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FULL-TIME: GERMANY 0-1 SPAIN
90+3 mins Last chance for Germany. Ozil hoists a ball into the box, but it is too lofty a delivery and Spain get under the ball to clear. And with that the whistle is blown. Germany have lost. Spain will go on to contest their first World Cup final on Sunday.
90+3 mins SUBSTITUTION: Carlos Marchena replaces Xabi Alonso.
90+2 mins Gomez has a chance to play in Klose and he simply miscontrols and hacks the ball onto Casillas' arms.
90 mins Corner for Spain. They lose it trying to play it short, but Schweinsteiger gives it away in his own penalty area and there is another Spain corner as he tackles into touch to redeem his earlier mistake.
89 mins Torres is released down the left and cuts inside Friedrich. He is almost in on goal but Friedrich sticks out a last ditch leg and tips it into touch.
87 mins Torres and Silva break for Spain. Torres, like Pedro moments earlier, just needs to play a simple ball to Silva, but he fluffs his lines and plays it to Jansen.
84 mins Ozil plays a free into the box, but it falls to a Spain head and is cleared. From the next play Schweinsteiger chips ahead into the penalty area. Puyol stretches out a leg and brings him down. The referee waves play on when it could well have been a free on the edge of the area.
SUBSTITUTION: Pedro is replaced by David Silva.
82 mins Pedro is played in on goal as Germany break downfield and caught short at the back. Torres is waiting in the box to be squared the ball as Pedro bears in on the onion sack. Pedro takes forever to decide what to do and eventually he runs out of space as Friedrich gets in a strong leg. So selfish from Pedro, a simple ball to Torres and it was goodnight Vienna for Germany.
81 mins SUBSTITUTION: Torres replaces Villa for Spain. Gomez is on for Khedira for Germany.
80 mins Jansen skips over the tackle of Capdevila and with time and pace plays a very poor ball into the area which fails to beat the first defender.
77 mins Lahm crosses into the Spain box. It almost falls for Klose but Pique deals with it. Spain break with Villa. He is two on one with Friedrich and Mertesacker ahead and is closed out.
76 mins Long-range free kick is lobbed into the Spain box toward Klose. The lanky striker almost gets a leg to it, but Casillas steps off his line to claim it.
75 mins The attendance is 61,000.
GOAL: GERMANY 0-1 SPAIN (Puyol 73)
73 mins GOAL: Corner for Spain. It is swung in by Xavi to Puyol who charges into the 18-yard area with a late surge of pace. He makes it in the 18-yard area and connects with the ball to perfection. His header ripples the back of the German net. First blood to Spain. Pressure on the Germans with 17 minutes to go.
72 mins Lahm comes through the back of Iniesta on the left flank, he could have been booked there.
68 mins Podolski is fed the ball on the edge of the Spain 18-yard area. He lobs the ball across the face of goal to Klose and Klose leaves it for Kroos, the ball jumps up in front of Kroos and makes the shot difficult. He gets it away and Casillas makes a fine save to deny Germany the opening goal. Best Germany chance so far.
66 mins Alonso feeds Xavi on the left flank. Xavi attempts an early delivery which isn't up to much.
63 mins Alonso plays a superb floating cross from left to right into the box. Ramos is coming in on it with Podolski pressuring. Ramos goes down and claims a penalty. It seemed more like he got the flight of the ball wrong and Podolski made no contact with him.
62 mins SUBSTITUTION: Kroos is coming on for Trochowski.
60 mins Jansen takes a throw in the left Spanish corner, he lays it to Ozil, who passes back to Jansen, the ball is smashed into the box and falls to Klose who tries to volley it in. It ends up over the bar.
57 mins Amazing chance for Spain. Superb interplay down the left flank allows Iniesta to scamper into the box, he manages to cut it back across goal and Pedro is there waiting at the backpost to tap it in, he dives for it but can't get the decisive touch and the ball skims away. Moments before Xavi had a longe-range effort which Neuer palmed away. Great efforts from Spain.
56 mins Jansen breaks up the left and tries to give an early ball into the area, the ball is poor and Pique heads away with ease.
54 mins Pedro lays off to Iniesta on the edge of the 18-yard box. he cuts inside and plays to Xavi who finds Villa running into the left side of the penalty area. He passes to the marksman, but the ensuing Villa shot curls past the right post about a metre wide.
53 mins Iniesta tries to weave past Lahm on the right, but a strong foot stops that attack.
51 mins SUBSTITUTION: Jansen is coming on for Boateng.
