Ballack goal enough to put Germany through

A Michael Ballack header was enough to put Germany into the semi-finals of the World Cup and send an unlucky American team home.

Ballack nodded in a Christian Ziege free-kick after 39 minutes of the first half, previously they had struggled to control the match and it had been the Americans who had the best chances.

In the second-half the USA again enjoyed the best of the play but wasted some good opportunities to draw level. Germany will play either Spain or South Korea in the next round.