Gloom descends on Germany... but Spain has a fiesta

Germany was a nation in mourning today after its defeat to Spain in the World Cup semi-final.

The euphoria following the 4-1 and 4-0 wins over England and Argentina was replaced by despair in cities across the country, where hundreds of thousands watched in open-air venues.

But Spain celebrated as they reached the final for the first time. They will play Holland on Sunday.

German media reflected the mood of a people who had united behind a dynamic young team which symbolised a new integrated nation: "Out, out, the dream is out," said Der Spiegel, while popular newspaper Bild wrote: "The whistling stopped, the cheering died, the flags were rolled up and the tears began to flow. The dream was over."

The country shut down yesterday, with Mercedes stopping production lines. In Berlin's "Fan Mile", 350,000 fans watched as Carles Puyol made it 1-0 to Spain with a 73rd-minute header.

The winning nation exploded into a night of celebration, with fans spilling out onto the streets draped in the national flag, and cars driving around with horns blaring.