Germany 1-0 Argentina: Super Mario clinches German world title
- adamhigginsuk
- Jul 13, 2014
- 13 min read
Winners again: Germany are back amongst the elite as the squad celebrate their long-awaited success (Picture by Adam Higgins)
MARIO Gotze's stunning extra-time goal gave Germany a slender victory over Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final at the Maracana.
The German substitute collected Andre Schurrle's cross on his chest before smashing a left-footed volley past Sergio Romero in the 113th minute.
Both sides had their moments in an enthralling contest with Argentina guilty of wasting several chances as underwhelming captain Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain dragged shots wide during normal time.
Benedikt Howedes hit the post and Schurrle saw a shot well saved for Germany, who became the first European nation in World Cup history to lift the trophy in South America.
And coach Joachim Loew hopes this fourth world title could be the start of a dominant dynasty for his fledging young side as the Germans claimed a first major international title since beating Argentina in the 1990 final.
Appearing in the global showpiece for a record eighth time, it was the crowning moment for Germany - semi-finalists in the last four World Cups and Euro 2008 runners-up - who have ended an agonising 24-year hunt for glory in scintillating style in the majestic setting of Rio de Janeiro.
Two-time winners Argentina desperately craved success in their fifth World Cup final at the home of fierce rivals Brazil after their fourth-placed finish with Messi bidding to cement his legendary status alongside the pantheons of footballing greats.
But neither aspiration transpired as their dreams of a first world title since Diego Maradona inspired the 1986 defeat of Germany in their own continent were crushed as coach Alejandro Sabella's final swansong finished in ultimate disappointment.
Nevertheless, an unforgettable tournament in Brazil received the entertaining conclusion it deserved as the curtain fell down on 32 memorable days of thrilling drama, excitement and a glut of spectacular goals.
With an estimated TV audience of over a billion and almost 75,000 packed inside the Maracana, the stage was set for a vintage occasion with Germany hoping to follow in the footsteps of Spain in 2010 and Italy in 2006 in becoming the third successive European team to clinch the trophy.
Argentina, with more than 100,000 fans invading the city to support their nation, were seeking to exact revenge after being eliminated at the quarter-final stage in both 2006 and 2010 by the Germans.
? DID YOU KNOW ?
Argentina failed to notch a shot on target in a World Cup game for the first time since the 1990 final against Germany - they are only the third team to achieve this feat in the 2014 tournament.
Former Sheffield United and Leeds player Sabella opted against throwing an unfit Angel Di Maria into the starting line-up as he named an unchanged side from the one that edged past Holland on penalties in Wednesday's semi-final.
Left-back Marcos Rojo overcame a sore ankle to retain his place while Sergio Aguero had to be content with a place on the bench after recovering from a thigh injury.
The Germans were also unchanged which meant defender Mats Hummels was able to play after struggling with tendonitis and all-time leading World Cup scorer Miroslav Klose - the only survivor from their 2002 final defeat to Brazil - spearheaded the attack.
But Loew was dealt a huge blow moments before kick-off when Sami Khedira pulled up with a calf injury in the warm-up as Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Christoph Kramer, who had played only 12 minutes in the tournament previously, was drafted in for his first competitive start.
Heartbreak: Kramer, who was a late call-up to the starting line-up, was devastated to be taken off with concussion after half-an-hour (Picture from Zimbio.com)
Although Argentina dominated in the spectator stakes, Germany had won over the locals to a certain extent after humiliating the hosts with a clinical 7-1 hammering in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday.
The European side were sharp and oozing in confidence in the opening exchanges as they bossed possession and sought to force the issue.
Against the backdrop of an electrically raucous atmosphere, Argentina sat deep early on but began to show glimpses of attacking promise when progressing forward.
As both sides expressed their adventurous intent and fluidity in an open start, the South Americans should have been ahead after 20 minutes when presented with the first meaningful chance.
A wayward back-header from Toni Kroos dropped into the path of Higuain, who contrived to snatch at a half volley which was dragged hopelessly wide from 15 yards.
It was a glorious opening and almighty let-off for the Germans, who restored order by settling back into their metronomic passing rhythm with Argentina reluctant to press with aggression in midfield in the first half.
The first yellow card was the result of brutal force when it arrived on 28 minutes as Bastian Schweinsteiger cynically upended the galloping Ezequiel Lavezzi - making a fourth successive start in the Argentine attack.
