The soccer gods aligned perfectly Sunday to ensure the best team won the magnificent 2014 World Cup. Germany earned its fourth Jules Rimet Trophy with a 1-0 extra time victory over legless Argentina in famed Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Substitute Mario Gotze scored the game winner in the 113th minute when the surprising Argentine defense finally crumbled. Until that goal la Albiceleste had not conceded a score in 437 minutes. In was, in fact, the only goal Argentina allowed in four knockout games.
The Germans did what Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands could not: beat goalkeeper Sergio Romero, a backup for AS Monaco of the French league.
Gotze, who had lost his starting assignment earlier in the tournament, chested down Andre Schurrle s pass in the box and volleyed a shot inside the right post.
Thus, Die Mannschaft ended a 24-year World Cup title drought and became the first European team to win the trophy in the Americas.
Germany s last major title was the 1996 European Championships. But it s last Cup victory came in 1990 in Italy at the expense of Argentina.
It was fitting the talented soccer countries met Sunday in the third consecutive final that went to extra time.
Argentina won its last World Cup title in 1986 when it defeated West Germany. Something had to give Sunday, and it did as the game plodded toward the third shootout in finals history.
Argentine players looked spent at the start of the second 15-minute extra time, a week after playing Holland to 120 scoreless minutes before winning on penalty kicks. The haggard mental state betrayed them as it took one lapse for Germany to strike.
Argentine star Lionel Messi appeared to have little left in the closing minutes, exhibited by one final 25-yard free kick that spiraled over the net without a hint of danger.
Messi has scored a record 91 goals in a calendar year, been FIFA player of the year four consecutive times and led his club Barcelona FC to Champions League titles.
But he couldn t quite get it done Sunday. The attacking midfielder from Rosario will bear the brunt of the blame after failing to score in the four knockout games.
It won t be fair.
Messi s shadow loomed large in all those victories that led to the final at Maracana. Particularly in the first half he did more than enough to help Argentina upset a better German side. His teammates let Messi down, not vice versa.
The Argentine fortunes might have been different had Real Madrid striker Angel di Maria been able to return from a leg injury suffered in the quarterfinals. Di Maria, after all, helped Real win the Champions League in May. He and Messi had created a special chemistry in Brazil.
Messi couldn t replicate the bonds with other teammates, yet he caused the German defense enough headaches for Argentina to score in regulation.
If blame were assigned, it would go to striker Gonzalo Higuain, who blew a rare chance in the 22nd minute when Toni Kroos passed back over his German teammates.
The ball fell to the Napoli striker in the area with just keeper Manuel Neuer to beat. Higuain inexplicably shanked it to the left. Later in the first half, Higuain made another fateful mistake when failing to wait for a perfect Messi service from the right. His goal was negated by an obvious offside call.
Those kinds of errors usually spell doom in a World Cup final. Argentina, which scored only eight goals in Brazil (four by Messi) could not recover. La Albiceleste fell to Germany for the third consecutive World Cup, the previous two in the quarterfinals.
Argentina has not won a major title since the 1993 Copa America, though it was the 2008 Olympic champion.
It might not get a better chance than Sunday for years to come.
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