SLIDESHOW: World Cup quarterfinals soccer action
JOHANNESBURG -- Germany's disciplined defense and clinical counter attacks earned a convincing 4-0 win over Argentina on Saturday to set up a World Cup semifinal against Spain, which needed a late goal from David Villa to beat Paraguay 1-0.
Germany repeated history by beating Argentina in the quarterfinals for the second World Cup in a row, ruining Diego Maradona's bid to become the third person to win the tournament both as a player and coach.
Thomas Mueller gave Germany an early lead in Cape Town, and Miroslav Klose scored two second-half goals either side of Arne Friedrich's simple tap-in as the Germans scored four goals for the third time this tournament.
"What the team showed, it was not only international level, but the level of champions," Germany coach Joachim Loew said. "It was absolute class."
Klose's two goals in his 100th international gives him 14 total World Cup scores, putting him level with fellow German Gerd Mueller on the all-time list. Brazil's Ronaldo tops the list with 15, but Klose will have two more games at this tournament to surpass him.
Spain 1, Paraguay 0
In the other quarterfinal in Johannesburg, Villa's tournament-leading fifth goal took Spain to its first World Cup semifinal after both teams had missed penalties in the second half.
Villa collected the ball inside the area after teammate Pedro Rodriguez had hit the post, and curled a shot that struck the far post and then the near post before crossing the line in the 83rd minute.
Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas saved a 59th-minute penalty by Oscar Cardozo. Paraguay captain Justo Villar repeated the feat two minutes later, but only after Xabi Alonso had to retake an initially successful kick because of encroachment.
Spain meets Germany in Durban on Wednesday, the team it beat in the 2008 European Championship final.
"Quite apart from their results, the Germans are playing brilliantly, so they must be tremendously motivated," Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta said. "It will be a game between two rivals who enjoy having the ball and I think it will be a beautiful battle."
Argentina entered the game with perhaps the tournament's most potent attacking lineup, but neither Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez or Gonzalo Higuain managed to break down the compact wall of German defenders.
Instead it was Argentina's defense that repeatedly cracked as all three of Germany's second-half goals came on well-constructed counter attacks.
After Mueller's third-minute header, Klose added a simple tap-in in the 68th minute. Friedrich then raced from defense to score in the 74th, and Klose added his second in the 89th.
"The first cross produced a goal, and suddenly we were looking at a different game," a devastated Maradona said. "They took advantage of all their chances." Maradona gave no indication about whether he would resign.
The lopsided result was a marked contrast from 2006, when Germany won a penalty shootout following a tense 1-1 draw. That game ended in a brawl after the shootout, but this time Maradona and the Argentina players simply walked off the field.
Ghana recognized
Most of Africa, meanwhile, was still trying to get over Ghana's loss against Uruguay on Friday, after the last African country in the tournament missed a penalty in the final seconds of extra time before losing a shootout.
Ghana was on the verge of becoming the first African nation to reach the World Cup semifinals, but Asamoah Gyan sent his spot kick onto the crossbar after Uruguay striker Luis Suarez had swatted away Dominic Adiyiah's goal-bound header with both hands. After the 1-1 draw, Uruguay won 4-2 on penalties.
South Africa's governing African National Congress said it was impressed by Ghana's performance, saying it proved Africans were capable of playing at the highest level. "We are also very confident that the lessons learnt from this tournament will put Africa in a better position for the next World Cup in Brazil," said the ANC.
Away from the pitch, Colombian authorities have found a World Cup trophy made out of cocaine.
Airports anti-drug chief Col. Jose Piedrahita says the 14-inch-high statue was found during a routine security check by anti-drug agents on Friday in a mail warehouse at Bogota's international airport.
Piedrahita said Saturday that laboratory tests confirmed the cup was made of 11 kilograms (24 pounds) of cocaine mixed with acetone or gasoline to make it moldable.
Also late on Friday, American socialite Paris Hilton had to appear in court in Port Elizabeth after being arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana following the Brazil-Netherlands game. The court dropped the charges against Hilton after her co-accused, Jennifer Rovero, "acknowledged to be in possession of cannabis, and pleaded guilty," said Brig. Sally De Beer, a spokeswoman for South African police.
Rovero, 31, from New York, was sentenced to a fine of 1,000 rand ($130) or 30 days imprisonment, De Beer said.
