Liveblog: Argentina vs. Germany

Germans clinical from the spot as always. Lehmann the hero as Germany comes from behind to defeat Argentina and progress to the semi-finals in Dortmund.

Final: Argentina 1-1 Germany AET 2-4 on Penalties

Argentina penalty #4 - Cambiasso! Lehmann saves! He was due as he’d been picking the correct way all night. Lehmann is the hero. Cambiasso misses his penalty and Argentina are going home. Germany through to the semi-finals.

Germany penalty #4 - Borowski scores! Strong, confident penalty.

Argentina penalty #3 - Maxi Rodriguez with a good penalty right in the corner. Lehmann guessed correctly. Only a matter of time before he gets another save.

Germany penalty #3 - Podoloski scores! Hit to the lower right. Nice penalty.

Argentina penalty #2: Ayala the goal scorer. He misses! Lehmann smothers a weak penalty. The crowd erupts. Poor penalty.

Germany penalty #2: Ballack is next. He buries his penalty and inspires his team.

Argentina penalty #1: Cruz steps up. Lehmann guesses right but it’s in the top left corner.

Germany penalty #1: Neuville, the veteran. He scores! Great strike to the right side. Blasts it home, even though Franco guessed correctly.

Kahn comes over to Lehmann and has some words in his ear. Good to see those team-mates together. Germany has never lost on penalties in the World Cup. That’s a tough statistic to beat.

Franco has the chance to be the hero of the bench. First choice Argentina keeper hurt.

Extra time Full-time: We’re done. Penalties will follow. Lehmann vs Franco. Who will be the hero. Who will be the Swiss?

119:55 - Not much injury time to be played here. Looks like penalties.

118:37 - Ballack is definitely struggling. Limping around and not getting involved. Bad news. Cruz earns a free kick after the huge striker is beat up by tiny Lahm. How does that work?

117:56 - Odonkor leans on an Argentine player who falls over. The ref says play on and Germany breaks down the right. It comes to nothing. Argentina comes down the other end and Tevez gets a shot away but it is way over the bar. He must be very tired with all the running he’s done today.

116:11 - Frings falls over Heinze and earns a free kick. There was no contact at all.

115:21 - Ballack receiving attention on the sidelines. Germany will need him. Might be that calf that was bothering him earlier.

113:51 - Friedrich kicks Tevez who’d Cruyff-turned him and earns a booking. It looked like a harsh booking. Certainly a foul, but it was more from tiredness than maliciousness.

112:56 - Coloccini has a strike from outside the area but is never on target. Tired legs will mean more shots from distance.

111:42 - Odonkor nutmegs Sorin on the right wing but his cross is blocked. Frings fouls Cruz hard as the ball breaks towards the middle. No card.

110:15 - Cross by the wild haired Coloccini is cleared for a corner by Frings. The corner is met by Argentine heads, but drifts high over the bar.

108:37 - Germany under more pressure here. They’re struggling to get the ball to feet out of their own half. Odonkor somehow manages to trick himself into getting a cross over but Podolski fouls in the Argentine area.

107:49 - Tevez earns a corner with some nice work down the right wing. Germany clears though Ballack.

106:55 - Argentina with some nice passing around the edge of the German area. This is the way they will score you get the feeling. Short passing around tired German legs.

105:15 - Tevez has the first strike of the second period of extra time. His shot is weak though and Lehmann catches comfortably. At least it was on target.

Extra time half time: Fitness will tell now. Germany looking fresher and more adventurous coming forward. Argentina almost like they’re playing with a man down. I bet they wish they had Messi on the pitch now.

104:39 - Odonkor only knows one way to play. Up the line. He’d be great at indoor cricket.

102:59 - Argentina clawing their way back into the game with some short passing. The game is finely balanced and very tense. One of these teams going home tonight.

100:23 - Argentina break with Maxi but there’s not enough blue shirts to get a shot away after Cruz heads back across the face. Germany break the other way after nice hustle from Ballack who stays down holding his calf. Let’s hope it’s just cramp.

98:21 - Ballack and Ayala having a running battle in the box before the free kick Odonkor earned. Once the ball comes in, Ayala waves an arm in Ballacks face as they were backing away and Ballack falls down in the box. Nice acting, big man.