50 mins Pedro feeds Ramos on the edge of the 18-yard area. It comes to Xavi who finds Alonso striding in on goal, he hammers it goalwards again, but this time the flight of the ball is wide to the right.
48 mins Pedro makes a smashing break down the right flank, cutting inside and outside, trying to beat Boateng, but he can't and plays back inside to Alonso for a shot. That shot is poor and fades to to the left.
47 mins Long ball from Boateng finds Klose. He almost breaks away from the Spain defence, but his pace lets him down. Instead he plays back inside and the ball reaches Trochowski on the right, he shimmies to shoot and the shot is blocked away.
46 mins Second half underway.
2030 Believe it or not, Xabi Alonso's dad played for Spain against West Germany in the 1982 World Cup. Like father like son and all that.
2029 Second half action coming right up. No changes for either side in Durban.
2019 Well, that 45 minutes can only be described as cagey at best. Here's hoping for better in the next 45.
HALF-TIME: GERMANY 0-0 SPAIN
45+1 mins Germany break very quickly and turn defence to attack. Klose gains possession on the right flank and has Ozil inside him, he plays the ball along the ground but it is fractionally too far ahead of Ozil and he has to stretch to get it. As he manages to get the ball under control Ramos comes in from behind and gets a very slight touch on the back of Ozil's leg. The German goes down looking for a penalty, but the referee is having none of it. That was the last noteworthy action of the half.
45 mins Pedro gets the ball on the right edge of the penalty area and tries to jink through three markers, he wins a corner. The corner is fairly useless though and is headed well clear.
43 mins Torres floats a ball across the six yard box, and it almost reaches Villa. Mertesacker gets a touch to lift it away from Villa and then Boateng overpowers Villa to gain possession and clear the danger.
41 mins Capdevila crosses from the right byline but Mertesacker heads clear.
Boateng catches Iniesta on the right flank with a late challenge. Free-kick in for Spain. A short ball is played to Pedro, who tries to roll it on but it is poor.
40 mins Ozil sees Boateng lining up a run up from right back and feeds him. Boateng attempts a Cruyff turn but fails to pull it off. It was a little clumsy to tell the truth.
38 mins Lahm cuts away down the right wing and plays it to Ozil on 18-yards. Ozil tries to wriggle past three red shirts, but fails and the ball is hammered clear.
36 mins More action over the last few moments as the game threatens to actually start proper. Schweinsteiger plays a ball for Podolski but offside is the call again, close but the right call.
35 mins Iniesta tries to find Villa but there are four German players lining the edge of the 18-yard area and Iniesta can't squeeze it through.
33 mins Khedira plays a great ball down the line for Ozil, Puyol reads it and follows Ozil to clear for a corner. Ozil takes the corner and Casillas fists clear.
32 mins Lahm breaks down the right flank and with little option available decides to play inside to Trochowski, who hammers it at goal from 40 yards. The shot is low and on target and forces Casillas to push it wide of the goal for a corner. Ozil whips the corner into the six yard area and the Spanish scramble clear.
31 mins Villa moves across field and tries to finD Pedro on the right flank but his pass is overcooked and rolls into touch.
30 mins Alonso hammers it from distance, but the accuracy is off and it goes right of the post.
29 mins Ozil tries to find Klose with a ball over the top, but it is overhit and Klose, never the fastest of strikers, chases the ball down to no avail.
28 mins Podolski is off to receive treatment, but just as quick is back.
27 mins Germany need possession here to gain a foothold. Spain are working immensely hard and their retention is Barcelona-like.
In a 50-50 for the ball Podolski tips the ball ahead and Ramos stamps on his foot. Very sore looking and he goes down. Ramos really caught him there.
26 mins Another chance for Spain, he puts an early ball into the box and Pedro tries to volley for the top corner but gets it completely wrong and the ball ends up hopelessly wide.
25 mins Ramos tries to go past Boateng on the right, but Boateng challenges firm and clears for Germany.
24 mins Offside against Capdevila down the left. The replays show he was onside.
23 mins Xavi releases Iniesta down the left and he has space, Lahm manages to close him down and it goes for a corner, which Spain don't use. Germany try to break quickly but Ozil fails to anticipate the pass.
Another attack moments later sees Podolski play an inch perfect pass to Klose in the box. The big striker tries to turn, but he can't get away from his marker and loses the ball.
20 mins Puyol strides down the right flank and plays a ball inside to Villa, who back heels in the air to Pedro, but Mertesacker gets a toe in to punt it away. Good defending there.
