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 at Moses Mabhida Stadium, with many expecting the winner to go on and be crowned world champion four days later. The Spain-Germany winner will play the Netherlands in the final.
“This would have been a great final, actually,” Germany’s Lukas Podolski said Tuesday night. “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.”
There’s a game in every World Cup that comes a round too soon, and Germany-Spain definitely qualifies.
Spain 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 with Wesley Sneijder (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.
“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. ”
Germany coach Joachim Loew has remade his team since that Euro 2008 loss, bringing in young players who have given Germany the speed and sharpness it lacked.