97:05 - Argentina mount an attack, but the angled ball into the box looking for Cruz is over hit and he has no chance to reel it in.

96:03 - Cruz gets a free kick back after he’s pushed in the back by Metzelder.

95:02 - Cruz booked for an elbow to Lahm’s head. Could have been worse the the big striker.

94:32 - Odonkor loses the ball again. This is getting to be a pattern. Good build-up work from one side of the pitch to the other wasted.

92:45 - Tevez takes a knock to the face after falling into a German knee. Bit of claret, good to see. Pekerman takes the chance to talk to his player as he receives attention on the side of the pitch.

91:44 - Tentative start to extra time. Germany controlling the ball a little more. Borowski has been busy since coming on.

Extra time 90:01 - Germany finishing the game stronger and looking like they have the momentum going into extra time. Argentina will have to dig deep to get themselves back into this game.

Full-time: Extra time awaits us. Argentina looked great after the goal, but then eased off the accelorator. Germany did well to build the pressure before getting their deserved equalizer through Klose. Extra time would seem to favour Germany who’s fitness is widely regarded as impressive. They also have one extra fresh field player after Argentina was forced to replace their goalkeeper.

93:40 - Odonkor is booked for a stupid foul - sliding through the back of Cambiasso in a neutral area of the pitch. Crazy foul and more proof that Odonkor does not know what he’s doing out there.

92:45 - Pace of the game slowed right down now. Neither team wants to make a crucial mistake this close to extra time. Is there a last gasp winner in this game?

91:41 - Beanz means Heinze leaps high but can get no direction on his header. Germany clears.

90:39 - 4 minutes of injury time. Argentina pressing more in the final minutes. Maxi plays it wide to Cruz who’s cross bounces off Frings’ shoulder for a corner.

88:37 - Great save by Lehmann! It would not have counted anyway as Tevez was in an offside position when the ball was headed goalwards. Still, a great save by Lehmann as he would not have known that until afterwards.

87:51 - Maxi Rodriguez gets booked for diving in the box. Lahm looked like he made some contact but Maxi’s legs just collapsed underneath him. Harsh booking perhaps.

86:59 - Odonkor is not very good. He berates Freidrich for his own bad touch.

84:59 - Goal hero Klose is coming off. Neuville takes his place. Not sure I agree with that move unless Klose is feeling the bump he took when he ran into Abbondanzieri. Podolski has been far less effective and now Germany is small up front.

83:35 - All of the sudden this game living up to expectations. Germany’s tail is up, Argentina has used all their subs and will struggle in extra time, if we get that far, with a less creative team on the pitch.

81:38 - Horns and whistles erupting all around Berlin and Germany now. Awesome equalizer for Germany. Klose’s 5th goal and the most important so far. Borowski’s header was a deft touch and Klose’s strength beat Sorin to the ball and he headed home perfectly.

79:47 - GGGGGGGGOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL! On the other side of the field, Ballack crosses to Borowski in the box who heads to Klose to slams it hhome from 6 yards with his head. Fantastic goal by Germany.

79:29 - Odonkor dispossesses Sorin on the far side to cries of ‘Wunderbar’ from the commentator.

78:11 - Crespo comes out of the game and is replaced by Cruz. No Messi for us this game.

76:47 - Missed the substituition of another missing man. Schweinsteiger came off to be replaced by Borowski.

74:54 - Odonkor pulls a fast one. He swiffs wildly at a shot and then rolls all over the ground like someone kicked him. It’s an act of Italian proportions. Ref in danger of losing control of this one.

74:16 - Maxi lays all over the ground grabbing the other leg than the one that got kicked (barely).

72:15 - A bad square ball from Lahm puts Germany under pressure and Crespo looks to pounce. Instead it falls to Tevez who draws a beats a few players before laying off to Maxi who blasts into the side netting.

71:28 - Someone found Riquelme long enough to substitute him for Cambiasso. Argentina looking for a more defensive line-up.

