World Cup 2014 Final As It Happened: Germany crowned champions

Live Match Centre | World Cup Stats | Best World Cup quotesARGENTINA 0-1 GERMANY: click here to read the match reporthttps://twitter.com/espn/status/488445090080501761Best player lost, best team wonMessi's face has been straight -- absolutely taut without any expression. It's clear the emotions are boiling underneath as he doesn't even look into the eyes of any of the dignitaries who give out and congratulate the runners-up. The best player lost, but the best team won.Individual awards: Lionel Messi wins the Golden Ball, Manuel Neuer wins the Golden Glove and James Rodriguez the Golden Boot.Stat: Argentina didn't score in its final 322 minutes of open play at the World Cup.- Meanwhile, James Rodriguez has a little cause for celebration too. The Colombian wins the Golden Boot with six strikes in the tournament. Mueller and Messi could have overtaken him but it wasn't to happen.https://twitter.com/lufthansa/status/488437053131329537https://twitter.com/sportingintel/status/488438437738213376https://twitter.com/virtualstatman/status/488438030802632704Stat: For the first time ever, a continent (Europe) has won 3 consecutive World Cups (2006-2010-2014).https://twitter.com/DFB_Team_EN/status/488436782959448065GERMANY ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!Freekick to Argentina! Messi over it. 120 minutesMessi tries to take on the German defence and gets fouled in the process. It's 30 yards out and in the perfect place for a left-footer. Messi is over it... and it's over! That's it.A minute to go for Germany to win their first World Cup since reunification.GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAALLLLLL!!!! MARIO GOTZE! 112 minutesFANTASTIC!! A goal worthy of winning the World Cup!! Schurrle scampers down the left and crosses it in for Mario Gotze who chests it down and takes the shot before the ball bounces. It's a mesmerising touch and it's gone past the keeper. Is this the World Cup?Two yellow-carded midfielders tackle Mueller, Germans make nothing of FK. 107 minutesMascherano and Biglia don't care if they're off -- the only thing they care about is not letting Mueller go past them. A double sliding tackle leaves the referee wondering who was the culprit and keeps the red cards in his pocket but Germany can't make anything of the crossed freekick. Mueller has been kept quiet. Half-time in extra-time.Palaciooooo... NO again! 97 minutesPatient buildup from Argentina as Messi plays it straight to the centre-back from the left-wing. From there it's to Rojo at wing-back and he sends an early cross which slightly bobs as Palacio brings it down. He's one-on-one but Neuer's rushing and Palacio has to chip -- it's wide.Schurrrrrrleee!!! Almost! Great save from Romero. 92 minutesFantastic turn and pass from Gotze into the path of Schurrle who is about 8 yards from goal... he slaps it on the half-volley but it Romero somehow gets in the way and stops it. The rebound is towards goal again but it's a deflected effort and Mascherano collects the loose ball and calmly clears it.And, extra-time, again.So for the seventh time in World Cup history — the final goes into extra-time. It was a helter-skelter first half and a finely balanced second. Now time for 30 more minutes on the pitch before dreaded penalties.https://twitter.com/MisterChiping/status/488427129483186176World Cup legend Klose off - Gotze on, 89 minutesMueller sets up Kroos from the byline with a delicious 20 yard layoff which the Bayern Munich midfielder rolls wide. Meanwhile, Klose is off for Mario Gotze. That's the last we'll see of the tournament's all-time top-scorer.https://twitter.com/sidin/status/488424864832028672Messi, Mueller both squeezed out with some edgy tackling, 80 minutes80 minutes gone and Messi and Mueller have both found themselves in good positions — only to be tightly marked and shoved away by a couple of defenders. Meanwhile, Higuain is off for Palacio.https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/488422146960814080Messi cuts in, cuts in, cuts in... shoots and misses! 75 minutesLovely dinked pass from Messi to Zabaleta for a quick exchange near the box. He then cuts in, taking a couple of men with him, and keeps going from right to left alongside the attacking third in his typical style before shooting and missing. The ball didn't curl at all.Mascherano sees yellow for cynical challenge, match slows down a bit. 67 minutesA simple pass goes through Mascherano's legs as he tries to trap it and Klose is onto it in a jiffy. He knows he's the ball in a crucial area and dives in to stop it. Sees yellow for that. The match slightly less end-to-end now, but still mighty entertaining.Neuer gets the ball out of danger, but knocks out Higuain. 