Germany Wins Big, England Folds After Uncounted Goal
It was acclaimed to be a classic European clash on South African soil in front of a roaring 40,000 fans in Bloemfontein. However, the English quickly went down 1-0 in the 19th minute after losing a contested volley from German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer that outstretched the defense and allowed Miroslav Klose to knife the ball past goalie David James.
After drawing first blood, the Germans marched ahead 2-0 by capitalizing on their precision passing game that led Thomas Müller to set up Lukas Podolski for a fast crossing ground strike in the net. With their backs against the wall in the 36th minute, the English rallied back with a lofted pass that gave Matthew Upson a sensational header to challenge the Germans 2-1.
Soon after came one of the worst blown calls in this year’s World Cup as English midfielder Frank Lampard boomed a rifling shot off of the cross bar that landed two to three feet inside the goal line which was cleverly recovered by the German keeper Neuer and not tallied as a goal. After ninety minutes of play, the English retreated into the locker room justifiably upset.
As the second half wore on, the downtrodden hopes of the English turned to despair after failing to convert on a free kick. German midfielder Mesut Özil provided a lightning counterattack by streaking along the sideline to find Müller for the easy score. Müller also provided the final dagger to a 4-1 finish that eliminated the English from the cup.
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