Live Ticker: Germany 2 : 0 Sweden

The real action gets ready to start
The knock-out round gets started with hosts Germany facing Sweden in Munich. The Scandinavians are hoping Germany will crack under the fans' critical eyes while the Germans are convinced the home field brings a distinct advantage. Find out who is right with the DW-WORLD.DE live ticker.

The Line-ups:
Germany (4-4-2): 1-Jens Lehmann; 3-Arne Friedrich, 21-Christoph Metzelder, 17-Per Mertesacker, 16-Philipp Lahm; 19-Bernd Schneider, 8-Torsten Frings, 13-Michael Ballack, 7-Bastian Schweinsteiger; 20-Lukas Podolski, 11-Miroslav Klose Coach: Juergen Klinsmann Sweden (4-4-2): 1-Andreas Isaksson; 3-Olof Mellberg, 4-Teddy Lucic, 5-Erik Edman, 7-Niclas Alexandersson; 6-Tobias Linderoth, 9-Fredrik Ljungberg, 18-Mattias Jonson, 16-Kim Kallstrom; 10-Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 11-Henrik Larsson Coach: Lars Lagerback Referee: Carlos Simon (Brazil)

Sweden's striker Ibrahimovic, who injuried himself lightly during warm-up before the game against Paraguay, will play from start today, leaving Allback, who scored against England last Tuesday, on the bench.

Twelve minutes to go.
The stadium in Munich is packed with German and Swedish fans. A rumour has it all the Bavarian city's beer taps have been emptied by the yellow and blue fans flooding the streets in their plastic viking helmets.

The players are lined up in the corridor.


Players march in.
A warm welcome both from the stands and from the blue skies.

The anthems are being sung.


1. min.
Sweden kick-off.


1. min.
Free-kick for Sweden.


1. min.
Edman hits the free-kick into the box but the German defense are first on the ball.

3. min.
Goal Germany!!!


4. min.
A long ball reaches Klose just outside the box. The German striker combines with Podolski and comes through. Isaksson in the Swedish goal rushes out and saves but Podolski is there to pick up and shoots the ball into the net.

6. min.
Podolski fires away.
The shot leaves the striker's foot just outside the box but goes about half a meter over the crossbar.

11. min.
Goal Germany!!!!


11. min.
What a start for the Germans.
Klose and Podolski combine along the Swedish boxline and make the Swedish defense look like blind sheep. Klose gets the ball over to Podolski who fires his second goal home.

15. min.
The Germans own the game.
The Swedes are shocked and keep hitting long balls that go nowhere. In fifteen minutes the Swedes have had one attempt at goal.

17. min.
Ballack fires a shot from twenty meters.
The Germans can do what they feel like inside the Swedish half. This time Schweinsteiger finds Ballack who does not hesitate. Isaksson should be glad he's almost two meters tall.

20. min.
First decent Swedish chance.
Larsson is almost through but the ball is kicked out to a corner in the last second.

23. min.
Schneider is the next German to try a shot. It goes wide but not all that much.

25. min.
If the tempo is a bit slower at the moment, it's because the German's want it that way. The Swedes are nothing but extras in this game.

27. min.
Frings sees the card after his handling earlier.


27. min.
Lucic booked after a late challenge on Klose.


29. min.
The Swedes are too slow and keep losing the ball whenever they try to play their way to the German box.

31. min.
That's close!
Lahm goes into the box down at the endline and quickly moves past his defender to serve Klose. The striker doesn't get full power behind his shot and Isaksson can push the ball to a corner.

34. min.
Lucic is out!!
A tough decision by the Brazilian ref.

38. min.
Kallstrom leaves for Hansson.
The Swedish coach has to react to Lucic's red card and brings on a new defender.

39. min.
First Swedish chance on goal!
Ibrahimovic gets the ball in the middle of the box, turns and shoots. Lehmann struggles in the right corner of his goal but gets the ball away.

42. min.
Another good chance for the Swedes as Larsson hits a cross into Jonson. Lehmann rushes out a bit late but saves with a kick.

