95 In fact, that last Aguero attempt went out for a throw in, which Neuer wastes no time in taking himself. On Germanys next attack, Lahm spots Gotzes run down the right and plays in the pass, but the former Dortmund man cant keep it from crossing the byline. Goalkick. 94 Encouraging signs at the start of the added period. Both sides are looking to get themselves on the board rather than avoid conceding. Aguero makes inroads down the left hand side once again but his low attempt flashes across the face of goal, much like Higuains in the first half. 92 WHAT A START TO THE PERIOD! Schurrle sees a snap shot from the top of the box denied and Ozil is blocked before he can apply the finishing touch from the rebound. Aguero counters in a instant but Hummels pulls off a MAGNIFICENT challenge to deny him what looked like a clear run on goal! 91 Extra time commences with Germany on the ball. 90 + 4 Fatigue and nerve become the two most important buzzwords of the match now. Argentina have used all three subs, but Joachim Low still has one change in reserve. No doubt that he will use it at some point as the energy saps further on the pitch. 90 + 4 For the third World Cup final running, we need an additional 30 minutes to decide the destination of the trophy. The second half was a huge let down after an intriguing opening period. Its still goalless. 90 + 4 Were heading into extra time. 90 + 3 Germany are denied by some fantastic Zabaleta defending on the right side of the box. Argentina spark forward in one last desperate attack, but Hummels is as committed as the Manchester City man to deny Aguero a route forward. That looks to be that. 90 + 2 Gotze had the chance at his feet for one second. He had daylight in front of him with the Argentine midfield backpedaling. For a man who has just come on, hes really slow to react though. He cant get the ball out of his feet in time and hits a tame shot for Romero to smother. 90 The last two World Cup finals have gone to extra time. 2006 saw Italy use penalties to defeat France, while in 2010 we witnessed Andres Iniesta score with the clock running down to clinch the trophy for Spain against Netherlands. Three minutes added on here. 88 Substitution Miroslav Klose Mario Götze 88 Both sets of fans stand and applaud as Miroslav Klose trudges off in what is surely his last action on the World Cup stage. A record 16 goals spread over four World Cups from 2002-2014. The all time leading top scorer in the tournaments history. He deserves every second of the acclaim. On comes Gotze in his stead. 86 Substitution Enzo Nicolás Pérez Fernando Gago 86 Third and final change from Sabella. Fernando Gago comes on for Perez in a like for like swap in the middle of the park. No heroic appearance off the bench for Di Maria then. All cards played by Argentina now. Its up to Messi, Aguero and Co. now to deliver. 84 Small delay in proceedings as some knucklehead makes his way onto the pitch. The cameras wisely decide not to give this person the moment in the spotlight that his idiotic actions were geared towards. Instead, were treated to some glorious images of Rio de Janeiro at night. 83 TONI KROOS! Its Germany with all the momentum as we head into what increasingly looks like an additional 30 minutes of extra time. Lahm links up with Ozil down the right hand side and tees up his Bayern teammate at the top of the box. However, he steers the ball the wrong side of the post! 81 Two close calls for Argentina here as Germany ramp up the intensity! Howedes gets the ball in a smashing position inside the box, but cant get it out from under his feet in time. To his credit, he doesnt try to appeal for a penalty as an excuse for his own clumsiness. 79 Rojo leaps high into the sky to lick a header away from Muller, who was looking to attack a Kroos corner. Germanys turn to orchestrate a spell of pressure as the white shirts swam into the opposition half. Can they find a breakthrough with time fast ticking away? 78 Substitution Gonzalo Higuaín Rodrigo Palacio 78 Thats the end of Higuains World Cup. It could have been his night on more than one occasion. A disallowed goal and what looks to be, in hindsight, an awful miss from a one-on-one in the first half is what he has to take from his outing. On comes Palacio as expected. 76 Its grinding down to a standstill in the Maracana. Watching both teams try to break down the other is like trying to crawl out of a cement mixer. Sabella recognizes the critical period on hand and is seen readying a change. Palacio looks to be the man coming on. 74 We havent seen a lot from Messi since he missed that sitter at the start of the second half. He makes his first notable contribution in a very long while. Cutting in from the right flank onto his left foot, he takes a few touches to angle himself for the shot, but curls it well wide in the end. Germany pressured him well on that play. 72 This game has had a few spicy moments but overall, I have to say that Nicola Rozzili has kept a wonderful handle on things, given whats at stake. Hes dished out yellow cards to Schweinsteiger, Howedes, Aguero and Mascherano - every single one of them warranted. 