Red Fawn

Preview of today's Spain-Russia tilt up over at Clevelandfrowns.com

What a game last night, eh? Turkey far outplayed the Germans, enjoying the better of both possession and decent attempts on goal. I'm guessing it was the Turks' physicality, something the Germans hadn't dealt with against Portugal, that accounted for their tentativeness and inability to string passes together with any incisiveness.

Germany's only decent player all night was Bastian Schweinsteiger, who ran madly up-and-down the pitch as if he were German schoolboy Uter being chased by Homer Simpson begging, "Pleez don't chase me, I am full of chocolates!"

Lukas Podolski had an excellent 1-on-1 breakaway opportunity in the first half but he was more wasteful in the box than Harvey Firestein in the champagne room. And Phillipp Lahm's decisive goal was the least he could do to make up for his comical defending throughout the game. The space Lahm enjoyed on that last goal was there for the Germans to exploit all night long, the finally did so at the death.