World Cup 2010: Quarterfinals, Day 2: Germany Leaps Over Argentina; Spain's Last-Minute Olé

Argentina 0 - 4 Germany
Paraguay 0 - 1 Spain

Argentina v Germany

Instead of taking off his pants, World Cup showman, Maradona, may have pooped them. In this much anticipated match between Argentina v Germany, what began with a whip-lashing goal by Muller in the third minute ended in the decimation of a struggling and defenseless Argentine team.

Not one goal was won by La Albiceleste, who seemed to gain some control in the second half but failed to capitalize on innumerable opportunities at the German goal post. Once Germany scored its second goal in the the 67th minute, its confidence level shot up, as did German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who stood beaming from the stands. Convinced of their superiority, Die Mannschaft doubled their fun, at Argentina's expense, striking two more hits in the next 20 minutes.

Icing on the cake for Germany: Both Klose and Muller are tied at 14 World Cup goals, one goal away from Brazil's Ronaldo. Because of a yellow card suspension, Muller will be sitting the next game out, leaving Klose all alone to break or tie Ronaldo's record. However, Klose claims he isn't thinking about that right now. Hmph, yeah right.

That leaves Uruguay the last remaining South American team in the semifinals, a complete turnaround from all the Sazón that was spicing up the second round. Europe has emerged the leader, with the Germans leading the pack. Cue the Darth Vadar music, here they come!






Btw, psychic octopus, Paul, predicted this one too.



Paraguay v Spain




It was another one of those tedious, scoreless matches. Some spikes of drama included a disallowed goal by Valdez for Paraguay, a nosebleed for Santana, and a perfect save by Spain goalie Iker Casillas. But for the longest time, not a single goal was scored by either team. Was I going to have to order another beverage? Then, in the 83rd minute, Spain's David Villa triumphed over a resilient ball that seemed determined to bounce out of play. It was a win that ignited Spain fans all over the world and caused Spanish announcers to lose their breath.

But can mild-mannered Spain beat the goal-pounding Germans? It doesn't look like it, but who knows, maybe we'll get to see a little of La Furia Roja come out in Wednesday's match. Being one of the few top-ranked teams that has never taken home the FIFA World Cup, Spain certainly has strong incentive to win. As for the psychic octopus, I don't know what Paul's prediction is for this match, but here's a not-so-shocking prediction by a German scientist. That alone should make you want to root for Spain.