GERMANY ARE THE WORLD CUP 2014 CHAMPIONS!!!!

Germany are the World Cup Champions of 2010! Huzzah!

After a goalless, yet incident laden 113 minutes, substitute Mario Goetze's wonderful take and finish from Andre Schurrle's delivery took the trophy back to a United Germany for the very first time.

It was the first time a European nation had won the WC in South America, and had Christ the Redeemer and his dad been looking down on the continent more favourably, Argentina may have been the victors far earlier. However, the Player of Tournament (official) could not match the Team of the Tournament in the Maracana, where the industry, organisation and prowess of the Germans prevailed.

From back to front, Joachim Loew had his stall set out for the win, controlling the tempo the game for large parts, despite being susceptible to the odd counter attack. The biggest danger that Argentina posed the Germans in the first half came from some unusually poor play from Tony Kroos, whose weak header sent Gonzalo Higuain racing in on goal for the first clear cur opportunity of the game.

With all the time in the world to compose himself, the Napoli striker contrived to blow the chance to give his side the lead in world football's biggest showcase. With only Neuer to beat, he could have picked any angle to go for other than the one he did, dragging his shot both agonisingly and poorly wide. Even that early on, it looked to be the opportunity he would rue for the rest of the night, if not his career.

    HIGUAIN HAS HAD BETTER NIGHTS.

The ignominy of that miss looked to have been lifted later in the half when a brilliantly whipped ball in from the right landed square on his instep, six yards out. His finish beat Neuer, his celebrations looked like redemption, but his run had been that little bit too early, the goal chalked off for offside. That twenty seconds of joy, of relief that he had made amends, was rightly but cruelly put to an end by the linesman's flag, the restored confidence that finding the net had given him, sapped away once more.

Germany's forwards' luck at the other end wasn't quite as dramatic, but it was equally as frustrated as gaps opened up in the Argentine defence. Romero had to look lively on a couple of occasions, doing well to deny Schurrle, on for surprise starter Kramer who took a nasty head knock midway through the first half. 

Mueller's raking run down the left gave him space to cut the ball back to the edge of the box. Schurrle ran on to the ball and smacked it with pace, but Romero, with Ozil blocking his view, saved fantastically to keep the game level. Another fine stop by the keeper, who played less than five full club games last season, was scratched off as Mueller was offside, while another quick reaction thwarted Mueller in the aftermath of a huge chance for the Germans to take the lead.

A Kroos corner was met fully by the forehead of the unmarked Benedikt Hoewides, his effort almost taking then  goal off it's moorings as it rattled the post. The rebound was nudged goal wards by the knee of Mueller, but Romero smothered it in the line. The flag was up for offside once again, but the keeper wasn't willing to take the risk.

As the first half ended goalless, it had perhaps run as expected, with both sides a little nervy and not as composed on the ball as they had been in earlier games. Lionel Messi had been a subdued character in the first period, with only two of his trademark mazy runs of note, neither of which forced Neuer in to any sort of action.

It was Messi who should have given his side the lead with the first opportunity of the second half, getting goal side of de Jong to receive Biglia's through ball. In a Barcelona kit, his shot back across goal would have nestled in the bottom corner, but in the dark blue and gold of Argentina, it rolled narrowly wide with Neuer looking on in hope that it would.

As there were no goals to separate the sides, both teams took it upon themselves to spice up the game with some hefty challenges. The Argentines were the more aggressive, with Bastian Schweinsteiger singled out for a lot of heavy treatment. Mascherano and half time sub Aguero's were cautioned, with both very lucky to remain on the park for the 120 minutes that materialised (more on that in a bit). Even Manuel Neuer, was getting in on it, wiping out Higuain at the edge of the box, with a challenge reminiscent of his goalkeeping forefather Harald Schumachar.

Thankfully, Higuain did not suffer as serious a blow as Patrick Battison did in 1982, but it was still a grim looking challenge from the Golden Glove recipient. His counterpart Romero was the far busier of the goalies, once again denying Schurrle, punch a effort in to the ground from just inside the box as a melee ensued. 

At the end of ninety minutes, neither side had broken the other's resolve, but the Argies seemed intent on breaking something. Aguero and Schweinsteiger contested a high ball in the middle of the park, the Manchester City striker using a arm for a bit of leverage and skulduggery, as his fist burst the German's face open in the process. The Deustche bench were enraged as Sergio's assault went unpunished. As had been the case for much of the match, Schweinsteiger had been rough housed all over the shop, and it didn't stop there, as the majority of breaks in the play were from him being scythed down.

    SCHWEINSTEIGER HAS WORN BETTER KITS

It looked to rattle Loew's side a little, and when Higuain's replacement, Palacio found a chink in their backline's armour, it looked like their bully boy tactics would pay off. Again though, with the World Cup only a goal away, the rat-tailed forward could only weakly shin the ball over Neuer, where a strong foot would have done the job, allowing de Jong to easily Shepard the ball out of play.

It was a low quality finish in a game of low quality finishes, but with seven minutes remaining a moment of high quality won it for the Germans.

Mario Goetze, one of seven in the German squad born after the country's David Hasselhoff soundtracked unification in 1990, had replaced Miroslav Klose, who bowed out of the tournament without furthering his all time WC goal scoring record. It was almost a ceremonial passing of the torch, as one veteran record breaker made way for a young, new record maker.

With Schurrle proving to be the main danger since replacing Kramer, he would turn provider for the most joyous of this year's World Cup goals. A burst down the left wing allowed him the space to clip a perfect cros on to the chest of the onrushing and unmarked Goetze. The ball bounced up off the 22 year old's chest, teeing himself up for a volley across Romero and in at the far post. Clinicism realised.

    GOETZE PROBABLY WON'T SCORE A BETTER GOAL

While Van Persie, Cahill and Rodriguez had all done spectacularly well with their efforts, Goetze's strike was not only a peach on a par with them, but it meant and made so much more. Mario's strike made Germany the first ever European side to win a World Cup on South American soil. It was the first World Cup winning goal scored by a substitute. It was the first time a United East and West Germany had lifted the trophy, earning them a coveted fourth star on their national crest. 

With moments remaining though, the world held it's breath to see if there was any life left in Argentina to respond. If there was, it would undoubtedly come from Lionel Messi, and when afforded the opportunity of a free kick about 30 yards from goal in extra time stoppage time, all eyes were on the number ten.

But he fluffed it. Perhaps, with Schweinsteiger being decked in the process of giving away the fee kick and his subsequent dallying to get off the park, it allowed for too many thoughts to go through Messi's mind. Usually cool under pressure, his set piece typified his frustrating and frustrated performance, sailing high over Neuer's bar.

The World Cup was Germany's within seconds of that effort, with Messi faced with a somewhat embarrassing climb of the prize giving stairs to collect a consolatory "Player of the Tournament" gong. While he arguably yet unspectacularly led Argentina to the final on his own, there were better players throughout the tournament than he. Award accepted, he then had to do it all again to collect his runners up medal.

    MESSI PROBABLY DOESN'T DESERVE THAT....

The Germans however had a double celebration. Manuel Neuer, who made zero saves of note during the 120 minutes, picked up the Golden Glove for his outstanding and assured performances across the seven games, before getting his gilded hands on the real deal, the World Cup trophy.

Phillip Lahm raised the World Cup aloft, his nation's first trophy since 1996, and possibly the first in what could be a term of domination from Deutschland.

It also gives Scotland the chance to become unofficial world champions for the second time, when they travel to Dortmund in the opening game of the Euro 2016 qualifiers!