Germany-Spain could prove to be World Cup’s best match

Associated Press

DURBAN, South Africa

The reigning European champion vs. the runner-up. One of the top scorers at this World Cup vs. No. 2 on the all-time list. The most dynamic team at this tournament vs. a squad that’s yet to show its full brilliance. A three-time champion vs. a team craving its first title.

Sounds like a great World Cup final.

Too bad it’ll be the semifinals when Germany and Spain face off today, with many expecting the winner to go on and be crowned world champion four days later.

“This would have been a great final, actually,” Germany’s Lukas Podolski said Tuesday. “We want revenge for 2008. When you are in a final you want to win. We still think about that defeat, and it still hurts. We want to reach the final and we’ll do all we can to achieve that.”

Spain has lost just two games since November 2006, and it ended a 44-year major title drought when it beat Germany to win the European Championship in 2008. David Villa shares the scoring lead at this World Cup (five goals), and the Spanish defense hasn’t allowed a goal in the knockout stage.

Germany, meanwhile, made old rivals England and Argentina look downright silly in their knockout round games, routing them by a combined score of 8-1 to reach a third straight World Cup semifinal. Miroslav Klose has regained his old form and, with two goals against Argentina, moved into a tie with Gerd Mueller for second place on the all-time scoring list.

But it’s not just the stats that make this such a tantalizing matchup.

Few teams can keep up when Germany and Spain are at their best, but each is the other’s equal.

“I don’t think there are favorites at this stage,” Spain’s Andres Iniesta said. “What they say about us, we can also say the same thing about them. You can say they are a great team, a team that has players of a very, very high level. For that, it will be a well-deserved semifinal.”