70 The sun has set in Rio de Janeiro now. The floodlights have come on in the Maracana. Were still goalless, but for one glorious second, Germany look to have broken through. Mullers ball was on the toes of Schurrle for a moment but he couldnt bring it under his control when faced with Romero. The Argentine keeper can gather. 68 A quarter of the World Cup final, or thereabouts, left to play. Im not about to call this one any time soon. Its taken a turn into monotony in the last 10 minutes or so. Id say that Argentina still look the more purposeful side in the second half. Both sides have made one sub, no word on a second change for either as yet though. 66 Aguero goes flying into Schweinsteiger near the far touchline, causing referee Rizzoli to reach for the yellow card once again. Its getting very scrappy all of a sudden. Dirty tackles and no goals on the board after an hour, its the 2010 final all over again! 65 Yellow Card Sergio Agüero 64 Yellow Card Javier Mascherano 64 Mascherano is the latest name in the book for Argentina now as he comes back late to cut through Muller. No argument there from the midfielder, who has been a rock for La Albiceleste throughout the tournament. Particularly crucial was his sterling showing against Netherlands in the semi finals. 63 Aguero shows good muscle and good heart to win a corner against the might of Hummels. Messi takes the resulting delivery but is unable to cause any problems. Germany restart with Neuers short goal kick, but the keeper is soon hurried into an errant clearance. 61 After a period of stagnation in the middle, Germany attack but it all loooks too rushed. Schurrle runs with pace to burn with the ball down the left hand side and spies Muller making a run centrally. He plays an early ball in, but Ozil gets in the way. It bounces off the Arsenal mans shin and out for a goal kick. 59 Higuain is back with us as Germany get the ball rolling down at the other end of the field. A deep cross in towards the heart of the box it met with a downward header from Klose, but its all too easy for Romero to read and gather. Still, you get the feeling that this game is on the verge of an explosion, for better or for worse. 57 No foul for Higuain, who remonstrates for a moment before going down in need of treatment. He certainly took a heavy blow from Neuer there. The keeper just about pulled that interception off - he used his hand to punch on the very edge of the box and made contact with the ball just before taking out El Pipita. 56 HIGUAIN IS FURIOUS! A long ball over the top from Zabaleta sees Neuer stride to the edge of his box to meet Higuain. With an almighty leap, the German keeper punches the ball away just before clattering into the Napoli man. The referee decides in favour of Germany! 54 Schurrle causes all kinds of confusion in the Argentine ranks as he cuts in from the left flank. He looks to be tripped up, but the referee allows play to continue since Muller advanced with the ball into the box. Garay has to intervene to clear the ball out for a corner. 52 The intrigue in this game continues as Germany begin to make inroads into the opposition half. Ozil is halted in his tracks by a crunching Zabaleta tackle just on the corner of the box. Germany reset but just like the first half, theyre finding gaps hard to come by. 50 Sabella has lit a fire under his players to start the second half. Theyve come out with a bang. Germany have barely gotten the ball out of their own half as blue shirts swarm all over them. Another dangerous ball requires Boateng to stretch to get the ball back to Neuer. 48 CHANCE RIGHT AT THE OFF! And its a HUGE one for Messi! Germany leave space on the edge of the area for him to exploit and that he does, driving into the box before lashing an effort the wrong side of the far post! You could almost feel the Maracana crowd hold their breath! 47 One change to report from the break. Aguero replaces Lavezzi up top for Argentina. The PSG man was lively in the first half, but Sabella gets the more clinical Manchester City striker on the pitch - though it remains to be seen if his thigh is fully healed. We may see Messi drop just behind Aguero and Higuain now. 46 Substitution Ezequiel Lavezzi Sergio Agüero 46 Here we go again! The first half wasnt a bore by any means though. Both sides clearly have designs on how they want to win this game. Germany, as ever, are dominating all of the ball, patiently probing their way through. Meanwhile, Argentina are happy to tempt them forward and use their pace to get in behind. Spare a thought for Christoph Kramer. Called in to replace Khedira at the last second, he lasted just over half an hour before