Ballack, left, and Hamann celebrate.

By Mike Tyas

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When the chips are down trust the Germans to come up trumps.

Down to 10 men and with their backs to the ropes, Germany showed their ruthless efficiency in the second half after being let off the hook in the first.

Cameroon should have buried Germany before the interval but spurned three or four gift-wrapped chances, particularly Rigobert Song whose header wide of the post from in front of a gaping goal was little short of criminal.

Ironically, it was dismissal of Germany's Carsten Ramelow that proved the turning point in their favour.

Cameroon had repeatedly broke through the German defence on the counter-attack before his dismissal but in the second half the Africans hit a brick wall as Germany pulled nine men behind the ball.

Instead it was the Germans and their rising star Miroslav Klose who booked their passage through to the last 16 by scoring the second after feeding Marco Bode for the opener.

Cameroon had no answer - particularly after Patrick Suffo saw red - and you felt sorry for them as undoubtedly the more talented team fell victim to the German machine.

You have to feel sorry for the ref, too.

The Spaniard, Lopez Nieto, set a new World Cup record for handing out a mammoth 16 yellow cards and two reds.

He'll probably have to write up each caution in triplicate in his final match report, so if he starts now he might finish before World Cup 2006!

At least he was consistent, although being consistently awful is not the best of attributes for a World Cup referee.