The main reason I want Argentina to win is because the Argentine fans will be able to troll Brazilian fans until the end of time by reminding them they won a World Cup in their back yard - against the team that humped them 7-1!
Any Germany supporters in the crowd aged 85 and above, might want to beware any MOSSAD snatch squads lurking.
The driving runs by Argentina thru MF have been great. Germany have been clocking up too many yellows now to risk barging into the runners.
The lack of diving in the final is very refreshing ... image if it had been a holland brazil final has been a very good second half
IMHO the lack of diving is due to the ref setting the agenda in the 1st half. There were times when Germany were looking for the decision but the ref was unmoved.
This is as close as I thought it would be. I certainly wouldn't be putting any money on who might win this....
Messi scored some vital goals in the early stages, but I've not been too impressed with him. In this sort of game, he seems to struggle to make his mark. I'd sooner have Cristiano Ronaldo; at least the ball over the top is an option. Look at what he did to Sweden late in the game.
Soccer Guy ‏@usasoccerguy Outta nowhere Gotye takes it on the no bounce and strikes it in to the soccer goal interior.#GoCrySomeMoreArgentina
The best team won even though they lacked a decent centre forward and lacked pace defensively. The trouble for the rest is that every contender had weaknesses somewhere. But it was the most exciting and entertaining WC I can remember - probably due to lack of defensive quality across the board - and one which made international football seem appealing again, even if the truth is that Germany are Bayern Munich lite (no Robben, Ribery, Mandzukic etc). Club football still looks stronger at the top level.
Messi won the Golden Ball? Ridiculous choice. Maybe the fact that it's sponsored by Adidas, as was the Golden Gloves award, explains that decision. Both were won by players backed by that company.
Higuain is probably going to wake up screaming every single night for the next 18 months as his mind replays that chance he bottled in the first half. Messi getting the Golden Ball was farcical for two reasons: firstly, you can tell somebody at FIFA wanted to anoint Messi with a winner's medal and a Golden Ball on the same night (which didn't happen) and secondly the fact that Messi looked incredibly pissed off at having to walk up and down the stairs twice to pick up the Golden Boot then a runners-up medal, walking past the World Cup itself both times. Although the BBC's insistence that he isn't an all-time great because he never lifted the World Cup can be shattered in two words: Cruyff, Johan And, seriously, how did Neuer not even get a warning for that challenge on Aguero? That was a carbon copy of Toni Schumacher in '82.
The Germans. Sounded ominous. We knew why. The Germans are just simply deserving world cup winners. Best team. They play technical inventive football and stopped a horrendously boring and dirty Argentina team winning the world cup, also ending the debate that Messi deserves to be mentioned alongside Maradona as he isn't in the same class.
