Germany are World Cup champions for the fourth time after beating Argentina 1-0 in a World Cup thriller this morning, with 22-year-old Mario Gotze scoring the winner deep into extra time.
A vastly difference clash than their 7-1 triumph over Brazil in the semi-finals. Germany survived multiple scares throughout and misses some great chances of their own in an open and tense affair before Gotze scored a brilliant goal in the 113th minute as he chested down a cross and volleyed across the keeper in one movement to become a national hero.
It was no less than they deserved either. Easily the most consistent side of the tournament, this was the third World Cup in a row that Germany had finished as the highest scoring team and victory over Argentina saw them finish on a high having previously eliminated France, Algeria and Brazil in the knock-out stages.
In the third place playoff, the Netherlands easily beat Brazil 3-0 to ensure a miserable finish to the tournament for the hosts. A Robin van Persie penalty in just the third minute was followed by a goal to Daley Blind 15 minutes later following a defensive blunder from David Luiz, with Georginio Wijnaldum adding a third in injury time.
Marc Marquez made it nine wins from nine starts at the German MotoGP to become the youngest rider ever to do so and the first since Mick Doohan in 1998. Marquez finished more than a second ahead of teammate Dani Pedrosa in second and Jorge Lorenzo in third as he extended his Championship lead to a staggering 77 points.
England’s Justin Rose made it two tournament wins in a row for the first time in his career at the Scottish Open to complete the perfect warm-up for the Open Championships which start this Thursday. Having won the Quicken Loans Congressional last month, Rose shot four consecutive scores in the 60s over the weekend to win in Scotland and move up to number three in the world rankings.
It was a good weekend for WGM too, despite Brian Harman taking top spot at the John Deere Classic. Last week we tipped Zach Johnson for a top five finish and he easily achieved that feat, finishing just a stroke behind Harman in second to ensure a tidy payday.
And veteran Lleyton Hewitt achieved a rare feat at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in the USA when he won two titles in a single day! Hewitt defeated big-serving Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 to win the singles final, then backed up soon after alongside fellow Australian Chris Guccione to win the doubles.