leaving the pitch in a daze, following some antics by Garay. That enforced and early change could come back to bite Low should this game go the full 120 minutes. Argentina have had their own bad luck at the other end. Higuain missed a one-on-one and saw a goal correctly ruled off for offside.Lavezzi was also blocked pretty much on the goal line from turning in a Messi cross. A lot of close shaves, but neither keeper has been beaten (legally) yet. That nearly ended in all kinds of dread for Argentina. A Howedes header at the death that threatened to leave a dent in the post was just shy of hitting the target. Such are the margins by which titles are won and lost. 45 + 2 Thats it for the first half. Goalless in the World Cup final. 45 + 1 GERMANY RATTLE THE POST! Argentina avoid a catastrophe right at the end of the first half. A German corner is met with an absolutely FEROCIOUS header from Howedes which leaves the near post shaking! The rebound touches off Mullers stomach, but that draws the attention of the linesman, who correctly calls an offside on the striker. 44 Mascherano coughs up the ball disgustingly in midfield which invites Germany to storm forward. Ozil works the ball to Kroos who stands primed in his zone right on the top of the 18 yard area. Shockingly, given his deadliness from that range, his shot lacks any kind of oomph and is an easy smother for Romero. 42 The referee has to step in to prevent a fuse from igniting here. This game is starting to bubble under the surface. Muller gets involved in a bit of afters with Rojo, which catches the attention of Mascherano. No card from the referee but a stern warning for all involved. 40 BOATENG COMES UP HUGE! Messi takes control of the ball in a teasing position and needs no second invitation to have a run on goal. He gets to that favourable zone on the right byline once again and squares it in for Lavezzi. The PSG man seems certain to do the rest, but hes met by a stern block from the German defender! 38 Schurrle once again looks set to be decisive off the bench. Hes moved straight into the front three alongside Muller and Klose. Ozil has dropped into the hole just behind the trio, with Kroos shifting even further back to man the centre of the midfield with Schweinsteiger. 36 ROMERO WITH A SPECTACULAR SAVE! With a drop of his shoulder, Muller storms down the left flank and plays a ball into the box that is begging to be hit. You dont need to ask Schurrle that question twice. He strikes it with power and a slight nick off Ozil sees Romero dive to his right to parry! However, the flag is up. Ozils intervention was from an offside position. 34 Yellow Card Benedikt Höwedes 34 Howedes should make a small sacrifice to the football gods at half time for him still being on the pitch. He kicked out late, high and recklessly on Zabaleta, getting nowhere near the ball. Referee Nicola Rizzoli sees fit only to award him a yellow card. Not quite De Jong on Alonso in 2010, but still a lucky escape in my book. 32 Substitution Christoph Kramer Andre Schürrle 32 Im afraid that its the end of the road for poor Kramer. His World Cup dream has turned to ashes in his mouth. Hes not able to shake off that knock sustained in that challenge with Garay, and has to be helped from the pitch. On comes super sub Schurrle - scorer of three goals off the bench for Germany in this tourney. 30 RULED OUT! Argentina thought for sure that they were ahead! Lavezzis low cross was slotted in by Higuain, but in a great call by the linesman, the Napoli striker is called for an offside! Higuain celebrates with vein-popping intensity, and its almost cruel to witness the moment that he realizes that his goal will not stand. 29 Yellow Card Bastian Schweinsteiger 29 Schweinsteiger gets the first booking of the World Cup final for a merciless and shameless foul on Lavezzi. The referee did not hesitate to pull up the German midfielder and made the right decision. 28 Nearing on seven long hours since Argentina have last conceded. The last man to break their resistance was Ahmed Musa, who struck twice in the group stages in a losing 2-3 effort for Nigeria. That was quite a game, by the way, watching Musa go toe to toe with Messi (also two goals) for one glorious half. 26 Mullers crowded out of a shot from the top of the box after a nifty feed by Lahm. The Germans are probing and attempting to grind Argentina down to a nub here, but the men in blue are holding firm. Theres hardly any space for Die Mannschaft to exploit on the Maracana pitch. 24 Germany have been in control of possession but its Argentina who have thrice made inroads into their penalty area. La Albiceleste certainly have the speed and movement to trouble the German back four. Higuain, Messi and Lavezzi can all beat their markers for pace if the opportunity should arise. 