Rio de Janeiro, July 4: Germany moved a step closer to their fourth World cup crown when they beat France 1-0 in the first quarterfinal of the 2014 Fifa World Cup at the Estádio Maracan here on Friday.

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[Read: Brazil beat Colombia 2-1]

The first-half header from Mats Hummels off an excellent free-kick from Toni Kroos made the difference between the two European football powerhouses.

The centre-back headed Kroos's free-kick in off the underside of the crossbar in the 13th minute of the game which saw very few chances created.

The French, who suffered their first loss of this World Cup, struggled to continue with its attacking game against the experienced Germans. Mathieu Valbuena and Karim Benzema came close to find an equalizer but the Germans held off late pressure easily.

It was Germany's 13th entry into the semifinals of the World Cup and also the fourth straight time since 2002, both records in the quadrennial tournament.

Germany will play either Brazil of Colombia in the semi-finals at Belo Horizonte on July 8.

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