Germany lead Sweden 2-0

Lukas Podolski scored two goals in the first 12 minutes to give hosts Germany a 2-0 lead over 10-man Sweden in the second round match and Germany became the first team to qualify for the quarter finals in this tournament.

Podolski put Germany ahead in front in the 4th minute, pouncing on a loose ball after fellow striker Miroslav Klose ran at the Sweden defence and forced goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson to make a diving block. The ball took a deflection off the head of a Swedish defender. Eight minutes later, Podolski scored again with a powerful low shot. He was set up nicely by Klose, who created space by drawing three defenders before slipping the ball back to Podolski.

In the 35th minute, Sweden were reduced to 10 men when defender Teddy Lucic was sent off for a second yellow card. He blocked Klose's advance on goal and got the second yellow card but Soccer Pundit feels that it may have been a bit harsh by sending him off. It definitely made the Swedish task of qualifying even more challenging. Surprisingly, Germany did not look as sharp with the new situation as they eased off and it took a while for them to get back into their stride.

Still the Germans dominated the first half with 15 shots on goal compared to Sweden's two. However, the second half was a more even contest as the Swedish regrouped and managed to put pressure on the German defence. Freddie Ljunberg was a handful down the left flank with his hard running and dangerous crosses.

In the 53rd minute, Sweden was given a lifeline as the referee awarded a penalty when Henrik Larsson is brought down by Christoph Metzelder but their highly respected striker blasted the ball over the bar. This was the second turning point of the match as the Germans came back at the Swedish with renewed vigor and beseiged their defence right till the end of the game. Michael Ballack alone accounted for 9 shots on goal but he did not get onto the score-sheet due to the heroics of the Swedish goalkeeper.

Soccer Pundit feels that Germany is on course to lift their fourth World Cup trophy and the way they have played so far, it is no wonder that soccer fever is sweeping the nation and all the fans are solidly behind their team. Their attack is formidable, with Klose leading the line and Podolski supporting him (both are in tip-top condition right now) and the midfield, marshalled by Michael Ballck, is winning the loose balls and feeding the attacks with excellent service.

Three more games stand between them and the trophy but each of them is a mountain to surmount. They are not infallible, in fact Soccer Pundit finds their defence vulnerable (ironical as this is always the forte of past German teams) and their centre-halves looked soft. Their next opponent, Argentina, will be sure to exploit this weakness and they have the firepower and guile to do that. Jens Lehmann is also not convincing as a goalkeeper, he lacked the commanding presence of Oliver Kahn and until now, he has not really shown that he can step into the boots of being the number one in Germany. His litmus test will be against Argentina.

Soccer Pundit hopes that Klinnsman can sort out things at the back, stay focused, continue to improve and not be complacent, it will be a waste if they are eliminated prematurely...