Germany fans war of words with Argentina

By Karolos Grohmann

ERASMIA, South Africa (Reuters) - Germany captain Philipp Lahm on Thursday fanned a war of words between his side and rivals Argentina ahead of their World Cup quarter-final clash, accusing his opponents of being bad losers.

A day after Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger called the Argentines "disrespectful," his captain said they did not know how to deal with a defeat.

"Bastian said what he said. We know South Americans are impulsive and temperamental and cannot lose," said the usually soft-spoken Lahm.

"We will see on Saturday how they will lose and how they will behave after a defeat," he said.

Germany beat Argentina in the 2006 World Cup quarter-finals on penalties before a violent brawl broke out at the end of the match, drawing in most players and coaches from both teams with punches and kicks flying.

The two sides have also met twice in a World Cup final, with Argentina winning their second trophy in 1986 and Germany coming out on top in 1990 for their third World Cup victory.

"We have to concentrate on our football only," said Lahm. "The South Americans are temperamental. We know that and we will see how they will deal this time with a defeat."

"It is time we beat a top team. Our young team has to show that it can beat a top team like Argentina in 90 minutes," Lahm said.