Goetze strikes as Germany win final

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An absorbing first half saw Germany forced into a reshuffle moments before kick-off with inexperienced Christoph Kramer replacing Sami Khedira after the Real Madrid star injured a calf in the warm up.

With Bastian Schweinsteiger running midfield the Germans laid siege to Argentinian territory, passing smoothly and denying Messi a route into the game.

Yet for all Germany's early dominance they created little in the way of clear chances.

And it was Argentina who were presented with a glorious chance to open the scoring.

Messi was largely anonymous for most of the evening and his miserable evening was summed up when a late free-kick to equalise sailed over the bar.

Germany continued to probe for openings, but the pace of Argentina on the counter-attack continued to unsettle Germany however.

The Germans remained unfazed and quickly set about reimposing their control of the game. The latent threat of Messi meant Germany could never entirely relax.

The second half followed a similar pattern, Germany controlling possession but Argentina often threatening on the break.

The hard-fought nature of the contest led to a flurry of cards from referee Nicola Rizzoli, who cautioned Javier Mascherano and Sergio Aguero in quick succession for fouls on Miroslav Klose and Schweinsteiger.

The remainder of the half saw neither side able to get on top. Penalties looked to be the likeliest outcome, but Goetze had other ideas.

Andre Schuerrle burst clear down the left flank and crossed for Goetze.

The 22-year-old took the ball on his chest and then volleyed past Sergio Romero to spark delirium amongst the largely pro-German crowd.



His superb extra-time winner Germany became the first European team to win a World Cup held in South America on Sunday.



Germany has now won four World Cups, putting the European powerhouses just one behind Brazil's record tally of five.

"It's unbelievable what we have achieved. Whether we have the best individual player doesn't matter at all, you just need to have the best team," said delighted Germany captain Philipp Lahm.