On Top of the World
Germany was the last team standing at the end of the 20th FIFA World Cup, setting numerous records along the way.
The German national football team's 1-0 victory over Argentina in the finals marked the first time that sides from the same continent won the World Cup in three successive occasions. (The Italians were the winners in 2006 and the Spaniards triumphant in 2010.) The 2018 event will be held in Russia, the first in Eastern Europe, and a national team from Europe will likely hoist the FIFA World Cup Trophy based from the tournament's history. The Eagles, one of the German team's nicknames, were also the first European team to win the quadrennial tournament in the Americas.
It was Germany's fourth title, but the first as a unified nation. West Germany won in 1954, 1974, and 1990, their third came a few months before the German reunification. The match was locked at 0-0 after an hour and a half, then the extra time where Maro Goetze's scored the winning goal.
''It's an unbelievable feeling. I don't know how to describe it. You just shoot, you don't really know what's happening,'' Goetze said. ''And then at the end of the match, having a party with the team, the whole country ... it is for us, a dream come true.''
The Argentines were led by FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, the best player in the world at the moment. Some were expecting a finals between Argentina and Brazil, traditional rivals in the sports, but it didn't happen after the host team was trashed by the German squad, 7-1. It was the largest margin of victory in a FIFA World Cup semifinal. At the end of that game, Germany scored the most goals in the tournament's history, while Miroslav Klose's (second) goal was his sixteenth in World Cup play, making him the all-time record goal scorer. For the Brazilians, the loss was considered a national humiliation. It was also the largest defeat in Brazilian history since 1920, way before the first edition of the World Cup was staged. It also broke the 62-match home unbeated streak. The match might have turned out different if Neymar was playing, who was injured in Brazil's quarterfinals game against Colombia. Thiago Silva, the captain of the national team, was suspended.
For the German national team, the victory was a turnaround. After finishing last in the group stage at the 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, the German Football Association decided to make some changes. The results that followed showed that they were on the right direction. Third place at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Second place at the UEFA Euro 2008. Third behind Spain and the Netherlands at the 2010 World Cup. Third at the UEFA Euro 2010. German coach Joachim Löw believes that the unforgettable night at the Maracanã Stadium is the beginning, as his team set their sights on the Euro 2016, which will be held in France. They last won in 1996, but that might change.