A publicist for Hilton said the incident was a "misunderstanding."
By BARRY WILNER
The Associated Press
JOHANNESBURG -- Spain found just enough of the beautiful game -- and a touch of good luck -- to advance to the World Cup semifinals, beating Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday night.
David Villa took the tournament scoring lead with his fifth goal, which banked in off both posts in the 83th minute. The goal finished off a brilliant, three-way passing combination that typifies the way the European champions like to play. It sent Spain into the World Cup's final four for the first time in 60 years.
Spain faces Germany on Wednesday in Durban -- a reprise of its 1-0 victory in the Euro 2008 final.
One night after penalty kicks decided Uruguay's shootout win over Ghana, they were critical in Spain's victory.
A somewhat subdued match suddenly became chaotic in a two-minute span of the second half. Gerard Pique pulled down Paraguay's Oscar Cardozo in the penalty area on a corner kick, earning a yellow card and giving Cardozo a penalty kick.
With the vuvuzelas reaching a crescendo, the striker who ended his team's shootout win over Japan was denied brilliantly this time by Iker Casillas, who dived left to block Cardozo's low kick.
Seconds later, Villa broke free behind the defense and was hauled down by Antolin Alcoraz, who drew a yellow card. Xabi Alonso went to the penalty spot and sent a wicked drive into the net.
Again, the stadium rocked, but referee Carlos Batres of Guatemala waved off the goal, saying a Spain player entered the area too soon.
Given a second chance, keeper Justo Villar guessed correctly, diving left to stop the penalty kick. He also knocked the rebound away from Cesc Fabregas before defender Paulo Da Silva made a leg save at the goal line on another shot by Sergio Ramos.
After that wild sequence, it seemed anything was possible.
And for Spain, anything is possible with Villa on the field. Not only is he the Spaniards' best finisher, but he's a sparkplug with his darting runs and imaginative moves.
His goal came off the kind of attack that has carried Spain toward the top of the soccer world. Andres Iniesta surged through the Paraguay defense and passed to the right to Pedro, whose right-footed kick slammed off the goalpost.
The rebound came to Silva, and his shot hit the far post, then -- amazingly -- caromed across the net, off the left post and in.
Fans for both teams wore red and blended into the color scheme of the seats in Ellis Park Stadium. Even if you couldn't see them so well, you sure could hear their vuvuzelas blaring, especially when Silva scored.
But Paraguay, a nation that never has been a factor at the World Cup and hasn't won a major title since Copa America in 1979, wasn't about to fold. The final six minutes of regulation and three minutes of extra time featured free-flowing soccer at both ends, and Casillas once again had to rescue the Spaniards.
Lucas Barrios broke free on right wing and Casillas charged out of his net to stop his hard drive. The rebound went to Roque Santa Cruz, and Casillas scrambled back to make a spectacular stop to preserve victory.
At the end, as the Spanish players rushed to mob Casillas, a distraught Cardozo walked away from teammates and team officials, holding his jersey over his face, wiping away tears.
A tournament that belonged to South America for two rounds now has only Uruguay remaining from that continent after Brazil and Argentina also lost in the quarterfinals.
With the likes of Villa, Xavi, Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Ramos and Fabregas, Spain's game flows the way Brazil and Argentina have been known to do. It will need all of its creativity and a lot more precision against the Germans, who have scored four goals in three matches and routed England and Argentina in their last two games.
Paraguay's players couldn't have been more relaxed before the game, smiling and waving to TV cameras as they came off their bus, then talking on cell phones and joking around on the pitch 90 minutes before kickoff.
The Spaniards were more matter-of-fact, in direct contrast to their playing style. They gathered in a circle and chatted, only occasionally giving a wave to their fans as the stadium began to fill.
Once the match began, Paraguay had Spain off-balance, getting a dangerous scoring chance by Jonathan Santana in the opening minute. Rarely did the Spaniards cross midfield with possession.
But that soon changed as Spain began stringing together passes and dominating possession, looking for a breakthrough. It nearly came on a superb individual effort by Xavi, who took a pass and in one motion, pivoted to send a shot that soared just over the crossbar.
But most of the connections led nowhere, particularly on a dozen set pieces the Spaniards wasted. They left the field after a scoreless first half gesturing at each other in frustration and lucky to be tied at 0-0.
The difference in the frenzied second half were Villa and Casillas.
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