Germany, who struggled to convert their possession superiority into real penetration, momentarily thought they trailed when Lavezzi's curling cross was met by Higuian.
The unmarked Napoli striker bundled the ball home from eight yards and peeled away towards the corner flag before the offside flag halted the jubilation.
Having made a late change to his line-up, Loew was forced into another alteration on the half hour mark when Kramer - after sustaining a nasty blow in the face from Ezequiel Garay's shoulder earlier in the half - was unable to resume.
The clearly dazed 23-year-old, who only made his debut against Poland in May, saw his fifth cap come to a premature end as Andre Schurrle entered the fray with the Chelsea forward boasting three previous goals in the tournament from the bench.
The spicy affair was bubbling to the surface with plenty of sub-plots developing as Schalke left-back Howedes went into the notebook for planting a high boot on the thigh of Pablo Zabaleta.
The Germans fashioned a sighting of goal when Thomas Mueller's cutback found Schurrle in space inside the box but his cushioned sidefooter was clawed away at the near post by keeper Romero.
Argentina threatened to swarm over the Germans as a last-ditch Jerome Boateng tackle stopped Messi in his tracks once the Barcelona forward had slalomed through the defence with ease.
But Die Mannschaft ended the first half stronger and were inches away from snatching the breakthrough.
Toni Kroos fired straight at Romero after excellent hold-up play from Mesut Ozil before an inviting Kroos corner picked out an untracked Howedes but his powerful header cannoned back off the post from six yards out.
Denied: Howedes struck the woodwork for Germany with a header before half-time (Picture from Yahoo.com)
It was a stroke of luck for the Argentines and Sabella made a bold change at the break in order to seize the initiative as Manchester City striker Aguero, without an international goal in his previous six outings, replaced Lavezzi.
The substitution appeared to have the desired effect as the South Americans roared out of the traps and went close within two minutes of the restart.
There was a collective intake of breath as Messi latched onto Aguero's slide-rule pass but the four-time World Player of the Year dragged his shot narrowly beyond the far post.
Argentina commendably quickened the tempo, which Germany soon stemmed by slowing the pace with sustained spells of ball retention.
A contentious moment occurred when Manuel Neuer raced to the edge of his boundary to punch clear and landed his knee into the side of Higuain's face.
But to Argentina's disbelief, Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli awarded the free-kick in favour of the Germany goalkeeper.
The European side stepped up their game as Klose directed a header straight at Romero from a Schweinsteiger cross before Ozil shanked an effort behind as he strode into the box to connect with Schurrle's left-wing delivery.
The gripping spectacle continued to intrigue as temperatures increased a notch with Mascherano and Aguero going into the notebook for rugged challenges.
The noise of the Argentine patrons lifted again around the terraces as Messi - who tried desperately hard to become involved - left Howedes and Hummels for dead before bending a shot wide of the target.
The intensity became increasingly flatter as the players became mentally drained and physically exhausted but the action still flowed from one end to the other.
Kroos glided a 20-yard shot wide from Ozil's pull-back as the Bayern Munich playmaker, who netted in the Brazil semi-final rout, lacked conviction in his finish.
The end of Klose's 24th and final World Cup appearance was greeted with a standing ovation as Gotze made an entrance while Fernando Gago replaced Enzo Perez in the Argentine midfield.
Gotze immediately wasted an encouraging situation, opting to scuff a 25-yard shot into Romero's gloves when team-mates were better positioned ahead of him.
But with the tension and anxiety rising, neither side were able to find a winner in the regulation 90 minutes.
? DID YOU KNOW ?
Germany have reached a World Cup final in each of the last seven decades (1954, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1986, 1990, 2002 and 2014) and won for just the second time in the last five.
The Germans - evidently reluctant to avoid a penalty shoot-out - almost provided a dramatic start to extra-time as Schurrle was denied by Romero within 45 seconds before Ozil's tame rebound was expertly blocked by Martin Demichelis.
The European side patiently probed and applied most of the pressure as the mammoth semi-final took its toll on Argentina's legs.
But Sabella's fatigued side carved another gilt-edged chance when substitute Rodrigo Palacio flicked Rojo's diagonal pass over the head of Hummels but the Inter Milan striker, who scored 19 goals last term, clipped the ball wide as the onrushing Neuer came to meet him.