69:32 - Abbondanzieri is in a bad way. It does not look like he can continue in this game. Leo Franco will take his place between the sticks. A blow for Argentina to burn a sub on a keeper. They’ve wasted some time here which Ballack is furious about.

68:09 - Ballack is felled after a soft foul by Maxi. Nothing there. The German free kick will be swept in by Schweinsteiger.

66:43 - Germany racking up the corners now, but Argentina looking capable from dead ball situations. They’ve barely made it out of their own half for the last 10 minutes though, which is exhausting the longer it goes on.

65:22 - Beckenbauer sighting! Germany leading on that score, but not where it really counts. Odonkor has one move, the kick by and chase. It has not worked once yet and Sorin is wise to it and just sticks his leg down the line every time.

63:54 - Another corner to Germany. The ball falls to Ballack who blasts his shot into the ground and off Ayala. El Pato jumps with Klose to get the rebound and takes a nasty knock. Both players get up gingerly, but El Pato the worse for wear.

62:04 - Corner to Germany. Schweinsteiger takes, but easily cleared by Argentina. Replay shows Ayala was wrestling with Ballack in the penalty area and looked to bring him down. Could have been a penalty?

61:13 - Signs that we will see Odonkor before too long like I thought at half time. In fact, Schneider comes off now.

59:19 - Mascherano gets a booking for sliding alongside Schneider at the edge of the area. It looked like a decent tackle to me. Podolski hammers the cross across the face of goal but it goes straight out. Why? Why can’t Schweinsteiger take those?

57:56 - No sightings of either Maradona or Beckenbauer so far in this game. I think that’s what’s been missing from this game so far. Of course, the goal has helped me forget that.

56:43 - Wondering what Klinsmann’s blood pressure is like right now. He’s looked so relaxed all tournament, but he’s gotta be feeling the heat now.

55:20 - More end-to-end stuff in this game now. Germany looking to equalize but Argentina enjoying the extra room in midfield too.

54:00 - Argentina counter attacks after the German free kick is cleared. Nice passing from Tevez to Riquelme to Maxi, but the eventual shot that comes in probably had one to many passes before it and is blocked by a retreating German defense.

53:07 - Heize runs through the back of Poldolski. No card but a free kick for Germany.

52:01 - Best thing that could have happened to this game. An early goal and now Germany has to come out and attack Argentina. They will lay siege to the Argentine goal but watch out for speedy counter attacks through Tevez.

49:55 - Riquelme still not doing much but he can turn a game with one kick of the boot. Fantastic header by Ayala. The only place he could score with the header is exactly where he put it. Germany trailing in a game for the first time in this World Cup.

48:26 - GGGGGOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!! Ayala beats Klose to a Riquelme header and places his header in exactly the right spot, beating Lahm on the line and Lehmann diving in vain.

46:58 - Tevez skies a shot over the bar and into Row Q after he turns on a throw-in. Sorin must be gutted right now, if he’s even thinking about the booking/suspension.

45:38 - Sorin draws a booking for a nothing foul. He will miss the next game if Argentina makes it through. Friedrich did well to earn a free kick on that let along a booking.

45:01 - Second half underway. Let’s see some attacking football, lads!

Half-time Highlights: Argentina had the majority of possession, but it was mostly in areas of the pitch that Germany was happy to let them have it in. Both teams have had a solitary shot on target, Argentina has 2 corners to Germany’s none. I would shade Germany looking the more dangerous side, but there really isn’t much between them.

What is the answer? Changes from the bench I think would help get some spark going. I’d like to see Messi early and get him running at the German defense. Maybe Odonkor could provide the same spark for Germany in place of Schweinsteiger who has been absent. I don’t like Odonkor’s touch on the ball, but he looks speedy and may give Germany more width that we’ve seen. Podolski has been little more than a placeholder today so perhaps we could see Neuville taking his place in the second half.

Half-time: As often happens when games are built up to epic proportions, this first half was somewhat disappointing to a neutral observer. Both teams spent the entire half feeling each other out and didn’t seem to come up with any answers. Let’s hope the coaches spotted some holes and will pass these secrets onto the players while they much down on their oranges.

