Ruthless Germany thrash England

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AP):

Germany were ruthless in advancing to World Cup quarter-finals yesterday, beating England 4-1 in a second-round match overshadowed by a glaring mistake from the referee.

Thomas Mueller finished two quick counter-attacks within four minutes in the second half to sink England's hopes of beating Germany at the World Cup for the first time since the 1966 final. It was England's worst ever defeat at a final tournament.

Frank Lampard thought he had equalised in the 38th minute when his shot bounced off the underside of the crossbar and over the line, but referee Jorge Larrionda did not award a goal and Germany held their 2-1 lead until half-time.

"It's incredible," England coach Fabio Capello said. "We played with five referees and they can't decide if it's a goal or no goal. The game was a big difference after this goal. It was the mistake of the linesman and I think the referee because from the bench I saw the ball go over the (line)."

That England win at Wembley 44 years ago included a similar goal off the crossbar that is still disputed to this day, with many Germans believing the ball never crossed the line. Now, England fans will have something to complain about for decades to come.

"We heard that the ball was behind the line, that we were fortunate," said Mueller, a 20-year-old Bayern Munich forward who has had a breakthrough season. "Before the last two goals, the game hung in balance, England were putting on the pressure.

"It's an incredible feeling to score the goal that takes the pressure off your team."

2-0 lead

Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski gave Germany a 2-0 lead before Matthew Upson pulled a goal back for England in the 37th minute. That was followed quickly by Lampard's apparently legitimate goal.

"I think if you look back at the game as a whole, we've been beaten by the better team," England captain Steven Gerrard said. "At 2-1, if Frank's ball had stayed, I think it would have been a nice turning point in the game."

Television replays clearly showed Lampard's shot had crossed the line. Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer collected the ball as England shouted for a goal, but the Larrionda motioned for play to continue.

"We clearly controlled the game until England's goal, then there was a short critical phase," Germany coach Joachim Loew said. "What I saw in the television this ball was behind the line, it must have been given as goal."

Had the goal been awarded, it could have changed the course of the match.

"It was one of the most important things in the game," Capello said. "The goal was very important. We could have played a different style. We played I think well at 2-1, but after the third goal it was a little bit disappointing."

Precedent

In extra time of the 1966 World Cup final, Geoff Hurst sent a shot off the underside of the crossbar that also bounced down and spun back into play. That time, the goal was awarded, giving England a 3-2 lead over Germany. Hurst then scored another to make the final score 4-2.

Klose scored his 50th goal in 99 games for Germany in the 20th minute, his 12th World Cup goal, by outmuscling Upson to a bouncing ball off a goal kick. Podolski struck Germany's second 12 minutes later, slotting the ball through James' legs and exposing the weak England defence yet again.

"We were aggressive from the first minute and it was a deserved victory," Klose said. "Our target was to reach the semi-finals and that's what we want to achieve."

Germany will play Argentina in the quarter-finals.

"At this World Cup, everything is possible," Mueller said. "It's a very difficult opponent waiting for us. In the end, it doesn't matter. You've got to beat them all."