Germany’s history boys prepare to wreck Messi’s World Cup dream
RIO DE JANEIRO: A Germany side chasing a place in history will attempt to wreck Lionel Messi’s dream of a World Cup coronation with Argentina on Sunday as the month-long football carnival hits a climax at the Maracana Stadium.
The 64th game of one of the best World Cups of all time pits Europe against South America—a duel between two football superpowers in one of the sport’s most evocative arenas.
Germany is attempting to become the rst side from Europe to win a World Cup in the Americas, determined that a golden generation will nally gets it reward after a string of near-misses.
Messi, meanwhile, is seeking the triumph which will silence forever the remaining critics who argue that the absence of a World Cup title precludes him from a place alongside Diego Maradona in football’s pantheon.
The momentum is rmly with Germany after its astonishing 7-1 semi- nal demolition job of Brazil, through a combination of superb attacking play and defensive incompetence.
Ominously for Argentina, Germany says it quickly put the win rmly in the rear-view mirror.
All eyes on Maracana
All German eyes are now on the historic
Maracana and a chance to claim the ultimate prize after losing in either
“We enjoyed the game against Brazil, but we ticked it off after 24 hours,” said Germany striker
That same steely determination has characterized Germany’s road to Rio, notably in coming from behind to snatch a 2-2 draw with Ghana in Group G and outlasting an awkward Algerian challenge in
The Germans coolly neutralized the dangerous-looking France 1-0 turned their attention to dismem
“As a player or a manager I have never seen a team celebrate a big victory so quietly,” German team manager Oliver Bierhoff said after
From top to bottom, the German spine has exuded qual unbeatable in goal while Mats Hummels has been a silky and - tian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira have proved a formidable midfield duo, allowing the likes of Toni Kroos and Mesut
Thomas Mueller has been a deadly goalscoring threat— five goals so far in the tournament — while the 36- year- old Klose has chipped in with two goals, becoming the World Cup’s all- time leading scorer in the
Germany’s 17 goals in the tournament—more than double Argentina’s total—have come from eight different players, a testament to the team ethic which pervades
‘Germany has a team’
“Brazil has Neymar, Portugal have Ronaldo, Argentina has Messi and Germany has a team,” ran one widely retweeted summary on
Ranged against Germany’s attacking arsenal are an Argentina side led by 27-year-old Barcelona
The four-time world footballer of the year came into the tournament determined to atone for two disappointing World Cups in 2006
Like Maradona 28 years ago, he has dragged his team over the opened with an individual goal against Bosnia, an injury- time winner to beat Iran, and two more
Messi’s run and pass created the extra-time winner for Angel Di Maria against Switzerland in
While he was largely anonymous Germany will know that one slip on Sunday could present Messi with a match-winning moment, just as it
Man-marked out of the match by Lothar Matthaus, Maradona still created the game’s winning goal which released Jorge Burruchaga to
‘ Water in the desert’
“Regardless of whether he scores goals - gentina coach Alejandro Sabella said
“A game has many aspects, a player such as Messi, who never, or almost never, loses the ball, it’s water in the desert—and not just
Yet for all the parallels with 1986, the last World Cup meeting between the two nations may be more relevant— Germany’s 4- 0
Seventeen players involved in that Cape Town match featured in this week’s semi- finals, 10 for Germany and seven for
But many observers have wondered whether Messi’s dip in form last season was due to a pre
It could be that the diminutive genius has been plotting all along to claim the crown on Sunday at
“If he is saving his best perfor England manager Glenn Hoddle,