Javier Mascherano again typied Argentina's defiant resilience and warrior-like spirit with a crunching lunge on Schweinsteiger, who was then on the receiving end of a wayward fist from Aguero.
The Bayern Munich midfielder reacted furiously as blood poured from his face with his feelings echoed in the technical area where fourth official Carlos Vera was tasked with controlling the German's understandable outrage.
But the fury quickly transformed to scenes of bedlam when Schurrle's storming run down the left and early cross picked out Gotze, who controlled the ball sublimely on his chest before crashing a rasping left-foot volley into the corner of the net to break the deadlock with seven minutes remaining.
The 22-year-old was swamped by overjoyed team-mates as the most important of his 11 international goals was met with sheer pandemonium - led by German chancellor Angela Merkel who shot to her feet in the director's box.
Decisive: Gotze slides in to volley past Sergio Romero into the corner of the net to give Germany the breakthrough (Picture from Sky Sports)
THE GOTZE GOAL IN STATS:
Mario Gotze's goal was the 32nd substitute goal of the tournament - a World Cup record.
It was the fourth goal scored by a substitute in a World Cup final - but the first to be the winning goal. It is the second latest goal in a World Cup final.
Gotze has scored five goals in his last ten competitive appearances for Germany.
The Bayern Munich midfielder is the youngest scorer of a goal in a World Cup final since Wolfgang Weber in 1966 (at 22 years and 33 days).
It was the first time Argentina had conceded in the knockout stages and the first time they had trailled in a match at the 2014 World Cup.
The outcome, though, was not a forgone conclusion as Argentina piled men forward in search of a late equaliser.
Neuer swept up magnificently on the edge of his box to thwart Palacio and Messi's header landed on the roof of the net from Rojo's centre.
Loew threw on centre-back Per Mertesacker for his Arsenal team-mate Ozil in the dying embers to symbolise his lockdown approach.
A Messi free-kick brought a moment of panic but as it harmlessly cleared the crossbar, the relief was palpable.
And before long, the German celebrations were in full swing as the players formed a massive huddle with match-winner Gotze the primary target of the adulation.
The emotions were in stark contrast to the dejected and teary-eyed Argentines, who were consoled by their humble coach Sabella.
Messi cut a frustrated and sombre figure as he collected the Golden Ball prize with Neuer also picking up the Golden Glove award before his team-mates joined him and captain Lahm enjoyed the career-defining moment of lifting the World Cup trophy aloft.
Next stop for Die Mannschaft - who are the joint-second best nation in World Cup history along with Italy - is the start of their Euro 2016 qualification campaign against Scotland in September.
Triumphant: A delighted Andre Schurrle, who set up the only goal of the game, lifts the trophy in front of the German fans on the pitch (Picture from Zimbio.com)
2014 WORLD CUP FINAL FACTS & STATS:
Toni Kroos has become the first player born in East Germany to win the World Cup.
The 2014 World Cup is now the joint-highest scoring World Cup in history, level on 171 goals with France 98.
Germany have scored 18 goals in this World Cup tournament, the most for a team in a single World Cup since Brazil in 2002.
Only Cafu (six) has been booked more times at a World Cup finals than Javier Mascherano (five).
Six of the German starting XI were from Bayern Munich - coached by Pep Guardiola - while six of Spain's winning eleven in the final were from Barcelona - who were also managed by Guardiola.
It is only the third time a European side has beaten a South American nation in the final of the World Cup in 10 attempts.
It was the eighth occasion the two nations have met at a World Cup (the most played fixture in World Cup finals history).
Sami Khedira has become the 10th player - and eighth German - to win both the Champions League and World Cup in the same season.
The Germans are now unbeaten in 18 games in all competitions, winning 13 and drawing five with their last defeat coming in a friendly against the USA in June 2013.
In their last 11 World Cup games against European opposition, Argentina have lost just twice but both defeats have come to Germany.
Sunday 13th July 2014 Fifa World Cup Final Estadio do Maracana (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Germany 1-0 Argentina KO 8pm Live on BBC1/HD & ITV/HD (HT 0-0) (FT 0-0)
Gotze 113
(After Extra Time)
(Germany win the 2014 World Cup)
Germany: (4-2-3-1) 1 Neuer, 16 Lahm (C), 5 Hummels, 20 Boateng, 4 Howedes, 23 Kramer (Schurrle 32), 7 Schweinsteiger, 13 Mueller, 18 Kroos, 8 Ozil (Mertesacker 119), 11 Klose (Gotze 88).
