World Cup 2014 vine: Mario Gotze writes his name in history to spark German celebrations along with Chancellor Angela Merkel
The World Cup final sent Germany into fits of celebrations, but it was despair for Messi and Co as Argentina came so close yet so far
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Your support makes all the difference.It took 113 minutes, a wave of substitutions and the advantage of fresh legs v tired legs, but Mario Gotze delivered the extra-time winner to see Germany finally deliver on their promise and clinch a fourth World Cup in their history.
The Bayern Munich star has been a bit-part player throughout the tournament in Brazil, but he will forever be known as the man who scored the winning goal at the Maracana where the dreaded penalty shootout was looming on the horizon.
After Chelsea midfielder Andre Schurrle burst down the left flank, his perfectly weighted cross was beautifully controlled by Gotze on his chest, before striking his first-time volley beyond Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero and send the Germans into uncontrollable celebration that will be continuing for some time to come.
The 22-year-old may well have not even been on the pitch had it not been for extra-time and injury trouble that forced manager Joachim Loew into a reshuffle. Influential midfielder Sami Khedira was heartbreakingly ruled out of his first World Cup final appearance after picking up and injury in the warm-up, so Borussia Monchengladbach’s Christoph Kramer was drafted into the starting line-up.
Watch the winning goal below:
His appearance was cut short though after he took a nasty blow to the head, meaning Schurrle had to come on in the first-half as an injury replacement. Loew has utilised the Chelsea midfielder as a late impact substitute, but his early introduction meant the German coach needed someone else to step up and shine.
Enter Gotze, who took advantage of a tiring Argentinian defence to reach Schurrle’s cross and send German’s all over the world into jubilation. Celebration in Berlin and Munich may have gone off the chart, but the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel was at the Maracana to not only soak up the victory, but celebrate with the team in the changing room after.
However, as ever when there is a winner, there is a loser, and the pain of Argentina’s defeat could be seen by the look on Lionel Messi’s face at the end of the match. Having come so close to emulating the country’s hero Diego Maradona, Messi once again fell just short of matching the World Cup winner – who he has long been compared to since bursting onto the scene all those years ago.
To add salt into the wound, Messi was forced to walk past the World Cup trophy twice in order to collect his runners-up medal and the Fifa World Cup Golden Ball, having been named the player of the tournament despite missing out on the main trophy itself.
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