BLOEMFONTEIN // Philipp Lahm, called this Germany side "the best I've ever played in" after their 4-1 victory over England. For all their complaints about Frank Lampard's disallowed goal, England were roundly outplayed, as Mesut Ozil orchestrated Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose and Thomas Muller in a wonderful attacking display, albeit aided by some abject English defending. Inevitably, Lampard's effort, which would have made it 2-2 six minutes before half time, attracted most of the attention.
"I couldn't see if the ball had crossed the line but I have seen it on TV and of course it was a goal," said Arne Friedrich, the Germany defender, although any sympathy he may have felt was tempered by memories of England's third goal in the WorldCup final 44 years ago. "It's tough on England but we all know what happened in 1966. The ball definitely hadn't crossed the line then but they got the goal. Sometimes you need to be a bit lucky."
Muller, who scored Germany's third and fourth goals on the break, also admitted to good fortune as his first finish deflected in off David James as he anticipated a shot to his right. "I had some luck with the third goal," Muller said. "The keeper gambled and I chose the right corner. You have to keep your calm in those situations. We weren't nervous after their disallowed goal. You cannot play for 90 minutes against a team like England without them having good chances."
Talk of luck should not disguise just how superior Germany were to Fabio Capello's side. "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." "It's a very difficult opponent waiting for us," Muller said. "In the end, it doesn't matter. You've got to beat them all."
