Munich, Germany -- (Sports Network) - Germany took one step closer to World Cup glory Saturday, as Lukas Podolski's two goals powered the host nation to a 2-0 victory over Sweden and a spot in the next round.

Podolski scored his first in just the fourth minute, and followed the performance by scoring his second goal eight minutes later to give Germany the early lead and early control of the match.

With the win, Germany will move onto the quarterfinals to face Argentina on June 30 in Berlin.

For Sweden, a match that included a missed penalty kick and few goal scoring opportunities marks the end of its 2006 World Cup campaign.

The match got off to a slow start, with both teams struggling to establish a pace. Inside of the first two minutes, two fouls had quickly taken place, one from each team to slow the match.

But the early pace changed quickly in the fourth minute, when Germany opened the scoring with a knock from Podolski.

With Germany on the attack, Miroslav Klose met a through ball just inside of the penalty box, breaking through Sweden's defense. With the ball, Klose was met by goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson, who deflected the ball away from the striker. However, Podolski was in the perfect spot, jumping on the loose ball in the center of the box and drilling a shot to the top of the net to give Germany the crucial lead.

Following a brief threat from Sweden, Germany doubled its lead courtesy of another strike from Podolski.

The striker found the back of the net off a great pass from Klose, who maneuvered the ball through the Swedish defense and sent a pass to his right for Podolski. With time, Podolski settled the ball, and drilled a shot to the top of the net to give Germany an early 2-0 lead.

In the 35th, the Sweden lineup took a hit, when Teddy Lucic was shown his second yellow card, forcing him out of the match and leaving Sweden to 10 players.

Throughout the half, Sweden struggled to set up any attacks, as the German defense was quick to clear the ball. Overall, Germany dominated the match, with 12 shots compared to Sweden's three.

In the second half, Sweden was handed its best chance to find a goal, when Christoph Metzelder was called for a foul in the 53rd on Henrik Larsson inside of the penalty box. Larsson was given the penalty kick, but sent a shot over the net to add to the growing frustrations for Sweden on the field.

Despite the two goal lead, Germany continued to pressure, finding numerous chances on the Sweden net. Overall, the German offense found 25 shots, with 10 shots on goal, compared to Sweden's five goal attempts.