German machine rolls on

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In the end it was an embarrassment for England, as Germany handed them a 4-1 hiding in the last 16 of the World Cup here. The hyped-up blockbuster clash degenerated into a bout between a heavyweight boxer and a flyweight challenger after the break at Free State Stadium here on Sunday.

Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal has created a storm here, with England coach Fabio Capello blaming the Uruguayan referee for his team’s debacle. But those who were present at the electric stadium here would have had few doubts about Germany’s superiority on all departments. Germany coach Joachim Loew will be aggrieved that his team’s excellent performance will always be taken with a pinch of salt.
Goal or not, England’s overpaid and under-performing stars will have some difficult questions to answer when they land in London after a deflating journey from South Africa. The passionate fans of the Three Lions, who soaked in the exhilarating atmosphere here like they are always known to do, may want to know why Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard are so depressingly ineffective when they pull on the jersey of the national team.
Rooney will return home with his reputation in tatters. The worst fears of the striker’s fans have come true: Rooney has ended up a forlorn figure as he was portrayed in a commercial in the run-up to the World Cup.
An England fan hurried to the exit door with 10 minutes remaining, telling his little daughter that “his team were rubbish.” The angry father raged that “it was useless to watch England play.”
It will be an injustice to deny Germany their due. The German dominance was complete. Athletic, cohesive and clinical, Loew’s charges exposed England’s fragilities to billions of TV viewers across the world.
Miroslav Klose brushed aside Matthew Upson’s feeble challenge with ridiculous ease to put Germany ahead in the 20th minute. His assist had come from the other end of the field. German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s long kick bounced inside the penalty box before Klose left the West Ham defender for dead to steer the ball into the net with his outstretched right leg. Klose started the move that culminated in his team’s second. After grabbing the Bayern Munich’s striker pass from the right, Klose’s club-mate Thomas Mueller relayed it to an unmarked Lukas Podolski on the other side. England goalkeeper David James seemed to have narrowed down the angle but Podolski opted to find the net through the veteran custodian’s legs.
Undaunted, English fans shouted “Poland 2, England 0”, alluding to the German goal-scorers’ Polish roots.
Upson atoned for his earlier blunder by nodding in Steven Gerrard’s shot. Then, it was time for the talking point of the match. Jermain Defoe battled for possession near the edge of the box and the ball fell invitingly to Lampard. The Chelsea midfielder blasted it in for his first goal of the tournament only to be denied by referee Jorge Larrionda and his compatriot on the touchline. Germany left England bleeding in the second half with two superb goals on the counter.
Influential midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger was the architect of the first. He waited for the perfect moment to release Mueller on the right. True to his surname, Mueller stabbed the ball in. James had a hand to it but he couldn’t anything to prevent it from flying in.