22 NEARLY AN IMPLOSION FROM GERMANY! Toni Kroos heart is pounding out of his chest. What appeared to be a routine high ball is catastrophically headed back towards goal and into the path of Higuain. The Napoli man bears down on goal clear of his markers but lashes a half-volley of a finish wide! At the VERY least, he needed to hit the target from such a position! 20 Looks like the physios have patched up Kramer in time to ensure his continued participation in this game. That break in play has taken the sting of what was a slowly bubbling game, with Germany now content to pass the ball patiently among their defensive players. 18 Well isnt this something. The man who was a late, late replacement for Khedira and is starting in his first ever World Cup game has hit the deck. Kramer is down on the turf after a pretty forceful intervention from Garay. What a shame for him if his evening was to end in such a cruel manner. 16 Ozil takes charge of the set piece and its whipped in towards the far post. Theres an Argentine body in the way first though and the ball is soon worked out for a Germany corner. Kroos takes charge of the delivery, but its a daisy cutter that is too easily hacked clear. 14 Foul on Klose near the edge of the box. Demichelis complains, but replays show that the German striker just about beat him to the ball before his late challenge. Another solid free kick position for Germany so for their sake, lets hope that they execute better this time. 12 Some lovely football on show from both sides in the opening exchanges. Crucially, theyve both shown intent to take the game to each other. Id give Argentina the edge so far, theyve definitely looked more direct. The right side of Germanys defence has been breached twice already. 10 An absolutely breathtaking run from Messi leaves Hummels huffing and puffing in vain to catch up to the fleet-footed Barcelona man. He gets dangerously close to goal down the byline and pulls the ball back into the mixer, but Schweinsteiger is on hand to clear before anyone in blue can touch it. 8 Its a race for the Golden Boot here between Muller and Messi this evening. The German forward just about leads his Argentine counterpart by five goals to four. James Rodriguez of quarter-finalists Colombia still rules the roost with six. Can either player make a further name for themselves here? 6 Germany attempt to hit back down the other end of the field. Muller, Lahm and Ozil all get involved in the buildup, with the Arsenal man endeavouring to play a testing ball into the centre of the Argentine box. Demichelis deals with the danger though before Germany can pounce on the delivery. 4 GREAT COUNTER! The free kick from Kroos is slammed right into the wall and that sparks the Albiceleste back down the other end of the pitch! Higuain is released on the right hand side towards the byline and he slides a low ball in that flashes across the face of Neuers goal! 3 Muller tries to find a gap that perhaps wasnt there to begin with, but his determination forces a free kick in a great position, dead centre. Rojo, cutting in from left back, took out the German top scorer without hesitation. This is a really promising position for Die Mannschaft. 1 Here we go! The final of the 20th World Cup is up and running! A stirring rendition of both national anthems. Given the geographical proximity, its no surprise to see the Argentine contingent outnumber their German counterparts. In fact, Rio de Janeiro has been a sea of sky blue in the last few days. The anticipation is at its height. The world stands still... The highlight of that match was the gamesmanship of Jens Lehmann, who made a show of studying a piece of paper that apparently had the goods on every Argentine penalty taker. Most notably, he fooled Esteban Cambiasso into thinking that his name was on the list and duly saved the midfielders spot kick en route to winning the shootout. Plenty will remember the last World Cup meeting between these two sides, an ill-tempered affair in 2006. Argentina were playing the best football of the tournament, but were stopped by the Germans in a quarter final penalty shootout. BREAKING TEAM NEWS: Sami Khedira has been replaced in the German XI by Christoph Kramer. The Real Madrid midfielders calf problems have come back to haunt him, as hes pulled up just before the match. Such a shame for Khedira, who was well on his way to completing his recovery from a devastating ACL injury. In comes the 23-year-old Gladbach midfielder. They arguably got their biggest scare against a spirited Algeria, who rode them all the way to extra time before eventually falling 2-1. A narrow 1-0 win against France followed before the Mineirazo massacre. A feat on a football pitch that the world has never seen. Germany humiliated hosts and favourites Brazil 7-1 on their own patch, plunging a nation into mourning. Its been slow and steady from Germany, littered with moments of the spectacular. They started with a bang, dispatching Portugal by a cool 4-0 