59 minutesLong ball from Zabaleta is chased down the inside right by Higuain, but Neuer comes rushing and punches the ball away from danger — however, his high knee catches Higuain's face and the Argentine is knocked out for a bit. Differing views on whether that was a foul or not -- but the knee was dangerously high.Argentina clear yet another German chance, 55 minutesSchurrle dribbles past two defenders and is brought down at the edge of the box — but the loose ball finds Mueller at the byline on the left, his pull-back cleared away by Rojo. The corner comes to nothing. With Klose in the box, all you need to do is beat the first man with a cross. Germany have tried it multiple times to no avail.Inches wide! Lionel Messi... almost! 48 minutesMessi slipped in with a glorious pass from Biglia and he's onside, takes a look at the goal and rolls it inches wide of the post! He cannot believe it as he sees the replays on the big screen.The players are back out after half-time. Sergio Aguero has come on for Lavezzi. The PSG man was making some nice runs and troubling the Germans — shouldn't Higuain have gone off? We shall see...https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/488412781972959232Hoewedes off the post! It's half-timeCorner for Germany and Hoewedes' header crashes into the post, hits Mueller and rolls into Romero's hands. Flag was up anyway because Mueller was running back from an offside position and interfered with play unknowingly as soon as the ball rebounded onto his body. It's half-time at the Maracana.https://twitter.com/espn/status/488415167672500224Boateng off the line! 42 minutesMessi goes on another mazey run and is inside the box. He looks up to dodge another marker but the ball escapes both and is about to creep into the net before Boateng clears it acrobatically. https://twitter.com/AP_Sports/status/488407078076444674Excellent save from Romero from Schurrle's effort, 38 minutesMueller escapes down the left, comes in across goal and pulls it back for Schurrle who takes a first-time side-foot shot which has power and is placed well — but Romero dives to his right to keep that out brilliantly.Kramer too dazed, goes off. 34 minutesKramer can't continue -- his debut start has ended prematurely and Andre Schurrle is on. Who'll mark Messi now?https://twitter.com/MisterChiping/status/488406261369946112Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... NOOOO! 29 minutesMessi pings an incredible ball to the right from where Lavezzi's cross is met by Higuain and put into the net. The Napoli striker wheels away in delight but the flag is up, and rightfully so. Only Higuain doesn't know it.The best passer in the German team sets up Higuain who misses the BEST chance of the match so far, 21 minutesThe ball's bobbing around in midfield and probably the best passer of the tournament tries to head it back — it's a woeful header and right into the path of Higuain who is one-on-one and alone with Neuer, enters the box and scuffs his shot wide to the almighty relief of Germany and the shock of Argentina.Kramer down after a hard collision, 18 minutesKramer who replaced Khedira in the starting lineup runs into a couple of Argentine defenders, with one of them ramming into the side of his head. He's gone down immediately and there's some concern on the bench. Should be okay though.Klose almost makes it 17! 13 minutesMessi loses the ball to Schweinsteiger and quells the immediate danger by running back and putting it out for a throw-in. The ensuing attack is spread to the right by Kroos and to Mueller whose crosses is an inch above the Klose who was looking for a header.Messi shows a glimpse of what he can do, 8 minutesOh what a run... pure magic Messi! Pure magic... he starts off down the left flank teasing the defender in slow-mo, before accelerating, slowing down again, accelerating and then beating his man to cut inside into the flank before trying to pull it back for Lavezzi but the ball is cut-off. https://twitter.com/MessiStats/status/488404252550004736Another intricate German freekick flops, 3 minutesRojo fouls Mueller as the German striker tries to run onto a chipped through ball. It's 30 yards from goal and there are five men behind it -- as many as there are in the wall. An intricate layoff follows but it's straight into the wall. No one fell over this time.JUST-IN: Sami Khedira is OUT of the starting XI after