BRAZIL: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2014 - Argentina train ahead of World Cup final against Germany

Record ID: 449140

  • Title: BRAZIL: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2014 - Argentina train ahead of World Cup final against Germany
  • Date: 13th July 2014
  • Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (JULY 12, 2014) (REUTERS) (FROM RIGHT TO LEFT) ARGENTINA FORWARD LIONEL MESSI WALKING ON TO TRAINING PITCH WITH MIDFIELDER JAVIER MASCHERANO, FORWARD EZEQUIEL LAVEZZI AND MIDFIELDER AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ ARGENTINA PLAYERS WALKING ON TO PITCH FORWARD GONZALO HIGUAIN (RIGHT) AND DEFENDER EZEQUIEL GARAY (LEFT) JOGGING GOALKEEPER SERGIO ROMERO (CENTRE) TALKING TO FELLOW GOALKEEPERS AGUSTIN ORION (RIGHT) AND MARIANO ANDUJAR (LEFT) PLAYERS STANDING IN A TEAM HUDDLE / PLAYERS STARTING TO JOG FORWARD SERGIO AGUERO AT TRAINING WINGER ANGEL DI MARIA WARMING UP ALONGSIDE LAVEZZI PLAYERS PASSING SOCCER BALLS HIGUAIN AND FERNANDEZ JOGGING MESSI AND MASCHERANO JOGGING MESSI WITH BALL AT HIS FEET BEFORE PICKING IT UP AND THEN KICKING IT ARGENTINA COACH ALEJANDRO SABELLA (WHITE CAP) WATCHING ON AT TRAINING MESSI HITTING BALL DEFENDER PABLO ZABALETA (RIGHT) PASSING BALL WITH DEFENDERS MARTIN DEMICHELIS (BACK TO CAMERA) AND FERNANDO GAGO TRAINING SESSION IN PROGRESS MASCHERANO AT TRAINING ALONGSIDE MIDFIELDER LUCAS BIGLIA SPRINKLER SPRAYING WATER PLAYERS MOVING A GOALPOSTS SABELLA STANDING UP AT TRAINING SESSION ROMERO MAKING A SAVE / ANDUJAR WALKING INTO GOAL MESSI STRETCHING ALONGSIDE TEAM MATES PLAYERS WARMING UP ROMERO TRAINING HIGUAIN AT TRAINING SESSION ALONGSIDE DEMICHELIS TRAINING SESSION IN PROGRESS MESSI LAUGHING WITH LAVEZZI / MESSI AND DI MARIA RUNNING AFTER BALL VIEW OF FULL MOON ARGENTINA FANS STANDING OUTSIDE STADIUM CHEERING: "MESSI, MESSI" ARGENTINA FANS WAVING TO CAMERA AND POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARGENTINA FAN, JULIA RICARDO, SAYING: "We have a good chance of winning, we have a lot of faith in our team to take charge of everything, like they did in the last match. They put everything into it and they went through." (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARGENTINA FAN, MARIANO CABRAL, SAYING: "The opportunity to win the championship here is a unique opportunity, and it is one we had not even thought about given how difficult the opposing teams are. All we hope for is that (Lionel) Messi will score one or two goals so that no one can dispute him, that's what we hope for more than anything." ARGENTINA FANS STANDING OUTSIDE THE STADIUM
  • Embargoed: 28th July 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: General,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA234GO8LMWICI33EZENB0R7CK1
  • Story Text: Argentina trained at Rio de Janeiro's San Januario stadium on Saturday (July 12) as they prepare for the World Cup final.
    It might not be the way Brazilians wanted the World Cup to end but Sunday's (July 13) final between Argentina and Germany will provide a nerve-jangling climax to the best tournament in history - even though the goals that have lit it up may not flow.
    While the hosts are still coming to terms with their 7-1 semi-final humiliation by Germany, Argentina and Germany are gearing up to settle old scores According to his agent, this will be Argentine coach Alejandro Sabella's last match in charge -- win or lose -- and he will leave the job a national hero if his team triumph in the third final between the European and South American heavyweights.
    But whether this match is a high-scoring thriller like their 1986 showdown in Mexico City which Argentina won 3-2, or more resembles the dire spectacle of West Germany's 1-0 1990 win in Rome is difficult to predict.
    The trend in recent finals has been for tight, cagey, defensive games with narrow, low-scoring victories and those finals of 1986 and 1990 reflect the dividing line in the finals story.
    The six finals up to and including 1986 produced 27 goals, the six since 1990, when Argentina became the first team to fail to score in the final, have produced nine.
    And there is every indication that, paradoxically, this goal-laded World Cup -- which has produced 167 goals so far and could beat the all-time record of 171 set in France'98 -- will be won by defensive steel rather than attacking brilliance.
    Both teams have goalkeepers in the form of their lives with Germany's Manuel Neuer, probably the best in the world, and Argentina's Sergio Romero, putting aside his season on the bench at AS Monaco with some impressive displays, not least his two stops in the penalty shootout win over the Dutch on Wednesday.
    In front of Neuer, Benedict Hoewedes has played every minute of the competition at left-back and Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng have looked impressive in the centre of defence.
    And since coach Joachim Loew re-positioned skipper Philipp Lahm at right-back rather than midfield, the defence has been even tighter.
    Argentina's rearguard though has been even more impressive.
    They have not conceded a goal for three successive matches since a 3-2 win over Nigeria in their last Group F match on June 25, and Sabella can also call on a solid, well-established formation.
    Romero has gained in confidence and stature as the tournament has progressed while right-back Pablo Zabaleta, centre-back Ezequiel Garay and defensive midfielder Javier Mascherano have all been impressive and started every match.
    There is of course, another Argentine player who has started every match for his country -- Lionel Messi.
    The world's number one player has enjoyed a satisfactory rather than scintillating tournament so far, scoring four times in Argentina's three group wins against Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria but failing to find the net against Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands in the knockout stages.
    And while Argentina have struggled for goals since qualifying with one against Switzerland from Angel Di Maria and one against Belgium from Gonzalo Higuain, Germany have flourished, with 10 in the last three games.
    Fans cheering on the team outside the training ground on Saturday were confident that they would be champions and claim a third world crown.
    "We have a good chance of winning, we have a lot of faith in our team to take charge of everything, like they did in the last match. They put everything into it and they went through," Argentina fan Julia Ricardo told Reuters.
    Another Argentina fan, Mariano Cabral, said: "The opportunity to win the championship here is a unique opportunity, and it is one we had not even thought about given how difficult the opposing teams are. All we hope for is that (Lionel) Messi will score one or two goals so that no one can dispute him, that's what we hope for more than anything."
    However, Germany have been formidable this tournament.
    Thomas Mueller, who scored a hat-trick in the group stage against Portugal, now has five goals, but Germany's total of 17 has been spread around the side.
    Miroslav Klose, now the top scorer of all time in the World Cup with 16 goals, has two, Andre Schuerrle three, defender Hummels and Toni Kroos two, while, Mesut Oezil, Sami Khedira and Mario Goetze have also found the net.
    But they have yet to come up against a defence as formidable as Argentina's.
    Lothar Matthaeus, the last German skipper to lift the World Cup in 1990, said this week: "There is an old saying in Germany that defences win titles, while the attack wins the glory."
    Those words could yet be borne out in Sunday's intriguing finale.
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