45+1. min.
The last minutes again the Germans have done pretty much what they felt like with the Swedish defense. The result has been a couple of nice combinations and shots at goal.

45+2. min.
First half is over.


Two teams--one goal.
Germany are playing their best game of the tournament and Sweden have little to put up against wave after wave of attacks. The Scandinavians look like a division four team who accidentally were herded into a World Cup stadium.

45. min.
Second half is on.


46. min.
The Swedes combine their way through the German defense and Lehmann has to dive in and take the heat to stop the Swedish attack.

47. min.
Jonson gets booked after an ice-hockey tackle on Ballack.


49. min.
It looks as if the Germans have decided to take it a bit easier and go for the counter. But it could be temporary.

50. min.
Yes it is. Again the Swedes are doing nothing to prevent the Germans from taking over and play their way into the Swedish half.

51. min.
Penalty for Sweden!


52. min.
Jonson leaves for Wilhelmson before the penalty.


52. min.
Larsson misses the kick from the spot!
The Swedish striker hits it hard and high over the goal.

54. min.
Great save by the Swedish keeper.
Ballack hits a great shot from twenty five meters which the Swedish keeper gets a hand on. He tips the ball onto the post and out!

56. min.
The tempo is slower than in the first half which means the Swedes are allowed to play a bit of ball as well.

58. min.
Can the Swedish team come back after having missed their chance to equalize? It is unlikely as the Germans keep playing their stunning combinations with ease.

61. min.
Podolski and Klose combine their way into the Swedish box again. Klose crosses but Podolski, for once, is blocked this time by a Swedish defender.

63. min.
The Swedes are jumping around in panic trying to head away the ball as it gets closer to the box.

64. min.
Another beautiful build up by the Germans. Klose nutmegs Hansson, passes Ballack who touches the ball along. Luckily a Swedish foot is there.

66. min.
Friedrich is one of many in the German team to try a shot from distance. Have the Germans started practicing for the quarter final?

68. min.
Frings is lying outside the box after a ball hit his face.

70. min.
Lahm loses the ball at the midline. It is one of few German mistakes today. The awaited Swedish counter attack has the speed of a road kill hamster.

72. min.
Schweinsteiger leaves for Borowski


72. min.
Ibrahimovic goes for Allback.


73. min.
Podolski gives way for Neuville


74. min.
Borowski's first touch is a foot on the ball in the Swedish box. The unlucky German seems to have gotten injured trying to score and is carried out on a stretcher.

76. min.
Borowski is back on the pitch.

77. min.
Allback's first action is to get booked!


78. min.
Since the Swedes have no energy to build anything, the Germans seem to think they might as well try to score another. Ballack hits a weird, bouncing and twisting ball from within the box. It is not far from the Swedish net.

80. min.
Ballack's canon.
The German captain fires away a shot from twenty five meters that echoes between the stands. The Swedish keeper, best man of his team, saves but it must have hurt.

82. min.
There is a break in the game as Edman licks his wounds.

84. min.
Schneider hits the post.
After yet another lovely combination by the Germans Schneider get to be the one to shoot. The ball deflects on a Swedish leg and hits the post.

84. min.
Frings leaves for Kehl.


86. min.
Isaksson, the goalie, is the only Swedish player who fights and he does it well. Great save again as the Germans are trying their best to humiliate the Scandinavians.

88. min.
The last twenty minutes will be one of the darkest moments in Swedish soccer history. The team has given up and will have to go home in shame. Not for losing but for not trying.

90+1. min.
When will this end? Let the Germans begin their celebrations!

90+3. min.
Germany have beaten the Swedes to go on to the quarter finals.


A German performance that will build respect for what is to come. The Swedes on the other hand showed what it looks like when talent just isn't there. The Germans were never threatened and will now go into the last eight full of confidence. Join DW-WORLD.DE again for the 21.00 CEST game between Argentina and Mexico, hopefully a game with two teams..