Finally, some soccer to truly make me smile. I even squealed once. (See if you can find an ESPN soccer journalist admit that in print.)
Germany is playing with a newfound lightness and joy – first exhibited in the 2006 World Cup they hosted – that seemed only to grow stronger out of the unfortunate loss of star midfielder Michael Ballack to injury. Without Ballack, the play opened up, looking more Dutch than German in its creativity and fluidity, and resulting in four goals from four different goal scorers: Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose (who could have had at least three more), Thomas Muller, and Cacau.
Germany is always a force in World Cup soccer, but OMG. I can’t wait to see more of this team.
Australia, on the other hand, can get an early start on packing up. Their allegedly expert defense was picked apart, and not just because of the German’s masterful attack. They simply didn’t measure up, and Ghana is likely to make a meal of them, as well.
One sour note: The officiating thus far in the tournament has been exceptional, with nothing more than the rare missed tripping call. But the red card that sent off Australia’s Tim Cahill, killing any chance of Australia surviving the group stage, was absurdly harsh. As a strong supporter of the doctrine of Fair Play, I’m all for cracking down on dangerous play, but this was a standard reckless challenge, worthy of no more than a yellow card. It tore the heart out of an already disheartened Aussie side.
My prediction was: Germany. Final result: Germany 4-0.
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