(CNN) -- Three-time champions Germany marched into the semifinals of the World Cup after destroying Diego Maradona's highly-rated Argentina side 4-0 on Saturday in a rematch of the 1986 and 1990 title matches.
Veteran striker Miroslav Klose celebrated his 100th international appearance with two goals in Cape Town, taking him level second in the tournament's all-time scoring list alongside compatriot Gerd Muller on 14.
Thomas Muller, one of the finds of the month-long football showpiece, headed the opening goal inside the third minute, his fourth of the South African tournament, while Arne Friedrich bundled home his first in 76 internationals to make it 3-0.
The star-studded Argentina team rarely looked like breaking down the well-organized German line-up, and when they did put the ball in the net in the 36th minute Gonzalo Higuain was clearly offside.
Argentina's world player of the year Lionel Messi now goes home without having scored a goal at the event, having come into it with huge expectations surrounding him.
Germany will next face the winner of Saturday's final last-eight tie between European champions Spain and Paraguay.
Muller will miss that match due to suspension after picking up his second booking.
The 20-year-old, who has played only seven international matches, glanced in a header from Bastian Schweinsteiger's teasing cross which Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero could only deflect into the net with his right leg.
Muller then presented Klose with a glorious chance to make it 2-0, but the 32-year-old blazed his shot over the bar.
The South Americans thought they had equalized when Tevez fed the ball to Higuain, but at least four Argentines were in offside positions in the build-up play.
Klose, who spent most of last season on the substitutes' bench at German champions Bayern Munich while Muller grabbed the headlines, made it 2-0 from close range in the 68th minute after being set up by Lukas Podolski.
The 31-year-old Friedrich killed off Argentina with 16 minutes to play after Schweinsteiger waltzed past three defenders and laid on a perfect pass for his teammate.
Coach Maradona -- who led Argentina to victory as captain against the Germans in Mexico in 1986 but suffered defeat in Italy four years after that -- took off right-back Nicolas Otomendi, who struggled to fill what has been a problem position for the team throughout the tournament.
He also brought on striker Sergio Aguero, but Germany continued the clinical counter-attacking display that so ruthlessly ended England's hopes in the previous round as Klose moved to within a goal of Brazil star Ronaldo on the all-time list with an 89th-minute volley from Mesut Ozil's cross.
