After one month and 63 matches, Germany and Argentina will fight for the right to lift the World Cup at the Maracana in Brazil today. Argentina must play a flawless game on Sunday if they are to beat a powerful German team and lift the World Cup for the third time, their coach Alejandro Sabella said.World Cup finals have become desperately tight affairs: the last six, stretching from Italia ’90 to South Africa 2010, have produced only nine goals whereas the previous six, dating from Wembley ’66 to the Azteca in ’86, wallowed in 27 goals. Defences have become parsimonious.
They have beaten each other once in a World Cup final. Argentina won 3-2 in the 1986 final, and four years later Germany won 1-0. Germany go into the final at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium as favourites after their 7-1 demolition of hosts Brazil in the semi-final, but Argentina have shown a surprising defensive steel and in Lionel Messi they have a match-turner.