19 mins Alonso finds Ramos who has been making regular forays into the German half. Ramos squares up to shoot but from a tight angle he skews his shot high and wide.
19 mins Spain have had 66% possession and two chances. They are in control here.
17 mins Boateng aims a long-throw into the box, Pique is under it and heads clear. Germany build again though - a long ball almost finds Podolski; however, it has too much pace and runs away from the Polish-born striker/winger.
15 mins Pique tries to clear a long-ball from Trochowksi, but poorly heads it out of for a corner. Ozil whips it into the six-yard area and Casillas come to clear. The Spain keeper punches away for another corner. Similar corner and again Casillas punches. The Germans try to swing the ball in to the box again, but it is too long and rolls over the endline.
12 mins Germany concede a corner through Boateng. Xavi will take this one. It is played short and Iniesta hammers a ball into the box. Puyol gets a free header in the box, but his large mane of hair gets in the way seemingly and he heads it way over the bar. That should have been 1-0 Spain. The Germans are struggling right now and Spain are all over them. They have all the possession and are killing the Germans on the wings.
11 mins Alonso plays in to Villa, the ball is intercepted but Friedrich almost plays himself into trouble as he tangles his feet, eventually he clears. The last offside against Ozil was very tight - unlucky for the Germans.
10 mins Trochowski wins the ball in the centre of the park and tries to play in Ozil. Offside against the playmaker.
9 mins Spain are stroking it around with no worries at all. They have certianly started with the compsoure they have been sometimes lacking thus far in the tournament.
8 mins All Spain so far as the Germans struggle to gain a foothold in the competition.
6 mins Pedro plays a sweet through ball in to the 18-yard box from the wide right position he is holding. Villa is on to it like a flash, but Neuer comes out to narrow the angle and saves point blank for the Germans. Chance and a half for the Spanish.
5 mins Capdevila tries to go outisde Lahm on the left, but the German right back sticks out a strong leg and shoulders Capdevila off the ball.
3 mins Very slow start out on the park. Spain are playing possession football. Capdevila finds Pedro with a ball down the left flank and the Barca man tries to pull it back but it is cut out by the Germans. Then a fan tries to make his mark on proceedings by running out onto the pitch. Not too clever mate.
2 mins Villa lumps a cross into the box from far out on the left, but there is nobody in there. Neuer claims with ease.
1 min We have lift-off in Durban.
1930 Interestingly both sides have six players starting that featured in the Euro 2008 final.
1929 The mood around the office here is very pro-German. Most of us seem to think Germany by one or two goals in normal time.
1928 Kick-off is fast approaching here in Durban and the pennants are exchanged. This is pretty exciting now to be fair.
1927 National anthem time: Das Deutschlandlied and La marcha real are belted out.
1923 We have coverage of the teams arriving out on the pitch in Durban. There is a quick shot of Fernando Torres warming the bench. Much like Ryan Giggs in the mid 90s he must have needed his long hair to keep him banging in the goals!
1921 Bill O'Herlihy is a big David Villa fan, it would seem. He thinks he 'is a dude' in fact.
1904 It's going to be fascinating to see Villa, Pedro and Iniesta form a three-pronged attack for Spain. Essentially it will be like watching Barcelona 2010/11 - minus a certain Lionel Messi.
1902 Laurence Carolan from New York has e-mailed in and feels that Germany will score 4 again. He is a fan of Torres, but he feels Spain are done.
1844 Last time Spain played Germany, in Euro 2008, I was in Glastonbury listening to crooner and poet Leonard Cohen. From what I've been told though I didn't miss much. However, I'm looking forward to seeing this encounter. I wonder is Leonard watching this time too.
1835 So, it's official Torres has been dropped by Del Bosque. The media pressure swirling in Spain would have forced his hand, but let's face it, Torres has not delivered at all. He had to be dropped.
1833 Germany v Spain line-ups:
Germany: 1-Manuel Neuer; 16-Philipp Lahm, 3-Arne Friedrich, 17-Per Mertesacker, 20-Jerome Boateng, 15-Piotr Trochowski, 6-Sami Khedira, 7-Bastian Schweinsteiger, 10-Lukas Podolski, 8-Mesut Ozil, 11-Miroslav Klose.
Spain: 1-Iker Casillas; 15-Sergio Ramos, 3-Gerard Pique, 5-Carles Puyol, 11-Joan Capdevila; 14-Xabi Alonso, 8-Xavi, 6-Andres Iniesta, 16-Sergio Busquets; 18-Pedro, 7-David Villa.
