Tactical battle freezes out goal stars

Miroslav Klose, Germany’s epitome of the clinical finisher, against David Villa, the all-action star of Spain’s campaign in whom Barcelona had just invested 40 million euros.

Klose’s four goals in his four appearances here had left him needing one more goal to equal Ronaldo’s World Cup finals record record of 15; Villa’s five accounted for all but one of the goals Spain had scored in South Africa and made him the tournament’s leading marksman.

As it turned out, the two men who had done so much to propel their sides into the last four were afforded few opportunities to influence the outcome of a cagey semi-final.

Instead, it was a mighty leap and unstoppable header from Carles Puyol, Spain’s warrior centre-back, that settled a match whose pattern was dictated by Germany’s decision to attempt to contain their opponents by defending deep and in numbers.

That in itself was a back-handed compliment to the potency of the threat represented by Villa.

With Fernando Torres restricted to the bench until the final ten minutes of the match, Villa returned to the central striking role he mostly occupied at Valencia.

He only needed five minutes to demonstrate the predatory instincts that had rendered Torres dispensable in the eyes of Spanish coach Vicente Del Bosque.

Ghosting in behind Arne Friedrich, the 28-year-old’s pace enabled him to get on the end of Pedro’s pass into the box, his full-stretch shot forcing Manuel Neuer into an important block.

That was to prove a rare half-chance, however, with the only consolation for Villa the fact that Klose, at the other end of the pitch, was cutting an even lonelier figure.

The Bayern Munich striker’s four goals in his four games in South Africa was already one more than he had managed in the whole of last season for his club.

But in 90 minutes here, there was just one real flash of how dangerous the 32-year-old can be: the deft swivel that left Carles Puyol trailing in his wake and the Spanish defence badly exposed.

Klose did his job by playing Mesut Ozil into the box for Germany’s first real opening of the match but the young midfielder’s first touch was poor and the chance went begging.

Puyol’s sensational header ensured an equally frustrating evening for both strikers ended in sharply contrasting fashion, but they will both have another chance to leave South Africa on a high.

Villa, who made way for Torres with ten minutes, will get his chance to claim the tournament’s golden boot in Sunday’s final against the Netherlands, while Klose could yet equal or surpass Ronaldo’s mark if he can find the net in Saturday’s third-place play-off against Uruguay.