scoreline. An entertaining 2-2 draw against Ghana was a minor blip and they rounded out the group stages with a 1-0 win over the USA to top their section. It was a straight up slog for Argentina to get through the knockout stages. They ground out 1-0 wins against Switzerland and Belgium before needing penalties to overcome Netherlands after a goalless stalemate. Not near the attacking onslaught many expected from them pre-tournament but theyve proven themselves extremely hard to score against with three clean sheets in a row. Its not been plain sailing to the final for Argentina. They leaned heavily on Messi during the group stages, with the Barca star scoring four times, including game winners against Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina to give his side three wins from three. That put the under-performing Albiceleste supporting cast under the spotlight, with Higuain and Aguero among those playing below their best. Die Mannschaft ooze quality out of every orifice. They have players at the elite level in every position. Golden Glove candidate Manuel Neuer, that Rolls Royce of a centre back Mats Hummels, captain fantastic Philipp Lahm, playmaking enigma Mesut Ozil and the clinical and versatile Thomas Muller - these are all absolutely world class names at the very top of their field. And in the other corner, we have Germany. A team that dominates thanks to the complete lack of individual domination. Theyve not lost in 17 games, winning 12 straight. In fact, if you take away a 4-3 reverse to the USA last summer, Germany have not tasted defeat in 27 long matches. At 26, its really the perfect age for him to make his mark. Hes not scored since the group stages, but I wager all will be forgotten in a snap if hes decisive on the night. An added bonus for Argentina is his very presence in the World Cup final at the Maracana - the Mecca for the football of their eternal rivals Brazil. You didnt think I was about to forget about Leo, did you? Its not a stretch to say that his legacy is on the line tonight. Having won everything at club level, the World Cup has long been his great white buffalo, the missing jewel in his crown. Should he win this tonight, then there will be nothing standing in the way of his career trajectory towards being the greatest footballer of all time. That makes it a huge game for Enzo Perez, who continues in Alejandro Sabellas XI. He lines up alongside Lucas Biglia and Javier Mascherano in the midfield. Sergio Romero is on goal after his heroics in the semi-final shootout win against Netherlands. Up top, its a front three of Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Lavezzi and that man Lionel Messi. The huge news for Argentina is that Angel Di Maria, Golden Ball nominee, is only fit enough for the bench having failed to recover from a thigh injury that kept him out of the semis. Hes joined there by Sergio Aguero, whos not been risked from the start after a tentative return from a thigh problem in the previous round. Its Sami Khedira in midfield for Germany once again, with Joachim Low opting for the sensible pick of captain Philipp Lahm at full back. Mats Hummels, who hasnt always been in his prime physical condition for the tournament, has been ruled fit to start. He partners Jerome Boateng, who has once again beat Per Mertesacker to a starting berth. Germany have stuck with the same XI that smashed Brazil into the dirt in the previous round. Miroslav Klose is once again chosen ahead of Mario Gotze, which will move top scorer Thomas Muller into a wide role. Mesut Ozil is also chosen to start on the flank, a position that hes not been entirely comfortable in. Argentina Subs: Andujar, Orion, F.Fernandez, Campagnaro, Basanta, A.Fernandez, Gago, Alvarez, Rodriguez, Palacio, Aguero. Germany Subs: Weidenfeller, Zieler, Durm, Mertesacker, Ginter, Grosskreutz, Kramer, Draxler, Gotze, Podolski, Schurrle. Argentina (4-3-3): Romero; Zabaleta, Demichelis, Garay, Rojo; Biglia, Mascherano, Perez; Messi, Lavezzi, Higuain. Germany (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Lahm, Boateng, Hummels, Howedes; Khedira, Schweinsteiger; Muller, Kroos, Ozil; Klose. Weve just gotten the lineups confirmed, so lets have a look. So after 63 games, weve whittled 32 teams down to the final two. Even though the goals have dried up a bit since the end of a transcendent group stage, its still, in my book, been the best World Cup of all time. Indeed, the tight nature of the knockout stages has only served to trigger those tense emotions that make the competition so gripping, so life or death. Its all happening at the Maracana this evening. The biggest sporting event in the world. The World Cup final between Germany and Argentina. Im Keeghann Sinanan, delighted to be bringing you the blow-by-blow action.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 21:07:51 +0000
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