The guy in the polo shirt and suede shoes looked ridiculously relaxed for someone who can now see the achievement of a lifetime beckoning, and at full-time his first act was to go to Sweden’s coach Lars Lagerback and clasp him in a new-man hug. Jürgen Klinsmann is a novel German manager and wants to project a “new Germany”.

So here it is: vibrant, young, anarchic, brilliant. But some things are archetypal. Germany are advancing through a tournament and growing with every game. Sweden were swatted aside far more easily than the scoreline suggests. Deep in the game Andreas Isaksson, their prodigious goalkeeper, was still having a punishing workout, blocking from Oliver Neuville, stretching as Bastian Schweinsteiger shot off Tobias Linderoth against a post and somehow parrying a thunderous shot from Michael Ballack.

He stood between Sweden and utter disaster, Germany pounding in a remarkable 25 shots.

Ballack was his country’s familiar architect, but Germany has a new hero. In the city of Der Kaiser, Franz Beckenbauer, they rose to hail “Prince Poldi”. Nobody, after this, was happier than Bayern Munich, who have somehow just bought Lukas Podolski for no more than €8m. Twice yesterday he struck as the game was won in a heady opening 12 minutes. Criticised for his slow start to the competition, Podolski now has three goals in two games and is being hailed as the best German striker since Klinsmann.

“We were full of passion, full of energy and I can’t remember when a German team played like that in the first half-hour. It was so much fun,” said Klinsmann. Germany are steeped in achievement but fun is exactly what this manager has given them, and what a precious gift that is.

“Since we started preparing for the World Cup we have grown as a team,” said Podolski. “I contributed to winning but it was the team that won, not me.” Asked about his previously criticised partnership with Miroslav Klose, Podolksi said simply: “You saw it today. We were lucky with the penalty (miss) but in the end it was a deserved victory.”

In Klose, Podolski has a canny operator and World Cup specialist for a partner, while Ballack is not Germany’s only source of creation with Schweinsteiger on the field. Philipp Lahm and Bernd Schneider are also dynamic. Okay, Germany can’t defend, but with such an attacking mix, their confidence surging and home support, this team is suddenly potent.

Three months ago, Klinsmann’s men were losing to Italy 4-1, now they go forward bold and smiling. Klinsmann even commands that most precious quality, luck. When Christoph Metzelder half-impeded Henrik Larsson and the Swedes were awarded a penalty, it coincided with a substitution. Larsson had to wait before taking his spot-kick and, amid building whistling, uncharacteristically lost his cool and blasted the ball over the bar.

Sweden were buoyed by their draw against England but soon found Germany a different proposition. The key for Lagerback’s team is organisation but, in a riotous opening, Sweden were destroyed by Germany’s unorthodoxy and verve. Their logical processes disintegrated and their set-up collapsed. They were 2-0 down after 12 minutes and a man down after 34 when Teddy Lucic was sent off for two fouls on Klose.

The return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic was supposed to be a fillip but rendered an irrelevance. Ballack imposed his will on the game. Ahead of him two strikers flourished. The similarity between Klose and Podolski ends with the fact both are Polish-born. Klose, is slender, stealthy, subtle, Podolski is muscular and direct. After four minutes Ballack slid Klose through and Isaksson blocked, but the ball ran free and Podolski gave it a whack. In it ricocheted, pinball-style, off the foot of Olof Mellberg and Lucic’s head.

Metzelder was always vulnerable against Larsson but when the Swede turned his man cleverly he shot wide, hurried into inaccuracy by Ballack’s superb recovery tackle. On another attack prompted by Ballack, Podolski thumped just over from distance, and soon it was 2-0. Podolski, taking possession deep, played to the feet of Klose, who had drifted into an excellent position between Lucic and Erik Edman and exploited the defenders’ uncertainty by dragging both along for the ride as he dribbled across the 18-yard line. He slipped the ball to Podolski, who rammed his shot home. Twelve minutes gone: already, Germany were in the last eight. Lahm overlapped and cut back to Klose: a great save by Isaksson. Torsten Frings caught a drive sweetly from 25 yards: Isaksson tipped over.

Nothing would turn the German tide. The crowd inside the stadium reflected the new Germany too, of mixed ages and sexes, with paint on their faces and black, red and gold garlands round their necks. “It’s not about me. I’m not important. This is about the squad,” said Klinsmann. “A football nation like ours as World Cup hosts can only be satisfied if it stops at the quarter-finals, but it won’t. We are looking beyond that.” Argentina, the world, watch out.

STAR MAN: Michael Ballack (Germany)

Attendance: 66,000 Player ratings: Germany: Lehmann 5, Friedrich 6, Mertesacker 6, Metzelder 5, Lahm 7, Schneider 7, Frings 7 (Kehl 85min, 6), Ballack 8, Schweinsteiger 7 (Borowski 72min, 6), Podolski 8 (Neuville 74min, 7), Klose 8

Sweden: Isaksson 8, Alexandersson 5, Mellberg 5, Lucic 4, Edman 6, Jonson 6 (Wilhelmsson 52min, 6), Linderoth 7, Kallstrom 5 (Hansson 39min, 6), Ljungberg 6, Ibrahimovic 5 (Allback 72min, 6), Larsson 6

Scorer: Germany: Podolski 4, 12

Referee: C Simon