Germany defender Jerome Boateng, right, keeps tabs on his half-brother, Kevin-Prince Boateng, who plays for Ghana. (Stephane de Sakutin/AFP/Getty Images)

Germany is through to the second round at the FIFA World Cup following a 1-0 win over Ghana Wednesday in Johannesburg.

Australia defeated Serbia 2-1 in the other Group D game Wednesday in Nelspruit, but Ghana still beat out the Aussies for second place (behind Germany) and a spot in the round of 16.

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The main storyline

No doubt Mr. and Mrs. Boateng are equally proud of their sons, but you have to wonder what was going through their minds as a modern-day Cain and Abel drama unfolded before their eyes.

Putting a new spin on sibling rivalry, half-brothers Kevin-Prince Boateng and Jerome Boateng made history Wednesday by becoming the first brothers to feature on opposite sides in a World Cup match.

Kevin-Prince, 23, played for Germany's junior team before switching allegiance to Ghana last year, while younger brother Jerome, 21, has earned six caps for the Germans. The two were born and grew up in Germany and share the same Ghanaian father but have different German mothers.

A contentious incident a month ago in London stoked the fires between the two teams and brothers before a ball was even kicked in Johannesburg. Kevin-Prince, who plays for English club Portsmouth, became a hated figure among German fans when his rash tackle on Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack ruled Germany's captain out of this tournament with an ankle injury.

Mesut Oezil's goal in the 60th minute settled the matter and earned a measure of revenge for the Germans.

Ghana will feel aggrieved by the result, as it gave the Germans a tough outing and deserved to walk away with at least a point.

But the Black Stars will be soothed by the fact that they still qualified for the second round, the only African nation among the six competing at this tournament do so — Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa and Algeria have been eliminated, while the Ivory Coast is on life-support.

What this result means

Germany (six points) wins Group D, followed by Ghana and Australia (four points each) and Serbia (three points). Ghana finished ahead of Australia by virtue of a better goal difference (0 vs. -3).

The Germans will meet Group C runner-up England in the second round, while Ghana will face the United States, the Group C winner. Serbia and Australia have been eliminated.

The winning goal

Both teams had a hatful of scoring chances, but Oezil finally broke the deadlock when he smashed a gorgeous left-footed shot into the top corner of the net from 22 yards out.

Turning point of the game

It was a dead heat between the two teams before Oezil's goal swung the momentum squarely in favour of the Germans and forced Ghana to chase the game.

Man of the match

Oezil decided the game with his sublime goal, but he looked dangerous the entire match, putting Ghana's defence under constant pressure with his probing runs.

The German perspective

"I simply shot the ball. I had a lot of support from my teammates. It doesn't matter whom we play next, we have to keep winning." — Midfielder Mesut Oezil

The Ghanaian perspective

"It was a very difficult match but we fought and it was enough to get us through. We had opportunities but the important thing is that we went through." — Midfielder Andre Ayew