a calf injury — Christoph Kramer replaces him. This is a massive blow for Germany.https://twitter.com/WhoScored/status/48838753503569920120 minutes to go!https://twitter.com/DFB_Team_EN/status/488393053569564673https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/488392693773381632https://twitter.com/MisterChiping/status/488388968681971712https://twitter.com/English_AS/status/488396173276102657Germany XI: Neuer; Lahm, Hummels, Boateng, Höwedes; Schweinsteiger, Khedira; Müller, Kroos, Özil; Klose.Argentina XI: Romero; Zabaleta, Demichelis, Garay, Rojo; Biglia, Mascherano, Perez; Lavezzi, Messi, Higuaín.Closing ceremony ends with hundreds of smilesShakira comes back on stage with her and Pique's son -- Pique and his Spanish side crashed out of the World Cup in the group stage itself but his 2010 World Cup winning teammate Carles Puyol has brought the World Cup trophy which will be handed over to the new champions. The ceremony ends with cameras streaming through the performers on the pitch -- all of them waving, their beaming smiles seen through faces painted with flags of all the 32 countries.The real show however, begins now.[caption id="attachment_1617257" align="alignleft" width="380"] Beckham and sons are in the stands today. AFP[/caption]After Shakira, it's Carlos Santana!The 10-time Grammy winning Santana is on stage in an Undertaker-type (the WWE Undertaker) costume and an orange guitar. The closing ceremony has a much better lineup than the opening one certainly. There's no annoying orb either.And here comes Shakira...After some freestyle football tricks and samba, Shakira suddenly pops into the middle of the pitch which is laid out in Brazil's flag's colours. Wearing a red dress which features lots of cuts, she executes some perfect dance moves and it looks like she is actually singing 'La la la'... it's not just lip-sync. FIFA's guest list includes superpowers and... James BondBritish actor Daniel Craig is on FIFA's official guest. So are Brazilian supermodels Gisele Bundchen and Adriana Lima, singers Shakira and Wyclef Jean, Two and a Half men star Ashton Kutcher and former footballers like Marco Materazzi and Olivier Matthaus.

The list of VVIP guests at the #WorldCup final tonight. Oliver Dacourt got the shout somehow. pic.twitter.com/gKyrBfnvgG

— Dave Egan (@daveegan) July 13, 2014

STAT: Brazil (1970-1994) and Italy (1982-2006) needed 24 years to get their 4th star. Germany won their third 24 years agohttps://twitter.com/ewnreporter/status/488369725278519296Shakira headlines closing ceremonyPop star Shakira, who sang yet another World Cup song this time (La la la), will be performing live at the closing ceremony of the World Cup at the Maracana. The tournament is close to her heart — she having met current partner Gerard Pique during the edition in South Africa in 2010.It's not just Messi vs Mueller — both will have to cope with two keepers who've had a fantastic tournament:Here's Messi vs MuellerThe preview in a pictureGermany has to forget the Brazil win if they're to beat ArgentinaJoachim Loew pumped up his arms for the first three goals but after that he almost wore a disinterested look; as if he was already thinking about the final... about what he would need to set right to win a trophy that Germany last won in the previous century.But come the final, they need to wipe the slate clean and start all over again. Their rivals aren't emotional, they don't concede goals and they have Lionel Messi in their ranks. If Germany go into the game swayed by the semi-final result, they could be in for a rude shock.Click here to read the full feature.https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/488346331908698114It's time for Messi to win the World Cup and end the 'greatest ever' debateThere's no doubt about his talent, his goals, his touches, his passes — that has never been a criticism he has faced. Messi's only problem — and it's unreal how it is not even a problem in his game — is that he's still not Maradona. He's still not Pele. He's still not Zinedine Zidane.Messi has brought home an Olympic gold and the 2005 U-20 World Cup, but those don't count. In fact, anything else that Messi does from now on in the Champions League or the La Liga doesn't count — those assists and goals and Ballon d'Ors don't count — the records don't count — that No 10 jersey and captain's armband don't count. Only the World Cup does. And then, he will be the greatest ever. Click here to read the full feature.19.00: Why Brazilians can simply not support Argentina in the World Cup finalNicole Froio from Rio de