This one had the benefit of finishing with 22 players on the park. So many previous WC’s and finals have been ruined in the past decade or more by over officious refereeing.
What a tense game and a well deserved win for Germany. Messi didn’t play his best today or his last game.
Another thing for FIFA to get rid of, as well as the third-place game, making the losers hang around for a half-hour on the pitch just to pick up their second-place medals. Just let the winners celebrate in peace. Too cruel and pointless.
Obrigado!
The very popular tribune of the people Sepp Blatter getting his justified applause there.
Too bad for Messi. I wanted Germany to win, but for him - one of if not the best players in the game right now, to be denied two games straight. The Russian commentator here said/compared him to Maradonna a dozen or more times. Way too much.
Completely agree. It’s dumb.
If i’ve just lost the World Cup Final, i’ll take my medal in the mail, thanks very much. Right now, i just want to shower, change, and drink.
Golden Glove goes to Neuer, Golden Ball goes to Messi.
What do we think of those choices? I would say both are perfectly reasonable, but there are also decent arguments in favour of others.
Good game, except the finishing (bar Goetze’s brilliantly taken goal) was pedestarian- which was probably the occasion getting the better of the strikers. Germany deserved the win, though it could’ve quite easily gone the other way.
I think if you look back at this thread and others you’ll see I placed Germany as my favourites over a year ago (ignore the woefully optimistic predictions about England though!).
It really does seem cruel, especially with the continued focus on Messi.
They’ve been running around for 120 minutes, and then have to climb a mile of steps to get the medals? That’s not nice.
It was a good game. I’m very glad somebody (anybody!) scored a goal. It would have nearly ruined it to have gone to penalties.
See you real soccer fans in 2018! 
Yeah, do it like Hockey: They shake hands and the losers leave the ice (pitch).
I’m glad James got the golden boot.
I’m also glad how well my picks held up. Aside from Costa Rica I was pretty close with all 4.
Neuer definitely deserves the Golden Glove, there were lots of good goalkeepers, but for me he deserves it the most.
Messi was good, but also disappeared too often in too many games. I think his name helped him win the Golden Ball.
I don’t think Neuer was asked to do enough in the tournament to really justify his pick. Messi looked like a good pick if you only used the first 5 games, however, he was shut down in the two most important games of the tournament. Maybe Muller or Rodriguez?
Sad when the WC is over but only two years till qualifying begins for 2018!
Getting annoyed at the BBC pundits harping on about the German youth/coaching setup being reformed after 2000, and this reform is producing results. Im convinced these pundits know nothing about how to produce good footballers other than “our system needs reformed”.
It could just be coincidence that a German nation that generally produces great players simply when through a poor phase for a while.
True, it helps that whatever Neuer does he looks so classy while doing it.
To be fair, at international hockey tournaments the losers do have to wait around for silver medals. It’s only in professional leagues like the NHL where the losers aren’t forced to wait around, which isn’t directly comparable to the World Cup.
Let’s hope Russia has the stadiums ready for 2018. By my count - 2018 FIFA World Cup - Wikipedia - of the 12 venue stadiums - all but 3 are to be built. I know that the St. Petersburg Zenit expected to move into their new pitch in 2008. Then 2011. And now, maybe, 2015.
It’s probably how Brazil was four years ago - and this WC seemed okay.
BTW, anyone notice Putin at the game? They only showed him briefly.