That There World Cup of Winning Football.

[piscator]

19 minutes of sudden-death left in regulation...gonna get cynical out there now...


Germany should go old school FA for a few minutes. Wingers sprinting up the lines, racing for big long fullback passes. That's about the only thing that will open up Argentina's center.

[piscator]

What a save!

Or self-defense, if you see the replay...

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Germany deserved to win. Best club in it. And Argentina should have been down to 10 men before the goal, if the ref had seen that foul on Schweinsteiger.

[Hermit]

That Götze goal would have to be among the top three of the tournament. I think neither team managed shining attacks, Argentina's defence was better and Germany was luckier.

[piscator]

Schweinsteiger set a record for treatments on a World Cup pitch...Best poleaxe has to go to the Neuer, but it was fair 'n square. That technical 2-touch goal by Götze was a bolt of lightning. He was on autopilot when he rode it in.

It was a great matchup. Don't cry for Argentina.

[klr]

Finally, something for Brazil to cheer about. Argentina lose!

That Götze goal would have to be among the top three of the tournament. I think neither team managed shining attacks, Argentina's defence was better and Germany was luckier.

Given the circumstances, it might well be the best. One thing in Götze's favour was that he didn't have time to think over-much.

Argentina must be bitterly regretting the chances they missed in normal time. Stating the bleedin' obvious I know ...

[MiM]

Germany had a goal-post, and a few other good chances too. Best team won, in my opinion.

[klr]

I agree Germany were better, especially so in extra time. that was the first time Argentina were behind in the World Cup finals, and the only goal they conceded in the knock-out stage. But you can't win a tournament on defence alone, except with the aid of penalty shoot-outs.

Compared to the other Germany - Argentina finals:

Immeasurably better than 1990 - that's easy.
!986? That was more entertaining than this match, but not quite as tense.

So Germany become the first European side to win in South America. European sides have now won the last three World Cups. I don't any region has done that before. It could be four in a row come 2018 in Russia,

Angie Merkel looks rather happy now, as she congratulates the German squad. I'll bet David Cameron is envious.

[HomerJay]

Germany deserved to win. Best club in it. And Argentina should have been down to 10 men before the goal, if the ref had seen that foul on Schweinsteiger.

But then Höwedes could have got red not yellow for his challenge - the ball was on the floor and his studs were in the guy's (Zabaleta?) thigh!

I would've punished Neuer for the high challenge, I assumed the ref was giving a free kick to the argies and a yellow for the challenge not a free kick the other way.

Keepers can bring their knees up if making an underarm catch to protect the ball but he was punching so the high knee is dangerous, at least it would be if an outfield player did it.

No shots on target for Argentina though and Aguero will claim he's not fit, like Messi but they just didn't have the quality tonight.

Higuain was a bit of a mistake, perhaps driven by fitness concerns but he lacks consonants and probably made the team because he is name is difficult for germans to say.

[Strontium Dog]

I have a theory that it's only footballing success which is keeping Germany's natural megalomaniacal tendencies in check. No world wars started now for 75 years, in which time Germany has won four World Cups, so the world is probably safe for another 20 years or so.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Actually, this is the first time that Germany has won the world cup. West Germany won it 3 times previously, but technically, this is a first time winner!

[piscator]

Germany deserved to win. Best club in it. And Argentina should have been down to 10 men before the goal, if the ref had seen that foul on Schweinsteiger.

But then Höwedes could have got red not yellow for his challenge - the ball was on the floor and his studs were in the guy's (Zabaleta?) thigh!

I would've punished Neuer for the high challenge, I assumed the ref was giving a free kick to the argies and a yellow for the challenge not a free kick the other way.

Keepers can bring their knees up if making an underarm catch to protect the ball but he was punching so the high knee is dangerous, at least it would be if an outfield player did it.

No shots on target for Argentina though and Aguero will claim he's not fit, like Messi but they just didn't have the quality tonight.

Higuain was a bit of a mistake, perhaps driven by fitness concerns but he lacks consonants and probably made the team because he is name is difficult for germans to say.

Good assessment, except those calls are always going to go to the keeper. They have nuts to protect too, and an attacker almost always comes out on the short end of a collision with a moving goalie.
Higuain would have gotten out of the way if he saw or heard Neuer bearing down. It was just his tough luck he got so greedy he lost his field awareness sprinting to a 50/50 ball at the corner of the PA.

[MiM]

Yep, as long as the keeper plays at the ball, he will be allowed almost anything, inside the box. I played goalie (in low series) for about ten years, and have lots of personal experience of that.

One interesting detail there was whether the ball was inside the penalty box when Neuer hit it. It looks to me like Higuain was just inside, so it should have been a penalty kick, had Neuer been penalized for the jump. But the ball was behind Higuain, and might have been on the other side of the line.

[piscator]

I think the officiating was great in a, "Let the lads have their go" sort of way... It's not amateur golf.

Calls could have been made, but like others have mentioned, the outcome wasn't changed, it was close to a wash, and it was even-handed. This game had a good flow, especially for being such a massive pressure-cooker and basket of butterflies. This made it possible for both teams to leave it all on the field, something every athlete fantasizes about happening in the biggest game.
I doubt any of the players have any legitimate beefs about the officiating, though they're probably all too sore to scrap any more today.




I also applaud FIFA's move toward a less authoritarian and heel-clicking style of referee in general. I saw three yellow cards and didn't want to kick the ref in the balls even once. That's a pleasant change in international football!

[rainbow]

Angie Merkel looks rather happy now, as she congratulates the German squad. I'll bet David Cameron is envious.

Merkel, Schmirkel!