Higuaín blow sends Germany tumbling

Germany 0-1 Argentina
A goal late in the first half from Real Madrid CF's Gonzalo Higuaín earned Argentina a narrow win in Munich against fellow FIFA World Cup finals contenders Germany.

With both sides starting cautiously, the 66,000 crowd had to wait 38 minutes for the first decent chance of the game, with René Adler diverting Ángel Di María's shot on to the crossbar after the SL Benfica player had bamboozled two home defenders. Mistakes were rare in the first half, but one proved costly for the home side a minute before the break, with Adler coming second to Higuaín in a race for a long ball, allowing the striker to finish into an empty net.

Germany tried to raise their game, but Diego Maradona's side proved resolute in defence, though Lionel Messi was always eager to push forward. Cacau's arrival 23 minutes from the end helped Joachim Löw's side go for the throat a little more, with the VfB Stuttgart striker – who has scored seven goals in his last three games – testing AZ Alkmaar custodian Sergio Romero in the Argentina goal. Nicolás Burdisso then squandered a decent chance to double the visitors' lead, firing straight at Adler from a corner.