Full-time - 90'
Germany
4 - 0
Australia
Group D, 18:30 GMT, June 13, 2010

Durban Stadium, Durban, South Africa

MATCH SUMMARY

Man of the Match: Lukas Podolski - He may not have fired for his club this season, but Podolski always turns it on for his country. Playing wide left, he netted a great early goal and provided a constant attacking threat throughout with his pace and vision on the ball.

Germany verdict: An attacking line-up, with Bastian Schweinsteiger playing deeper than usual, gave them licence to control the flow of the game. Germany made more passes in one half than South Africa, Uruguay, USA and Nigeria completed in their entire matches and it showed. Total domination.

Australia verdict: Without playing a striker, the Socceroos were always going to struggle to peg Germany back. Tim Cahill had a great early chance from a header, but there was precious little possession or space for them to mount any decent attacks.

Could do better: Craig Moore - He hasn't had a club since March, and Moore looked way out of his depth. Being screamed at constantly by Lucas Neill, the central defender found himself out of position on more than one occasion and did not have the pace to make amends.

Stat attack: Klose scored his 11th World Cup goal, which ties him with Jurgen Klinsmann and Sandor Kocsis for fifth in World Cup history. Klose also becomes sixth German player to score at three straight World Cups.

With a young squad and without injured Michael Ballack, the Germans went on a scoring rampage. Lukas Podolski opened their account in the eighth minute before veteran Miroslav Klose doubled the lead before the half-hour mark.

Cheered by the green and gold fans at the Durban Stadium, the Socceroos showed more determination after the re-start but saw their challenge take a fatal hit when Tim Cahill was shown a straight red card in the 56th minute following a late tackle on Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Thomas Muller added Germany's third in the 68th minute before substitute Cacau got an easy tap-in less than two minutes after coming on as a substitute. The result lifted Joachim Low's side top of Group D above Ghana, who beat Serbia 1-0 earlier in the day.

The Germans, who have not lost a group game since 1994, made Australia pay for their sloppy defending. Low handed out-of-form Klose the lone striker's role and it proved a wise move.

Australia had the better of the opening stages and came close to taking the lead in the third minute. During a scramble in the area, Richard Garcia's close-range shot was blocked by Philipp Lahm.

The Germans responded shortly after, with an unmarked Klose surging inside the area and hitting a right-footed strike towards the centre of goal which the Australia goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer parried away.

Podolski made no mistake seconds later. He got behind Muller's pull back from the right and drove the ball in from 15 yards. Schwarzer managed to get a touch on the ball but it went in.

Jason Culina could have restored parity in the 17th minute but he nodded high from Brett Emerton's cross. Midway through the first half, Klose missed a glorious chance to make it 2-0. The veteran got behind Podolski's cross and struck the ball wide from the heart of the area.

Klose made amends shortly after as he extended his team's lead in the 26th minute after sloppy defending by Australia. Schwarzer came off his line and got to Klose just as the striker headed home from Lahm's cross from the right.

On the half-hour mark, captain Lucas Neill managed to clear Mesut Ozil's goalbound shot with Schwarzer already beaten. Germany's Sami Khedira headed high over the crossbar as Germany went into the break after a near-perfect first half.

Australia coach Pim Verbeek brought in Brett Holman at half time in the hope of sparking his team into life. Holman tried to make an immediate impact but his diagonal shot went wide of Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's far post.

Australia's hopes then nose-dived when Cahill was shown a straight red card for a tackle from behind on Schweinsteiger.

With one man short, Australia struggled to stop Germany's advances and conceded shortly after the hour mark.

Muller got away from his marker before lashing home a shot in off the post. Australia had little time to react as Germany struck again two minutes later. Ozil surged down the left and cut it back for the Brazilian-born striker to hit it past Schwarzer.