44:50 - Podolski earns a free kick by the corner flag with a specatular fall to the ground. I’m sure there was contact but not that much. Last chance of the half for Germany. Nothing comes of it and the ref blows for half time.

42:35 - No communication between Klose and Podolski today. Seems like their telepathic play against Sweden was a one-off. This game is just dying for a player to take it by the scruff of the neck and start dictating procedings. Ballack has looked good in flashes, but then drifts out. Argentina has had no one step up for them yet - though Tevez is running hard.

41:20 - Riquelme has all but disappeared from the field of play. At this stage he is hurting Argentina more than he is helping.

40:04 - Tevez is terrorizing the much taller Friedrich with his speed on the ball. If those guys go one-on-one, Germany are in trouble.

38:55 - Scramble in the German box. Argentine player surrounded and boots flying everywhere. nice to see no dive action happening. No shot results and eventually Germany clears.

37:53 - Scrappy play by both sides for the last couple of minutes. The crowd is looking for something to cheer about but neither team providing it.

35:01 - Crespo falls over Metzelder’s leg. It was a foul but Crespo made sure the ref saw all of it. The free kick is played to the back post. A wrestling match breaks out with Ayala throwing his German defender to the ground - then just falling over himself in case the ref saw him do it.

33:39 - Klose steps on Sorin and gives away a free kick out wide. Germany half clears and battles for possession near the far corner flag.

32:39 - Argentina pressing. A nice ball into the German area forces Lahm to make a choice. He clears rather than wait for Lehmann to come for it.

30:15 - Schweinsteiger has looked a shadow of the player that lit up against Costa Rica. He’s barely been seen in this game. Riquelme is falling into the same camp today.

28:45 - Friedrich bursts up the sideline with Tevez on his heels. Friedrich looks to be running out of steam on his adventure and Tevez obliges with a foul.

27:28 - Podolski fouls again on Maxi Rodriguez, tackling back. He’ll have to be careful since he already has a card.

26:02 - Crespo called for handball in the German penalty area. Might have been dangerous otherwise but replay shows he definitely used his arm.

24:44 - Germany starting to press now. Nice interplay between Ballack, Lahm and Schweinsteiger. The move goes nowhere after Lahm’s cross is way ton deep but ominous signs for Argentina if they can’t stop the service down their right side.

23:07 - Riquelme goes down in the box under challenge from Ballack. Looked like nothing and the ref agreed, motioning to Riquelme to get up and play on.

21:53 - Possession being swapped back and forth in midfield. Before moves can become dangerous a bad touch or errant pass breaks the play down. A game of inches.

20:00 - Germany has had the better of the forst 20 minutes. They’ve looked more settled and passed the ball about better in areas that matter. Argentina has looked a little nervous but have not looked like they would concede either.

18:29 - Nice break by Argentina. Heinz lays a long ball to Tevez on the left who controls beautifully to beat Schneider. His pass through the legs of Friedrich finds Sorin who plays it into the 6 yard box with his first touch. Mertesacker is there to block the cross for a corner.

17:08 - German free kick in midfield. Schweinsteiger lays it into the area and it’s half cleared by Argentina. Mertesacker has a crack off balance but it skies over the bar from 18 yards.

15:40 - Gonzalez hits the deck on the edge of the area. Ref waves play on. Germany counters quickly and a Schnieder pass finds Balalcks head in the 18 yard box. The header is well struck but goes just wide of the post. First legitimate chance of the game.

14:29 - Tevez being tightly watched by Friedrich. Riquelme has had plenty of touches but hasn’t looked dangerous yet. He looked a bit dazed in the tunnel. I hope his head is in the game.

12:47 - Pekerman on the bench is wearing a suit and white socks. Let’s hope that’s a superstition and not a fashion choice.

11:40 - Argentina drawing jeers from the corwd for keeping possession but not going anywhere with it. This is where they can launch froward in the blink of an eye. Not this time though. Germany wins it back with cheers from the home support.

09:25 - An Argentina free kick is earned when Friedrich tugs Tevez’s shirt. The ref has words but no cards. Riquelme’s bending service is taken by Lehmann but not before we see Crespo’s arm fly upwards towards the ball. Don’t want to see any more of that.

