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Blood, Gotze mark Germany’s day of glory

Somewhere, Rodrigo Palacio grabbed himself by his rat-tail and banged his head against a wall, time and time again. Somewhere, Gonzalo Higuain took a cut-throat razor to his beard and didn’t bother with shaving foam.

Somewhere, Rodrigo Palacio grabbed himself by his rat-tail and banged his head against a wall, time and time again. Somewhere, Gonzalo Higuain took a cut-throat razor to his beard and didn’t bother with shaving foam.

Somewhere, Lionel Messi, laughably voted the best player of the tournament, Googled “Application for Spanish citizenship”.

You only get so many chances in life. In a World Cup final, you’re lucky to get one. Take it, and you’ll always be remembered. Miss it, and forgiveness may take a long, long time — especially from yourself.

How could Higuain have blazed a shot so far wide, with only Manuel Neuer to beat? How could Palacio not at least have sent his chip over Neuer towards the goal, rather than the crowd?

Worst of all, how could Messi, also with just Neuer to beat, drag the ball past the post rather than guide it, as he so often has, into the far corner?

Not once did Neuer even have to make a save.

It’s odd that a team with vaunted front players such as Messi, Higuain and Sergio Aguero scored only eight goals throughout the whole tournament. Here they just needed one.

Sports psychologists the world over will offer explanations — and, of course, their services. But when you look at how brilliantly and calmly Mario Gotze took the winning goal, you wonder whether it’s the naïve ability to not think or the sheer belief in yourself that makes the difference.

Perhaps, though, you should never trust your best opportunities to strikers who play in Italy (Palacio plays for Inter, Higuain for Napoli). Goals are simply less natural there.

The final shots of the Christ the Redeemer statue, arms spread wide, seemed to signify just how wide Argentina’s efforts were.

They call Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella “Pachorra” — the Sloth.

However, Argentina were, for much of the early period, the better, more active team. You imagined that Messi might conjure something with speed and invention. You thought that the introduction of Aguero might mean a recognition that the German defence was vulnerable in the first half.

Argentina were actually trying to win rather than, as many suspected, preparing for a penalty shootout.

This would have been unwise against the Germans, as they’d beat a World Penalty Takers XI nine times out of ten.

Germany stuck to their passing and movement, until they seemed too tired to pass or move. It’s instructive that it was two substitutes, Andre Schurrle and Goetze, who constructed the winning goal.

In the end, the symbol of their success wasn’t merely Gotze’s goal, but the cut under Bastian Schweinsteiger’s right eye. Some might argue that Schweinsteiger should have been sent off for one foul too many. However, he gave so much of himself that he symbolised a Germany that doesn’t merely play positive team football, but that also offers Spartan commitment to the cause.

Former German captain Michael Ballack described Gotze as “Our Messi”. How much more messed up it would have been if Higuain had scored and then Benedikt Howedes had still missed the header from Toni Kroos’ corner at the end of the first half.

So much blood spilled by both teams. But only one had Gotze. Only one had the complete team. Argentina was missy, not Messi.

Chris Matyszczyk, a British-born American of Polish parentage, was based in Singapore from 1992 to 1994 as creative director at Batey Ads. Now based in San Francisco, he was MediaPost’s Most Influential Person on Madison Avenue in 2013 and has covered the World Cup for CBS News.

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