FIFA World Cup: Germany tunes in to watch heroics

Ninety percent of Germans with TV sets watched their side's spectacular 4-0 demolition of Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals, FIFA said on Tuesday.                                           

Spokesperson Nicolas Maingot said an average of 27.7 million people watched the game last Saturday, when Germany reached the semi-finals.

The most watched soccer match in Germany according to records was the 2006 semi-final against Italy when 29.66 million tuned in.                                           

The game in Cape Town was attended by chancellor Angela Merkel and watched by hundreds of thousands in fan parks in Germany, including 350,000 in central Berlin.  

The young team, which also beat England 4-1 in the group stage, were hailed as heroes in the German press.      

Germany play Spain on Wednesday for a place in the final.