Subs not used: 12 Zieler (GK), 22 Weidenfeller (GK), 2 Grosskreutz, 3 Ginter, 15 Durm, 14 Draxler, 10 Podolski.
Booked: Schweinsteiger (28), Howedes (33)
Argentina: (4-3-3) 1 Romero, 4 Zabaleta, 2 Garay, 15 Demichelis, 16 Rojo, 6 Biglia, 14 Mascherano, 8 Enzo Perez (Gago 86), 22 Lavezzi (Aguero 45), 10 Messi (C), 9 Higuain (Palacio 78).
Subs not used: 12 Orion (GK), 21 Andjuar (GK), 3 Campagnaro, 17 F Fernandez, 23 Basanta, 7 Di Maria, 11 Rodriguez, 13 A Fernandez, 19 Alvarez.
Booked: Mascherano (64), Aguero (65)
My Man of the Match: Jerome Boateng (Germany) - Rating 9.5/10
My Poorest Performer of the Match: Ezequiel Garay (Argentina) - Rating 7/10
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy) - 8/10 Assistant referees: Andrea Stefani (Italy) and Renato Faverani (Italy) Fourth Official: Carlos Vera (Ecuador) Reserve Assistant: Christian Lescano (Ecuador)
Attendance: 74,738
Match Facts
Possession: Germany - 63% Argentina - 37%
Shots: Germany - 10 Argentina - 9
Shots on target: Germany - 6 Argentina - 1
Shots off target: Germany - 4 Argentina - 8
Corners: Germany - 5 Argentina - 3
Fouls: Germany - 20 Argentina - 14
Offside: Germany - 3 Argentina - 2
Assists: Germany - 1 (Schurrle) Argentina - 0 (None)
MANAGER & PLAYER REACTION:-
Germany head coach Joachim Loew
"We started this project ten years ago and what has happened today is the result of many years' work, starting with Jurgen Klinsmann. We've made constant progress, we believed in the project, we worked a lot and, if any group deserves it, it's this team. We've always played good football and I believe that over this tournament, over seven matches, we've shown the best performances of any of the teams here in Brazil. The boys have also developed a team spirit which is unbelievable. They have fantastic technical capacity and they also have the willpower that's necessary to do what is necessary. We're the first European team to win a title in South America and that makes us very proud. Every player in this team gave everything they had. I told them before that they would have to give more than they ever had before because they were looking to achieve something new. We always knew that we would need 14 players during this match and everyone in top shape, and all the players had to be ready. It was good that we had players who could come on and make an impact, and [Mario] Gotze is a miracle boy - a boy wonder. I always knew he could decide the match."
Germany match-winner Mario Gotze
"It's an unbelievable feeling, I don't know how to describe it. I just took the shot and didn't know what was happening. For us, the dream has become reality. I'm very proud of the team and extremely happy about everything that has happened here in Brazil. Every player in our team deserves praise and we're very proud to have won this trophy."
Germany forward Andre Schurrle
"This is the best moment of my life. I had to cry because I was so overcome. I couldn't stop it. It was always a dream to become a world champion. We are so looking forward to celebrating with our fans in Berlin tomorrow."
Argentina manager Alejandro Sabella
"We were playing a great team and the match had its ups and downs, with Germany having greater ball possession and control of the field of play, and us enjoying the clearer chances. My players were warriors and I congratulated them afterwards because, beyond the sadness of the result, a coach must always assess his team's performance - and I believe that was quite good. They left everything on the pitch. The match was very even and, when we had opportunities to score, we could have done with being more efficient and effective. These are very close matches and, when you make a mistake, you know it's difficult to turn it around. But in general terms, I'm very proud and my boys played an extraordinary World Cup. It was very exciting to see them play and it's clear they gave everything for the Argentinian jersey. They can look themselves in the mirror and know they gave everything. I congratulate my players for their extraordinary work and also congratulate Germany on winning the title. At the moment, I have the dual feeling of frustration at not having achieved our dream of winning the Final, but pride at having done our duty of giving our best. As for my future, I'm not sure. My plan is to take time with my family and rest a bit, and I have nothing to say beyond that."
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Last updated: 14 July 2014 00:27am
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