An Argentine fan raises a replica of a World Cup trophy while watching the live telecast of the World Cup Group F match between Argentina and Nigeria in Porto Alegre, Brazil on June 25. Photo: IC

After nearly a month of being the only thing in the world, or at least seeming like it, the World Cup is about to climax on Sunday afternoon in Rio. The Maracana plays host to Germany against Argentina and a fascinating game that will end with either the Europeans just one title behind Brazil or the hosts' closest rivals winning it in their own backyard.

In our preview we predicted that Argentina would reach the final and lose to Brazil but that notion of romance was tempered with the statement that predicted semifinalists Germany "could cause an upset in the later stages." Well, cause an upset they did and their 7-1 drubbing of the hosts paints them as firm favorites for the final.

The Germans put on a master class against Brazil and it was ruthless in its beauty. It was like a video game at times, with passing, movement and goals of breathtaking simplicity. The team has an efficiency that is regretfully termed in adjectives that tend toward the robotic but it is a deserving winner on the form they have showed getting to the final.



No place for form book



As anyone who watches football will tell you, World Cup finals are no place for the form book. The stakes don't come any higher and the occasion can get to even the best players. At Germany 2006, France were the better team but fell apart after Zinedine Zidane lost his head and thrust it at Marco Materrazzi in a game that Italy won on penalties. Eight years earlier in France we saw a Brazil side that had previously lived up to their TV commercial never recover from star striker Ronaldo's pre-match illness and the hosts won 3-0. While eight years before that, back in 1990, Diego Maradona's Argentina saw their luck run out against a West Germany team who snatched the game with a late penalty.

We're owed a classic final. The last one was a battle marred by yellow cards, which was only settled four minutes from the end of extra time and four years before that in 2006 the final went all the way to penalties after a pair of early goals. Back in 2002 it was won in normal time but we had to wait for a pair of second-half strikes to settle the game, the France 98 final was only a classic to the French as they benefited from Zidane's set-piece prowess, and the 1994 final in the US was the first to be scoreless in both regular and extra time before Brazil won on penalties.

Whether we get what we want depends on which kind of Germany versus Argentina game we get. On the one hand, the 1990 final in Rome was an ill-tempered affair that is remembered for the South Americans finishing with nine men and playing for penalties, after they had already progressed twice that way in the knockout stages. The plan backfired and a late Andreas Brehme penalty saw Germany lift their third World Cup.

On the other hand, the last great climax was arguably contested between these teams four years before that in Mexico City. The Azteca played host to a 3-2 Argentina victory but the Germans had battled back from two goals down to level in the 81st minute before a Maradona through ball three minutes later put Jorge Burruchaga through to seal the win.

We may not get a five-goal thriller when these teams contest their third World Cup final but we should be in for a good game based on their form in reaching the Maracana.

Starting lineups



Argentina had won all of their games until the semifinal against the Netherlands while Germany won their three knockout matches but shared the spoils with Ghana in the group stage. The Germans have outscored the Argentinians by 10 goals but seven of those came in the shocking capitulation of the Brazilians in their semifinal. Despite that, it's Sabella's men who have created more ­attempts per match.

Most of those attempts have been provided or put away by Lionel Messi. The captain appears to have taken a dim view of his existing reputation at the World Cup and has been playing in the vein that Barcelona fans are accustomed to. As organized as the Germans are in both defense and midfield, Messi is good enough to change the game in a single moment but this will be his toughest test yet.

Argentina will be hopeful that ­Angel di Maria is fit to shoulder some of the match-winning burden as he did in the Switzerland game but they can also look to a fit again Sergio Aguero and the Belgium match-winner Gonzalo Higuain to provide a moment of magic. The Albiceleste's attacking fullbacks, Rojo and ­Zabaleta, were deliberately quiet against the Dutch but may venture forward more often against the Germans.

One question mark remains over Sabella's starting lineup and that regards Javier Mascherano. The midfielder took a blow to the head in the semifinal and was clearly dazed but played on to deny Arjen Robben with a splendid last-ditch tackle. Much has been made of whether he should have played on given the risk of concussion and there is a worry of a delayed reaction.

The Germans do not have any similar worries but Jogi Loew does have to decide who to start. His squad is enviable but he takes the credit for rotating them so well and getting performances from the bench. Andreas Schuerrle has made the case time and again for his inclusion in the first 11 but Miroslav Klose holds the record for World Cup goals for a reason. The two other areas of interest are how the coach will employ Philip Lahm, be it fullback, midfield or to shadow Messi, and if he sticks with Mesut Oezil ­despite the public calls for his ouster.

It will be a team of complete footballers who offer a version of total football for the modern age or the best player on the planet and his supporting cast but one of them is going to bring the curtain down on this World Cup.