Lubos Michel' matches

Michel is much like the doctor who has the same standard cure for all ailments. Again he stopped play for every little thing he spotted. Again - for the third match in a row - he booked a player for diving. Replays showed this was a bad decision. Rodriguez was actually tripped by Lahm.

Class for brickwork
This match required a ref that would let the game flow, not stop it at every opportunity. Both teams were playing very tentatively and slowly. Especially the Argentinians seemed overly cautious. Argentina coach Jose Pekerman didn't help things by substituting class for brickwork. After Riquelme's goal (0 - 1), he exchanged him for Cambiasso and later Crespo for Cruz in an effort to hold on to the 1-goal lead. The Argentinian goalie Roberto Abbondanzieri had been replaced before by Leonardo Franco, so this left Pekerman without any option to change tactics in case of an equalizer. Messi would stay on the bench.

Shoot-out
And of course the Germans equalized and of course they held on for penalties. They were almost certain to win in the shoot-out. What with a replacement goalkeeper in the Argentinian goal and two of their sure shots taken off? Both Ayala and Cambiasso looked scared to death walking up to the spot and unsurprisingly their efforts were saved by Lehman.

Trouble
The match ended with a spot of trouble. The Argentinians were picking a fight with the Germans or was it the other way around, who's to say, as most of the action was kept from us by German television. As a result of the clash the Argentinian unused substitute Leandro Cufre was sent off by Michel.