Janerio writes about how it's virtually impossible to imagine a Brazilian supporting Argentina in the World Cup final tonight:"Supporters from both sides are harsh to each other, keen on provocation. Before Brazil’s humiliation on the field anti-Argentinian chants went like this: “If you’re Argentinian, tell me what it’s like, to have only two World Cups, one less than Pelé”. Now those chants have been replaced by the Argentinian “Brazil how does it feel, to lose the cup at home, the years will go by, and we will never forget”."Read the full piece HERE18.30: Why the Germany vs Argentina World Cup final promises to be epicGautam Viswanathan has run his eye over the previous two World Cup finals between Germany and Argentina and decides this one is likely to be a cracker: Like so many other FIFA World Cup winners, Germany and Argentina made history when they lifted the trophy. But at the Maracana on Sunday night, they will write a chapter in World Cup history that no other team has written before.For the first time in World Cup history, two nations will meet each other in a final for an unprecedented third time. After years of listening to their predecessors’ triumphs, the current generation of German and Argentine footballers will finally take part in a match they would’ve dreamed of their entire lives.Given the manner in which this World Cup has unfolded, Sunday’s final promises to be a tale that will be told for generations to come.You can read the full story here. 17.45: Hundred thousand Argentina fans invade Rio de JaneiroGermany battle to become the first European side to win a World Cup on Latin American soil in Sunday's final against Argentina whose captain Lionel Messi is out to emulate the great Diego Maradona.Germany are favourites after their ruthlessly efficient 7-1 demolition of hosts Brazil in the semi-final.[caption id="attachment_1616919" align="alignleft" width="380"] Can Lionel Messi lead Argentina to World Cup glory against Germany? Reuters[/caption]Yet in Messi, Argentina have one of the world's greatest current players who can turn a big game in a flash and would dearly love to bring home the World Cup for the first time since 1986 when the team was captained by Maradona.In a mortifying twist for Brazilians whose rivalry with their South American neighbours runs deep, some 100,000 Argentines have invaded Rio de Janeiro for the final.Some have paid $10,000 (5,841 pounds) for an airline and hotel package, while others drove the 2,000 kilometres from Buenos Aires.Argentine flags, tents and cars were dotted all around the famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches in Rio. Many climbed up to the Christ statue, draping blue-and-white colours at the bottom.Brazilian fans have largely thrown their lot in with Germany, hoping they can stop an Argentine win that would give them bragging rights for years. Some locals, with tickets to a game where they had dreamed of seeing Brazil lift a sixth World Cup, were instead donning Germany colours for the occasion."We have forgiven Germany what they did to us. In fact, we admire them because they played the Brazil way," said Rio resident Bruno Perreira, outside the 74,738-capacity Maracana wearing a Germany replica top and joking with Argentina fans.Reuters17.00: Germany not expecting any more Argentine giftsGermany have been given a helping hand by opponents Argentina in beating them at the last two World Cups but they do not expect any more South American gifts in Sunday's final at the Maracana.Their 2006 quarter-final win came after Argentina took a second-half lead but then replaced playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme with the more defensive Esteban Cambiasso while Lionel Messi was kept on the bench.Germany seized the initiative, drew level and then won on penalties amid huge criticism of Argentina coach Jose Pekerman.Four years ago, Germany took advantage of Diego Maradona's coaching naivety and cavalier approach as they tore the Argentines apart 4-0 again in the last eight.Germany coach Joachim Loew and his opposite number Alejandro Sabella agree that Argentina have progressed since then."Our team is more conservative than four years ago, we are looking to triumph via a different path," Sabella told reporters on Saturday. "The teams are different although most of the players are the same."We'll give our all as always, with sacrifice, humility, hard work, being down to earth, giving before receiving, protecting one another, so that Argentina can be a champion again. We will do our best. More than that we cannot do."Reuters