A German Surprise for Everyone

Germany has set this World Cup alight with a convincing 4-0 victory against Australia. The result would have surprised many who thought the Germans may not do well in this year's tournament.

Certainly, Germany was one of the favorites but injury to captain Michael Ballack did retract many people's thoughts on their chances. Comments from the coach who expressed his disappointment at losing such a key player showed a lack of confidence—but that is the last thing they are lacking after tonight's performance.

Germany came out of the blocks on fire and finally set the tournament alight. I don't know about anyone else but I have felt that the World Cup has lacked a sparkling performance so far. This game was the best one in which Podolski and Ozil showed individual brilliance.

Germany was brilliant going forward. Their attacking consisted of breaking down Australia by using the speed of Podolski and Muller and the magic touch of Klose. All three had big question marks over them after disappointing domestic seasons but the Germans answered their critics as all the strikers scored—including Cacau who scored with his first touch.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying the Germans will run away and win it now, but I think it was a surprising performance that will make other teams raise their game. Today could have been a case of Australia playing really badly—judging by the performance of all the players in the German side, I think they all played very well and are definitely a threat.

One player who caught my eyes was Mezut Ozil. Playing his trade at Werder Bremen, the young midfielder was the creative force in the German team today. He also showed great drive and made some forceful runs. He was very unlucky to not have scored. Ozil will surely be watched this summer and more performances like this from him could tie up a deal with a top European club.