Today, the long-awaited 2014 World Cup final took place in the legendary "Maracana" stadium. In the final for the World Cup trophy, the national teams of Germany and Argentina met. The only goal scored by Mario Gotze led the Germans to the top of the World Cup. The first half started with unexpectedly open football, and neither team intended to shut down defensively. There were no dangerous chances created in the first 10 minutes, but the intensity of the match was evident. In the 20th minute, the first very dangerous chance was created near the German goal, but it was not utilized by the Argentine Gonzalo Higuain, who failed to send the ball into the goal area despite being completely free after a "gift" from the opponents. Shortly after, the same G. Higuain found himself shooting the ball into the net, but there was no reason to celebrate, as the referee flagged for offside. Just a minute later, Joachim Low had to make a forced substitution when Christoph Kramer, who suffered a concussion early in the match, gave way to Andre Schurrle. For the rest of the first half, the Germans began to dominate, creating at least three chances to score the opening goal. In the 36th minute, after the substitution, A. Schurrle appeared with a shot in the penalty area, but Sergio Romero reliably guarded the goal. In the 43rd minute, Toni Kroos had his chance when, after a pass from Mesut Ozil from about 18 meters, he attempted to beat the goalkeeper, but S. Romero was superior. In stoppage time, the Germans had perhaps the most realistic chance to score. After a corner kick, Benedikt Howedes headed the ball directly towards the goalpost, and after the first 45 minutes, the score remained 0-0. In the second half, the intensity of the match continued, and the Argentines began to play more actively. In the 47th minute, Lionel Messi, breaking through the defense, took a shot wide of the goal. Later, German players took the initiative and controlled the ball. In the 58th minute, after a great pass from Thomas Muller, Miroslav Klose attempted to score with a header, but their shot did not cause any problems for the goalkeeper. The remaining minutes of the second half were not successful for either Argentina or Germany, and during the regular match time, neither team managed to score, leading to a tiring extra time. In the first minute of extra time, Germany had a great chance to take the lead with A. Schurrle, but his powerful shot was saved by S. Romero. A few minutes later, Rodrigo Palacio received a great pass and tried to chip the ball over Manuel Neuer, but unsuccessfully. Finally, in the second extra time, the only and winning goal was scored. Mario Gotze, who replaced M. Klose in the 83rd minute after a perfect pass from A. Schurrle, finally beat the Argentine goalkeeper and secured a historic victory for the Germans. The last time the German national team triumphed in the World Cup was in 1990. This triumph means that the Germans become world champions for the fourth time. It is also worth mentioning that Germany becomes the first European team to triumph in the World Cup held in America. Result: Germany 1 - 0 Argentina 113' [1 - 0] M.Gotze Starting lineups: Germany: Neuer, Howedes, Hummels, Kramer, Schweinsteiger, Ozil, Klose, Muller, Lahm (c), Kroos, Boateng. Argentina: Romero, Garay, Zabaleta, Biglia, Perez, Higuain, Messi (c), Mascherano, Demichelis, Rojo, Lavezzi.