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary).
1821 The rumour mill is beginning to grind into action, what with the end of the World Cup in sight. The most plausible rumour of the day is that tournament star Wesley Sneijder could be playing football at Old Trafford next season. Fergie is apparently keen to sign the diminutive bald playmaker to fill the gap Ronaldo left in the Manchester United team.
1810 Very intriguing news that Pedro will start for Spain. Vicente del Bosque has been experimenting with several players as substitite replacements for Torres. Those include Pedro, Fernando Llorente, David Silva and Jesus Navas. All good option, but surely Llorente would be first in line.
There was rumours that Cesc Fabregas may also start. However, with the Arsenal star carrying a shoulder injury, Del Bosque probably views that as a gamble too far.
1755 Spanish pundit, Guillem Balague speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live says that Fernando Torres will start on the bench for the Spain, with Pedro to start.
1730 Phil from Monaghan with his wish for Fernado Torres: 'I hope Torres has a shocker tonight, which will lower the interest for him in the transfer market -meaning he'll stay at Liverpool.'
1729 Kieran Reddan from the Premier county is back: 'If you are looking for a sure thing betting wise tonight, I think both teams to score is a certainty. I think David Silva should start instead of Torres to give Boateng a busy night of it as he has not been tested and I'm not convinced about his defensive ability and with Villa pushed up front to move the the centre halves around the pitch leaving space for Ineista and Xavi to have pot shots. Spain to sneak it 2-1.'
1725 Kevin Barry in Delaware has some interesting facts to share: 'Really hoping that this will be a classic match tonight, it has all the ingredients to be!
If Spain win tonight, we will have a little bit of history with the final pairing. It would be the first time since 1978 (Argentina and the Netherlands) that two teams who have never won a world Cup will be playing for the trophy. That has only happened two other times since 1950, with the West Germany - Hungary final in 1954, and the Brazil - Sweden final in 1958.
Furthermore, if Spain do play Holland, the winner will have accomplished the rare feat of winning their first World Cup outside of their own country. Of the seven countries to have won a world cup, only two (West Germany in 1954 and Brazil 1958) won their first title when they were not hosting the competition.'
1722 Jon in Kildare feels the absence of one Michael Ballack is no bad thing: 'Is it just coincidence that Germany are playing so openly and free and they are missing Michael Ballack. I think his injury was a touch of luck for Germany despite the fact that most football commentators hyped him up to be a massive loss and talked as if he was going to be the star of the finals. Don't know who they have been watching for the last couple of years.'
1720 William McLoughney offers a thorough insight on what's in store in Durban: 'This is the hardest game to call so far I think. Spain haven't played anywhere clsoe to their potential and yet are still in the semis. I think that Germany may possibly have over-achieved to get this far and haven't played a team as well set up as Spain who will keep the ball for long periods of time and have the ability to tear the untested German defence apart. I'm a Liverpool fan and even I think Torres should not start. They could possibly move Villa to play up the middle with either Fabregas or Silva to come into the team. Hopefully it will be a great match; the World Cup needs it!'
1618 Gerry in Limerick thinks the acquisition of a certain German was a good move by the national broadcaster: 'I think RTÉ were geniuses to get the services of Didi Hamann and I hope they get him for future tournaments and Premier League coverage. I fancy Germany tonight 3-1, more pace and far better defence than Spain. It's going to be epic.'
1552 Declan Hynes will be somewhere between London and Singapore when tonight's match is on. He adds: 'For those of you who have the opportunity to watch the match of TV - or even read the (excellent) updates on RTE.ie - spare a thought for those of us who will be in transit during the match. I'm travelling back from Singapore - where the Dutch match kicked off at 2:30 a.m. local time. For the Spain v Germany match - I'll be on a plane from Sinapore to Dublin (via Heathrow) - and the only announcement will be the captain informing us of the result about an hour and a half afterwards. At least - that's what happened on the way out here - for the England v Germany match. Same scoreline tonight - but this time to the Spanish! Torres to open it up and Villa to carve them apart. Enjoy it!'
Declan
1503 - While Paul the octopus has tipped Spain for victory, the Germans may be heartened by the fact that on this day - 7 July - in 1974 they defeated the Netherlands to win the World Cup in Munich. Will history repeat itself on Sunday next, 11 July?
1455 Hi everybody and welcome to our text commentary for the clash of the European heavyweights in Durban. It's a night when the total attendance at this World Cup is set to pass the three million mark. Average attendances for each match at the tournament is just under 50,000.
