all their fancy footwork and passing they had nothing to show for it, and perhaps the best scoring opportunity for either side was squandered when Ballack sailed an early header over the crossbar. On 49 minutes Ayala scored with a cracking header from a Riquelme corner, and it looked like Germany were done for. However, the Germans took the initiative, and instead of matching their aggression the Argentines resorted to negative tactics. At least one player was given a yellow for fake diving, playmaker Riquelme was substituted for the more utlilitarian Cambiasso, and Crespo came off for forward Cruz. To top it off, the goalie got injured(I have a gut feeling that he faked it and was too embarrassed to come back on after such theatrics, crazy as that may sound) and backup Franco came on. From that point on Germany looked like the better team, and their efforts were rewarded with a Klose header in the 80th minute. You always had the feeling that Germany's Lehmann would be the ace in the hole for a penalty shootout, and that proved true as I believe he guessed the proper direction on every Argentina spot-kick, saving two. Goodbye Argentina. You are a better team than the Germans, but you deserved to lose.

Match Rating: 4 out of 5. An epic finish, but it was played so tight that you could count on one hand the number of genuine scoring opportunities for both teams.

Man of the Match: Jens Lehmann. Finally came out from under Oliver Kahn's shadow by coming up huge in the penalty shootout. On Ayala's shot he used the oldest trick in the book, moving to one side of the goal to invite the foolish Ayala to shoot opposite direction, where of course the wily German(aren't they all?) dove in anticipation. Honorable mention to Odonkor, who really invigorated the German side after coming on and ran rings around Juan Pablo Sorin on the flanks. Argentina forward Carlos Tevez also merits a mention. That guy is so good, it's frightening. I've given up my man crush on Clint Dempsey. I now officially want to be Carlos Tevez, though without that shit on his neck.

Disappointment of the Match: If Germany and Argentina combined their teams, there would probably only be two German starters, Lehmann and Ballack. The rest of the German team would struggle to make the Argentine squad, much less get playing time. The talent gap between these teams is actually quite large, and yet the Germans made up for it with superior athleticism, fitness, and team unity. Pekerman has a lot of explaining to do. Just like Spain coach Aragones, he played his cards too soon. Taking off Riquelme showed that he didn't think they would need another goal, but the most egregious decision, and perhaps the worst of the whole World Cup so far, was not bringing on Lionel Messi, who is arguably the most dangerous player on the team if not in the whole world. Instead, he opted to bring on Cruz, presumably for his superior height and ability to come back and defend. No disrespect to Cruz, who is a good player and buried his penalty if I'm not mistaken, but not bringing on Messi was a fatal error. He would have kept the pressure on the German defense, provided for more ball control when they needed it most, and may have produced a moment of brilliance that they so sorely needed. Pekerman will face the music back home in Argentina for that move. And if not Messi, why not Saviola? Cruz? I can't get over it.

Huh? You can just tell when a guy is going to miss a penalty by the look on his face. When Roberto Ayala stepped up to the spot, he looked spooked and you could tell. Actually he had the same look that his teammate Riquelme had before he missed for Villarreal against Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final. It's that look of fear. Lehmann smelled it and snuffed out Ayala's sorry attempt.

Extra: Germany's defense was maligned early in the tournament, but barring one corner they looked exceptional today. This reminded me a lot of the Spain-France match. The more skilled team dominated possession but had little to show for it. Also reminiscent of that game by the horrendous managerial decision of Pekerman to not only go for a 1-0 win but to leave "the next Maradona" on the bench. Also, don't know what happened after the match but the entire Argentine team tried to beat the shit out of Germany assistant coach Oliver Bierhoff. No doubt he said or did something quite unsporting in the aftermath. There is no question that Argentina tried their old dirty tricks to pull out a win, but to be fair Ballack is quite a cheater too(he goes down like a prostitute in the box) and the loss was punishment enough for any cheating antics.

The Fallout: Another epic on the way, Italy-Germany. I think Italy has the edge, but the Germans will be keen to avenge their earlier 4-1 thrasing at the hands of the Azzuri in a friendly. Probably the most talented team at the cup, Argentina have been eliminated. The old adage is true: You can't play not to lose, you have to play to win. Only Germany did that today.

AZZURRI EXPRESS ROLLS OVER UKRAINE

ITALY 3 UKRAINE 0

The Lowdown: If you had to pick one team of the quarterfinalists who didn't belong, it was Ukraine. They started their campaign off with a thrashing by Spain, and ended it on a similar note today.

Match Rating: Don't know, I fell asleep.

Man of the Match: Luca Toni. He finally broke out by bagging two goals. The guy is a force to be reckoned with. If I were starting a football team my forwards would be Toni and Tevez.

Disappointment of the Match: Ukraine actually created some solid chances but Italy never looked overly bothered by them. It's too bad Switzerland weren't awarded the penalty they deserved against Ukraine in the final minutes of that match because I really think they would have given Italy a good match. Remarkbably, Switzerland left the tournament without conceding a goal. That has to be some sort of record.

The Fallout: Italy take on Germany in another "World Cup Final." These epic encounters between footballing giants really have the feel of a final.

Extra: The only team to score on Italy in this World Cup? Italy. Yes, the own goal against the USA was the only time Italy conceded. That 9 goals for, 1 against. Wow.