World Cup, Germany vs. England: Germany routs England, 4-1

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Thomas Mueller scored twice in the second half Sunday and England had a goal not awarded by the referee in a 4-1 victory at Bloemfontein, South Africa, that put Germany into the World Cup quarterfinals.

The 20-year-old forward finished two quick German counterattacks within three minutes to sink England’s hopes of beating Germany at the World Cup for the first time since the 1966 final.

England was not helped by referee Jorge Larrionda waving play on even though Frank Lampard’s first-half shot landed well past the goal line after hitting the crossbar. Germany led 2-1 at the time.

‘It was one of the most important things in the game,’ England Coach Fabio Capello said. ‘The goal was very important. We could have played a different style.

‘We made some mistakes when they played the counterattack. The referee made bigger mistakes.’

Germany went up on goals by Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski before Matthew Upson pulled a goal back for England in the 37th minute.

On Lampard’s non-goal, after the ball landed inside the goal, it ball spun back into the arms of Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. England Coach Fabio Capello initially celebrated what he thought was an equalizer by clenching his fists and shaking his arms. But his face changed when he realized the goal had not been given.

As the players walked off the field at halftime, Wayne Rooney walked over to the linesman who didn’t flag for the goal and gestured with his hands how far he thought the ball had crossed the line.

In 1966, England and Germany were 2-2 in extra time in the World Cup final when Geoff Hurst’s shot struck the underside of the crossbar, bounced down and spun back into play. That time, the referee consulted his linesman, who awarded the goal.

Hurst went on to score a third goal in England’s 4-2 victory at Wembley.

Germany plays the winner of Argentina-Mexico, which is later Sunday.

‘In the knockout stages, Germany is always there,’ Podolski said. ‘We fought and ran a lot, just fantastic today.’

Added Klose: ‘We were aggressive from the first minute and it was a deserved victory. Our target was to reach the semifinals and that’s what we want to achieve.’

--Associated Press