World Cup: Germany Conquers Argentina 1-0 on Overtime Goal by Mario Götze

Tension had mounted as the two teams were scoreless after 90 minutes

Mario Gotze scored the game-winning goal for Germany
Getty Images

Late substitute Mario Götze’s stunning goal in the 112th minute gave Germany a 1-0 victory over Argentina in overtime of the final match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament Sunday.

Tension had mounted as the two teams were scoreless after 90 minutes of regulation time sending the championship battle into a half hour of overtime, before the 22-year-old midfielder Götze broke the spell with a shot past Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero.

A crowd of nearly 75,000 was at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium and millions of viewers around the world watched on TV and the Internet as the two sides battled it out. A free kick by Argentine star Lionel Messi that would have tied the match went high and wide in the final moments.

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The Germans seemed to dominate midfield for much of the game‘s start, but Argentina came close to scoring at least twice in the first half. Striker Gonzalo Higuain missed two golden chances to give his team a lead. He mishit a backwards header by Germany’s Toni Kroos that left him one-on-one with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and also had a goal called back for offside.

Germany won its fourth World Cup title — its first as a united country — and became the first European team to capture the trophy in Latin America. It is Germany’s first title since 1990. Argentina, a two-time champion, hadn’t reached the final in 24 years.

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Coming in, the match was billed as “Messi vs. The Machine,” referring to Argentina’s superstar scorer and Germany’s relentless attack.

It was a tough game for Messi, a record four-time World Player of the Year who was trying to win his first World Cup title with the South Americans. He was hoping to emulate his idol Diego Maradona as he led his team into battle against Germany. 

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This year’s final was a rematch of the 1986 championship between Argentina and West Germany in Mexico, where Maradona led his side to a 3-2 win over the West Germans. Germany prevailed in a 1990 rematch, and this was the first time in history that the same nations had met in three World Cup finals.

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