CAPE TOWN, South Africa, July 3 (UPI) -- Miroslav Klose collected a pair of second-half goals Saturday and Germany advanced to the semifinals of the 2010 World Cup with a 4-0 rout of Argentina.
Klose gave Germany a 2-0 advantage with a right-footed goal in the 67th minute off an assist from Lukas Podolski and capped the Germans' romp in the 88th minute, making it 4-0 at Cape Town, South Africa, putting Germany into the semifinals for the third straight World Cup.
Klose's two goals, coming in his 100th game with the national team, gave him 14 for his World Cup career, just one fewer than Brazilian great Ronaldo and pulling him even with German legend Gerd Muller.
Thomas Muller got the game's first goal in third minute and Bastian Schweinsteiger set up Arne Friedrich's first international tally in the 73rd minute for the Germans, who now go on to play Spain, which downed Paraguay 1-0 later Saturday.
Germany used a clinical performance to totally shut down Argentina's front three of Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain, who were never able to split the German defense. Their increasing desperation in the second half left them open to a potent German counterattack.
