The Nationalmannschaft entered the tournament without the services of Captain Michael Ballack and first choice goalkeeper Rene Adler. However, German manager Joachim Loew did what many managers failed to do and mixed the young with the old as the likes of Ozil, Muller and Badstuber gelled well with the older heads of Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Podolski and Klose.

The Germans belied their national stereotype as they won the game playing fast, fluid patterns that easily dissected the overwhelmed Australians who were caught trying to play the offside trap all too often.

Loew's side were ahead after just 8 minutes when the superb Mesut Ozil sent a ball into space down the right for Thomas Muller who pulled the ball back for Lukas Podolski to send an unstoppable strike into the back of a helpless Matt Schwarzer's net