CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Suddenly, it's 2006 all over again in Germany.
Fans are turning out in tens of thousands on the streets of Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and elsewhere to watch what is surely the best German soccer team put together in the past quarter-century.
That team, in a performance as devastating as it was comprehensive, demolished Argentina 4-0 on Saturday to sweep into the semifinals of the 2010 World Cup.
"I feel like I have been hit by Muhammad Ali," said Diego Maradona, Argentina's coach.
Striker Miroslav Klose scored two of the goals, bringing his haul in three World Cups to 14, tying the German record held by Gerd "Der Bomber" Mueller and leaving Klose one shy of the World Cup record held by Brazil's Ronaldo.
Forward Thomas Mueller, no relation to Gerd, and defender Arne Friedrich also scored.
Germany took the lead in the third minute and never looked back. It was a motivated and tactically flawless performance that coach Joachim Low unreservedly praised.
"What the team showed in terms of determination to win was the sort of thing you would expect from champions," Low said. "It was absolute class."
Indeed, Germany, with its fast-paced and fluid style, served notice it is the side to beat now that the two South American powers, Argentina and Brazil, have been eliminated.
Certainly, the Netherlands, Spain and Uruguay will have something to say about that, but none of the other semifinalists has banged in 13 goals and allowed only two.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had hardly settled into her seat at Green Point Stadium before Mueller gave Germany the lead 3 minutes in, had predicted a 2-1 victory for the Mannschaft.
"I didn't start to feel good about it until we went ahead 4-0," the chancellor said. Considering the final goal, Klose's second, came in the 89th minute, Merkel should have been comfortable by then, but politicians are a cautious lot.
Germany's victory, which sent it on to play Spain in a Wednesday semifinal in Durban, was the result of meticulous planning by Low and the rest of the coaching staff.
Low had said beforehand he had spotted a weakness in Argentina's team but did not elaborate. The weakness became apparent during the game: gaping holes in the midfield.
For Argentina, it was a bitter pill to swallow. In front of a crowd of 64,100, a side including world player of the year Lionel Messi was foiled by a defense that chased and harried and repeatedly denied it.
The loss meant Maradona's hopes of becoming only the third person to win a World Cup as a player and a coach have to be put on hold.
gjones@tribune.com