A fan of Germany holds up a placard as he waits for the start of the final. Darren Staples / Reuters
A pair of Argentine fans, wearing masks of retired soccer players Diego Maradona and Claudio Caniggia, right, wait for the start of the final. Dylan Martinez / Reuters
Retired footballer Carles Puyol of Spain, a member of the 2010 World Cup-winning team, holds the World Cup trophy before the final. Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters
Argentina's forward Lionel Messi enters the field before the final. Pedro Ugarte / AFP
Thomas Muller of Germany controls the ball against Ezequiel Garay of Argentina. Jamie Squire / Getty Images
Gonzalo Higuain of Argentina celebrates putting a shot past Germany’s Manuel Neuer, a goal disallowed because Higuain was offside. Clive Rose / Getty Images
German players surround Lionel Messi, giving him little space to move. Gabriel Bouys / AFP
Mesut Ozil of Germany controls the ball against Pablo Zabaleta, left, and Enzo Perez of Argentina. Matthias Hangst / Getty Images
Messi runs past Mats Hummels as both players match each other for speed. Christophe Simon / AFP
Germany’s defender Benedikt Howedes, right, heads the ball towards the goal as Argentina’s midfielder Javier Mascherano, centre, and Germany’s forward Miroslav Klose watch. Patrik Stollarz / AFP
General view during the final. Chema Moya / EPA
Germany's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, right, and Argentina's forward Higuain compete for the ball. Gabriel Nouys / AFP
Mario Gotze of Germany scores his team’s first goal in extra time, which proves to be the winner. Jamie McDonald / Getty Images
Gotze’s goal is made possible after Argentina’s Romero dives the wrong way. Matthias Hangst / Getty Images
Gotze celebrates with Muller, surely the high point of his career. Dylan Martinez / Reuters
Germany celebrate after defeating Argentina in extra time. Michael Steele / Getty Images
Philipp Lahm of Germany lifts the World Cup – the country's fourth and first since reunification. Matthias Hangst / Getty Images
It is also the first trophy Germany won in 18 years. Fabrice Coffrini / AFP
German squad members pose with the World Cup trophy, their first since 1990. Christophe Simon / AFP