08:11 - Argentina had a corner and the normally excellent service from Riquelme was poor to the near post. Germany clears.

07:03 - El Pato spills the weak free kick but recovers before there is any danger. Podolski tried to bend it but didn’t get all of it.

05:54 - Germany with some consistent possession and looking good with it. Schweinsteiger looks slow, but Klose’s touch is good as always. Klose gets a free kick about 40 yards out after he’s jacked in the back.

04:25 - Argentina attacking dow the left with Tevez and Sorin. Germany defends calmly. Tall timber against small willows down there.

02:45 - Yellow card for Podolski who was tackling back. The Argentina player was barely touched but leapt into the air like he stepped on a land mine.

01:01 - Free kick for Argentina in midfield. They’re setting up in the box, but the players are engaging in a little ‘Argey-bargy’ in the area. Ref trying to stamp his authority on procedings.

00:30 - First flop of the game as Mascherano hits the deck like a sack of spuds.

00:01 - Let the war…er… game begin! We’ve been waiting for a match-up like this all tournament, especially after the Netherlands-Argentina game became less important. Germany looking sharp, but someone really should ask them to tuck their shirts in. I thought that was a FIFA directive from years back.

National Anthems: Those kids out there with the players must be so stoked to be there. What a moment. Ballack reading a speech of some kind. What is up with that? Shouldn’t they be concentrating on the game at hand? Sorin’s turn now. Sorin has the better stadium voice (and hair). Sign him up for American Idol.

5 minutes to go: Players in the tunnel. Germany in white, Argentina not able to wear their stripes today. They’ll take the field in solid blue. Will this effect the game? They beat Germany in 1986 wearing the stripes, while they lost in 1990 in a dire final wearing the blue they wear today.

10 minutes to go: As if the build-up to the game wasn’t enough, there’s the added joy of competing sightings in the crowd of Beckenbauer and Maradona. There could not be two more contrasting representations of the game we all love. The stoic and composed Kaiser - World Cup winner as player and coach, and the unbridaled emotion of the Little Magician - villain and deity of the World Cup and his life off the pitch a soap opera of Dallas proportions. I can’t wait to gauge the emotions of the match in these two faces.

15 minutes to go: German coverage is showing an interview with Tevez. That dude is one ugly cat. Can play though.

20 minutes to go: Perfect weather for liveblogging today. Slightly overcast, cool and no humidity. Let’s hope the teams play as good as I feel right now in the hot seat.

25 minutes to go: No change in the German line-up from the one that took care of business against a tentative Sweden. So I’m going to have to struggle with the likes of Schweinsteiger, Mertesacker, and Metzelder on the LiveBlog. Bloody Germans.

30 minutes to go: Word from the Argentinian camp is that Saviola is on the bench for Tevez to make his first start. I’ve enjoyed Saviola’s play and it’s a shame to see him relegated to the bench. Cambiasso once again finds himself sitting out, replaced by Luis Gonzales. This must be a tactical move as Cambiasso has redeemed himself after his slow start against Cote d’Ivoire.

One hour to go: There’s plenty of talk over on the Argentina team blog, looking at the history of these teams meeting and results that could/should have been but weren’t. It makes for some interesting reading and the belief that destiny is on their side this time.

Certainly Argentina will be up against it. German confidence is sky high right now. The fans are ready to support their team (horns and whistles have been blowing outside WCB HQ for several hours already). It is likely that some decisions will go Germany’s way, no matter how impartial the ref will try to be.

Whatever happens, I hope that the game itself is decided on the field, by the players, and not hinge on one decision made by the man in black.

Pre-game: What a match! Who do you think will win?
All sorts of history associated with this game. The two teams have met in two World Cup finals in recent memory - 1986 & 1990 - with honours shared. The game that could have been the final considering that both these teams are in excellent form at the moment.

It’s a tough call to pick a winner here. Germany has been building steadily with a stream of impressive performances and has the support of the crowd in a massive stadium. Argentina has an awesome array of offensive weapons, both on the field and on the bench should they be required. They’ve buried teams who let them play, and found a way to win against a Mexico team that took the game to them.

My predition is 3-2 to the home side after extra time. What’s yours?