SECOND ROUND

GERMANY 2 SWEDEN 0

Germany continues to impress the world and ingratiate their nation to formerly maligned manager Jurgen Klinsmann as they saw off a hapless and luckless Swedish side today with two quick goals that injected venom early into Sweden's best-laid plans, whatever they might have been.

As they acquire the look of world-beaters, it's definitely no coincidence that Germany's defense is more in sync, their midfield is running rampant and their strike pair of Lebensraumers Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski are working together better than any in the tournament so far.

It's becoming clear that Klinsmann's strategy is to score early and take Germany's opponents out of the match in the German heat. Pushing beyond 90 degrees, it's easy to see why this is very effective. His side didn't waste time today, getting on the score sheet when Klose ran onto a ball in the box which the keeper deflected for Podolski to fire into the back of the net. The home side went crazy, only for the place to nearly explode minutes later when Klose received an excellent pass, ran along the 18 yard line, which drew three defenders and left Podolski open. Klose squared it to Podolski leaving him only to put it away once again. Like that, they got the lead they wanted, with 78 minutes still left to play. Michael Ballack was superb in the midfield, along with Bernd Schneider, Torsten Frings and Bastian Schweinsteiger. They beat Sweden to every ball, played them tight, allowed them no easy passes and for the most part, enforced a high tempo. For 90 minutes. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was ineffective and left with very little to do up front. Sweden's only real chance came early in the second half when veteran Henrik Larsson was brought down in the box, only for him to put his spot kick into the cheap seats. That's about all she wrote as Sweden seemed to get the short end of all the referee's calls, while Germany benefitted. I know it sounds simple, but one part of Germany's scoring success is due to the fact that their players usually keep their shots low, even on the misses. Check out their goals. Klose is fantastic at this, maintaining his cool in the heat of the moment. With the national team now coached by their former go-to finisher, it makes perfect sense.


ARGENTINA 2 MEXICO 1

I'm currently waiting for confirmation, but I'm pretty sure the stars were aligned just perfectly today, because this second round clash between Central and South American giants offered all a football fan could ask for - on top of the day's first match, no less. This game was an epic clash, the kind you hate to see finish. Both teams gave every ounce of sweat they had, and in the end only a spectacular goal of the very highest caliber put an end to this instant classic.

Argentinean midfielder Maxi Rodriguez will forever be allowed to cut to the front of the line in Buenos Aries, I would imagine, after his extra-time left-footed volley from the corner of the 18-yard box put a dagger into the tireless heart of a Mexican squad that showed up ready to take on the world.

Having played Argentina relatively often, Mexico is probably one of the few teams not intimidated by the albicelestes. It showed as the game moved at a breakneck pace rarely seen even at the club level. Mexico took the game right to them, cleverly attacking at key Argenine players and needing only five minutes to score. Defender Rafa Marquez cleverly sneaked behind Heinze to put away the free kick perfectly flicked on by Mario Mendez, and it was 1-0 Mexico. Though Argentina was shocked at the plot twist, they nontheless equalized five minutes later when Mexican striker Jared Borgetti, defending Argentine striker Hernan Crespo on a corner kick, headed the ball into his own net. Crespo took credit despite appearing to barely miss the ball, but FIFA later confirmed it to Crespo anyway. But no time for details - the ball was in the back of the net and this scorcher was just heating up. Eccentric Mexico manager Ricardo La Volpe (an Argentinean, by the way) executed a brilliant strategy that saw Mexico take command of the first half, leaving Argentina in dissaray and no doubt feeling lucky to get to the break without further goals. Mexico did this by playing fast, with quick runs and passes and by putting immense pressure on Argentinean playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, the man with the keys to the albiceleste engine. Winning every ball, Mexico took the game right to Argentina. This constant pressure kept offensive-minded players like midfielder Esteban Cambiasso and defender Juan Pablo Sorin on their heels and completely out of the attack. Meanwhile, the return of Borgetti to the offense caused problems in and around the box, and only through bad luck did Mexico not go back up. I don't remember saying 'wow, what a game!' so many times in one half in my life.

But Argentina learned their lesson as they gained control of the game in the second half. The key was slowing it down a bit and controlling possession. Mexico, for their part, continued their strategy, still with no results, but were becoming more successful in wearing down Riquelme. Eventually the South Americans brought on Carlos Tevez for Crespo, and young Lionel Messi for Javier Saviola (as well as Pablo Aimar for Cambiasso). These two couldn't produce results against the Dutch defense in their previous match, so this curious pairing could only be attributed to a potential mismatch that the unfortunately-named Argentine manager Jose Peckerman must have seen. The duo, while electifying individually, failed to link up very well, save for a few occasions. Messi had a goal disallowed for an erroneous offsides call, while Tevez, for all his impressive handiwork, froze in front of goal on a breakaway near the end of regular time, unsure whether to shoot or pass. It took Marquez the defender, playing the game of his life, to deny Argentina a winner.

Both teams were dead tired going into extra time. Riquelme in particular clearly was unable to run onto passes meant for him. And while substitutes Gonzalo Pineda and Zinha for Mexico did their best, an exhausted Mexico were left to sending long balls into the box time and again. Finally, just before the end of the first period of extra time, a long cross outside the Mexican box found Maxi Rodriguez on the right, who then took it perfectly off his chest and sublimely volleyed a left-footed bending shot past the outstretched Mexican keeper Oswaldo Sanchez in the upper corner, just inside the far post. Argentina's bench, players and crowd were jubilant as they were now only left to defend for 15 more minutes. After the break, tired players picked themselves up and gave it their all. Mexico tried bravely to convert several long-balls, to no avail. Needing only to run the clock out, Messi's and Tevez' youthful inexperience showed as they each raced toward goal several times when all they really needed to do was dribble into a corner and put their foot on the ball, or play keep-away from Mexico. Finally, time ran out. Both teams gave it all they had and produced a truly memorable display, although only Argentina would go on in this tournament.

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Even before today, the showdown between Germany and Argentina promised to be magnificent. In light of these matches, it's fair to say that Germany will be the fresher of the two for Friday's clash. It's tough to call. Fatigue aside, both have top-class midfields, though here the advantage goes to Argentina. Both have good defenses, although for its big names and attacking potential, Argentina has the upper hand here as well. And while Germany's strikers are hotter right now than perhaps Argentina's, the albiceleste has the advantage as they go far deeper with Messi and Tevez, as opposed to Germany's diminuitive, though effective Oliver Neuville. Lastly, Riquelme v. Ballack promises to be spectacular, as both players are so strong on the ball and the heartbeat of their teams. But Germany does have that 12th man in the stands, which can never be discounted. I can't wait.