Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 in the final to win the tournament and capture the country's fourth global trophy, the first since German reunification in 1990, when they also defeated Argentina by the same score in the World Cup final as West Germany. The Germans' latest victory came one month after they became the first team to defend their title successfully.
Argentina had been undefeated until then in Brazil and were considered heavy favorites to win their second consecutive world title. But a late goal from Miroslav Klose proved to be enough for Germany to secure their third championship in a row and fifth overall.
The match itself was very close throughout with both teams having good chances to score but in the end it was Germany who took advantage of some sloppy defending from Argentina to open the scoring in the 57th minute. Sergio Aguero tried to score an own goal but instead he sent Michael Ballack the ball which he then scored on. It was his ninth goal of the tournament and guaranteed Germany a spot in the quarterfinals.
After the break, Germany continued to attack and in the 69th minute Thomas Mueller got his name on the scoresheet with a beautiful free kick that gave Argentina no chance whatsoever. With this win, Germany has now won more games than France or England combined over the past five years.
Argentina Watch highlights as West Germany avenges Argentina with a 1-0 victory in the 1990 World Cup final in Rome's Stadio Olimpico. This was the first world championship for both countries.
The Germans advanced to the final after defeating Italy 4-1 and Uruguay 3-0 in their group stage matches. In the other semifinal, Brazil defeated France 2-1 to advance to the final. Germany will be playing on home soil for the second time in three years; they also took part in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico City. That tournament ended in disappointment as they were eliminated by England after losing all of their games.
Germany opened their campaign against Italy on June 16, 1990. The game ended in a 1-1 draw after both teams scored early in the first half. Germany then faced Uruguay in their next match and came away with a convincing 3-0 win. They finished their group stage play with two wins and no losses.
In the quarterfinals, Germany went up against Argentina once again. This time, however, it was not just any Argentine team but one that had many stars on it - including Diego Maradona. Germany took the lead in the 24th minute when Andreas Brehme scored an own goal.
Uruguay memorably defeated Brazil 2-1 in the Maracana Stadium to win their second World Cup. West Germany defeated Hungary 3-2 in the first official World Cup Final in 16 years when the championship returned to Europe in 1954 (hosted by Switzerland).
There were two other finals before this one: in 1930 Italy beat Uruguay's predecessor country Argentina 1-0 and four years later France lost to Germany's 1-7.
So, the final score was Uruguay 2, Brazil 1. This world cup is remembered for its beautiful football and great matches between top European teams like Germany vs. Hungary and Brazil vs. Uruguay. But it is also known for some bad decisions made during the tournament such as the one where Sweden's Ingemar Johansson was sent off after eight minutes because his team was already losing 0-3 to England.
Sweden failed to advance from their group despite being the third-best team in their group behind England and pre-tournament favorites Hungary. The Swedes were punished for having John Anderson, who was listed as a forward on their roster but played up front with a midfield back line, against him when Roy Evans scored all three English goals.
Germany vs. Hungary was a match between two German cities: Berlin and Munich.
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