RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) – 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 are attempting to become
the first side from Europe to win a
World Cup in the Americas, determined
that a golden generation will finally
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 firmly with Germany
after their astonishing 7-1 semi-final
demolition job of Brazil, through a
combination of superb attacking play
and defensive incompetence. Ominously for Argentina, Germany say
they quickly put the win firmly 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 the final or the semi-finals in
their last four major tournaments. “We enjoyed the game against Brazil,
but we ticked it off after 24 hours,”
said Germany striker Miroslav Klose. That same steely determination has
characterised 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 last 16. They coolly neutralised a dangerous-
looking France 1-0 in the quarter-
finals and swiftly turned their attention
to dismembering Brazil. “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 the
France win. From top to bottom, the German spine
has exuded quality. Manuel Neuer has
looked unbeatable in goal while Mats
Hummels has been a silky and solid
presence in defence. Bastian
Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira have proved a formidable midfield duo,
allowing the likes of Toni Kroos and
Mesut Ozil to flourish. 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 process. 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 Joachim Loew’s
squad. - ‘Germany have a team’ - “Brazil have Neymar, Portugal have
Ronaldo, Argentina have Messi and
Germany have a team,” ran one widely
retweeted summary on Twitter this
week. Ranged against Germany’s attacking
arsenal are an Argentina side led by
27-year-old Barcelona superstar
Messi. The four-time world footballer of the
year came into the tournament
determined to atone for two
disappointing World Cups in 2006 and
2010. Like Maradona 28 years ago, he has
dragged his team over the line at key
moments in Brazil. He opened with an
individual goal against Bosnia, an
injury-time winner to beat Iran, and
two more goals against Nigeria. Messi’s run and pass created the
extra-time winner for Angel Di Maria
against Switzerland in the last 16. While he was largely anonymous in
the semi-final win over the Dutch,
Germany will know that one slip on
Sunday could present Messi with a
match-winning moment, just as it did
for Maradona in the 1986 final against the Germans. Man-marked out of the match by
Lothar Matthaus, Maradona still created
the game’s winning goal — a sublime
first-time through ball which released
Jorge Burruchaga to clinch a 3-2
victory. - ‘Water in the desert’ - “Regardless of whether he scores
goals or not, his influence is decisive,”
Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella
said of Messi after the quarter-finals. “A game has many aspects, apart from
goals. When you have a player such as
Messi, who never, or almost never,
loses the ball, it’s water in the desert —
and not just when he scores.” Yet for all the parallels with 1986, the
last World Cup meeting between the
two nations may be more relevant —
Germany’s 4-0 romp in the 2010
quarter-finals. Seventeen players involved in that
Cape Town match featured in this
week’s semi-finals, 10 for Germany
and seven for Argentina. But many observers have wondered
whether Messi’s dip in form last season
was due to a pre-occupation with the
World Cup. It could be that the diminutive genius
has been plotting all along to claim the
crown on Sunday at the Maracana. “If he is saving his best performance
for the final,” said former England
manager Glenn Hoddle, “it will be a joy
to watch.” www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/germanys-history-boys-prepare-wreck-messi-dream/