Report card — Germany and Argentina player ratings

A lone strike from Mario Goetze saw Germany win 1-0 against Argentina and win the World Cup title after 24 years. Here's the report card of the stars of both teams.

A lone strike from Mario Goetze saw Germany win 1-0 against Argentina and win the World Cup title after 24 years. Here's the report card of the stars of both teams.

Germany:
Manuel Neuer 6/10

Did not have much to do in the final, but made one important late intervention. Has been steady at goal otherwise.

Philipp Lahm 8/10

Attacked with purpose down the flanks without being reckless. The Germany captain deserved to lift the trophy.

Jerome Boateng 8/10

A great last-ditch tackle in the first half when Argentina seemed certain to score and showed good pace on several occasions.

Mats Hummels 5/10

Lack of pace exposed time and again in the first half. Had a better second period but tired in extra time and almost let Palacio grab the winner.

Benedikt Hoewedes 5/10

Hit post with header at end of first half but really should have scored.

Christoph Kramer 6/10

Given a shock start after Sami Khedira was ruled out after the warm-up. Went off injured on the half hour after decent showing.

Bastian Schweinsteiger 7/10

Typical all action display. Two important defensive tackles.

Toni Kroos 5/10

A dreadful header back almost led to an Argentina goal, his set piece delivery was not the best and he missed two very good chances.

Thomas Mueller 7/10

Stayed too wide at times instead of getting into the box but a couple of crosses were dangerous.

Mesut Ozil 7/10

Had to drop deeper into midfield after Kramer's injury and battled hard. Mis-controlled a tricky ball when well placed.

Miroslav Klose 6/10

Fed off scraps with one difficult header going straight to the goalkeeper. Not the sort of striker who can drop back to make things happen.

Andre Schuerrle 7/10

Failed to control ball when clean through in second half and spurned excellent chance in extra time but was busy and set up Goetze for the goal.

Mario Goetze 8/10

Took his goal expertly from a tight angle to give Germany World Cup glory. Came on late in second half.

Per Mertesacker 6/10

Late substitute in extra time to shore things up.

Argentina:
Sergio Romero 7/10

A safe pair of hands and made two important saves from Andre Schuerrle, once in each half. Powerless to stop the final goal.

Pablo Zabaleta 7/10

As in previous games, he concentrated on his defensive duties. Made an outstanding tackle to deny Miroslav Klose a scoring chance.

Ezequiel Garay 8/10

Another impressive display, showing why they have only conceded one goal in the knockout stages.

Martin Demichelis 7/10

Like his partner, he showed excellent anticipation, was quick to snuff out any threats and made no significant mistakes.

Marcos Rojo 7/10

Had his hands full with both Thomas Mueller and Philipp Lahm attacking right, but coped well.

Javier Mascherano 9/10

Argentina's outstanding player, broke up countless German attacks with exceptional anticipation and was confident playing his way out of defence.

Lucas Biglia 7/10

Mascherano's sidekick in front of the defence, his sliderule pass at the start of the second half provided Messi with his best chance.

Enzo Perez 6/10

Impressed for the third game in a row since replacing the injured Angel Di Maria. Played more of a defensive role.

Lionel Messi 6/10

Always surrounded by two or three players, he gave a subdued performance by his standards, providing only flashes of inspiration. Missed a good opening early in the second half and wasted Argentina's last chance of the game when he skied a free kick from around 30 metres out.

Ezequiel Lavezzi 8/10

The liveliest of Argentina's forwards, he caused Germany continual problems down both flanks in the first half.

Gonzalo Higuain 6/10

Missed an excellent early chance when Toni Kroos's misdirected header sent him clean through. Finished the tournament with a disappointing tally of one goal.

Rodrigo Palacio 4/10

Looked out of his depth in the final. Missed a golden chance in extra-time when he lobbed the ball wide after his first touch let him down.

Sergio Aguero 4/10

Was off the pace, disappointing and ineffective. Never looked like getting the better of the German defence.

Fernando Gago 6/10

Kept up Enzo Perez's work in midfield after replacing him in the second half.

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Read:Report card — Germany and Argentina player ratings