Career of Podolski (World Cup 2010)

On 13 June 2010, Podolski, who had become accustomed to his position as a winger scored the first goal in Germany's World Cup opening game in a 4-0 win against Australia, before assisting teammate Thomas Müller for the third goal. On 18 June 2010, Podolski missed a second-half penalty after a handling infraction committed by Nemanja Vidić in the 1-0 loss to Serbia. The German team had gone down to 10-men after a second yellow was shown to Miroslav Klose in the 36th minute. Even though the Germans played with 10-men throughout the rest of the game, Podolski had numerous chances on goal. However he was unable to capitalize, and the game ended in a surprise defeat for the Germans. However, he managed to score against England in the last 16, giving Germany a 2-0 advantage in the first half. They went on to beat England 4-1.In the quarter final against Argentina, Podolski assisted Klose to a goal, bringing the score to 2-0. The Germans won the match 4-0.