Germany have a secret plan to shut Argentina superstar Lionel Messi out of Sunday’s World Cup final at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana Stadium. Assistant coach Hansi Flick said Thursday there is a ‘special plan’ to cope with the four-time Ballon d’Or winner but refused to give details. Messi had a relatively quiet match against the Netherlands as Wednesday’s semi-final was settled by penalties. The 27-year-old was often greeted by two Oranje shirts in Sao Paulo and the Germans are also getting organised.
‘We saw how the Dutch managed to keep Messi out, but we too have a special plan for him – although I won’t give that away. We’re looking forward to meeting a compact, organised team and in Messi, they have one the outstanding players of the tournament. We know plenty about Argentina, Germany has to accept the role of favourites, but the final will write it’s own script,’ said Flick.
Defender Benedikt Hoewedes said the Germany defence will pay Messi the same close attention Cristiano Ronaldo received in the 4-0 rout of Portugal in the group stages. ‘Messi is one of the best players in the world, but just as I said before the Portugal game when we faced Ronaldo, we have to defend as a team. We have to stifle his opportunities to score goal and create dangerous situations,’ said the left-back. This is the sixth time Germany will meet Argentina at the World Cup and the second time in the final.
On their most recent meeting, Messi scored two years ago when Argentina enjoyed a 3-1 win over ten-man Germany in a Frankfurt friendly. The Germans won the most recent World Cup meetings. They routed a Diego Maradona-coached Argentina 4-0 in Cape Town at South Africa 2010 after a quarter-final penalty shoot-out win in Berlin four years earlier.
Germany lost the Mexico 1986 final 3-2 to Argentina, then took revenge four years later by winning the Italia 1990 final 1-0 when Argentina finished with nine men in Rome. Argentina legend Maradona played in both matches, but Germany’s veteran striker Miroslav Klose said neither match has any relevance now. ‘You can’t really make comparisons, Maradona was one player, but Messi is just as fantastic and they are absolutely on par. We have to come up with a few surprises of our own and I am just looking forward to an exciting game, which will be marked by tactics and a bit of trickery,’ said Klose.
Flick warned Germany fans not to expect anything like Tuesday’s remarkable 7-1 semi-final rout of Brazil, especially after Argentina’s penalty shoot-out win against the Dutch. ‘It’s going to be a completely different game to the semi-final,’ said Flick.
Di Maria trains in hope of making final
BELO HORIZONTE: Argentina winger Angel Di Maria trained lightly on Thursday in the hope of being able to play a part in the World Cup final against Germany on Sunday despite suffering a thigh injury just days ago. Di Maria, the South Americans' most creative player after Lionel Messi, hurt a muscle when shooting at goal during the quarterfinal win over Belgium. Argentina face Germany on Sunday at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium for football's greatest prize. The speedy Real Madrid player, who links well with Messi in Argentina's attack, jogged lightly in his first training since the injury at Argentina's camp in Belo Horizonte.
Despite woes, Arg united in WC run
Buenos Aires: Soccer has once again emerged as the patriotic touchstone that unites Argentines as they teeter on the precipice, this time threatened by a debt crisis, soaring inflation and the scandal-plagued end to a 12-year political dynasty that has polarized the nation. The country’s World Cup semifinal victory over the Netherlands in a penalty shootout unleashed a collective catharsis on Buenos Aires’ streets on Wednesday night the likes of which Argentines have rarely seen in recent times.
Coinciding with Independence Day celebrations, tens of thousands of Argentines dressed in blue and white partied well past midnight in cities across the country. ‘We’re all in this battle together going forward,’ said Osvaldo Darica, owner of a newspaper kiosk in Buenos Aires. Darica said he is thrilled to see the recent torrent of depressing headlines about rampant crime and one of the world’s highest inflation rates replaced by front-page photos of goalkeeper Sergio Romero, or Saint Romero as he’s now lionised, deflecting two Dutch penalty kicks. Soccer legend Diego Maradona also wrapped himself in the flag. ‘Look at us there, there’s no distinction, we’re all Argentines,’ he told Venezuela’s Telesur network while watching images of jubilant fans engulfing Buenos Aires’ iconic Obelisk.
Amid the nationalist fervor, one prominent voice has been missing: that of president Cristina Fernandez. Sidelined the past week with a throat infection, the normally loquacious leader has yet to comment on Argentina’s dramatic win. Not even on Twitter, where she’s a constant presence. Late Thursday, she posted a letter declining Brazil president Dilma Rousseff’s invitation to attend the final, saying she’s under doctor’s orders to reduce air travel and wants to spend the day celebrating her grandson’s first birthday.
Analysts say Fernandez’s silence may be well-placed, and any attempt to reap political benefit from the national team’s run is likely to be short-lived or even backfire given how low support for her government has plunged with a corruption scandal penetrating her inner circle.
‘We saw how the Dutch managed to keep Messi out, but we too have a special plan for him – although I won’t give that away. We’re looking forward to meeting a compact, organised team and in Messi, they have one the outstanding players of the tournament. We know plenty about Argentina, Germany has to accept the role of favourites, but the final will write it’s own script,’ said Flick.
Defender Benedikt Hoewedes said the Germany defence will pay Messi the same close attention Cristiano Ronaldo received in the 4-0 rout of Portugal in the group stages. ‘Messi is one of the best players in the world, but just as I said before the Portugal game when we faced Ronaldo, we have to defend as a team. We have to stifle his opportunities to score goal and create dangerous situations,’ said the left-back. This is the sixth time Germany will meet Argentina at the World Cup and the second time in the final.
On their most recent meeting, Messi scored two years ago when Argentina enjoyed a 3-1 win over ten-man Germany in a Frankfurt friendly. The Germans won the most recent World Cup meetings. They routed a Diego Maradona-coached Argentina 4-0 in Cape Town at South Africa 2010 after a quarter-final penalty shoot-out win in Berlin four years earlier.
Germany lost the Mexico 1986 final 3-2 to Argentina, then took revenge four years later by winning the Italia 1990 final 1-0 when Argentina finished with nine men in Rome. Argentina legend Maradona played in both matches, but Germany’s veteran striker Miroslav Klose said neither match has any relevance now. ‘You can’t really make comparisons, Maradona was one player, but Messi is just as fantastic and they are absolutely on par. We have to come up with a few surprises of our own and I am just looking forward to an exciting game, which will be marked by tactics and a bit of trickery,’ said Klose.
Flick warned Germany fans not to expect anything like Tuesday’s remarkable 7-1 semi-final rout of Brazil, especially after Argentina’s penalty shoot-out win against the Dutch. ‘It’s going to be a completely different game to the semi-final,’ said Flick.
Di Maria trains in hope of making final
BELO HORIZONTE: Argentina winger Angel Di Maria trained lightly on Thursday in the hope of being able to play a part in the World Cup final against Germany on Sunday despite suffering a thigh injury just days ago. Di Maria, the South Americans' most creative player after Lionel Messi, hurt a muscle when shooting at goal during the quarterfinal win over Belgium. Argentina face Germany on Sunday at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium for football's greatest prize. The speedy Real Madrid player, who links well with Messi in Argentina's attack, jogged lightly in his first training since the injury at Argentina's camp in Belo Horizonte.
Despite woes, Arg united in WC run
Buenos Aires: Soccer has once again emerged as the patriotic touchstone that unites Argentines as they teeter on the precipice, this time threatened by a debt crisis, soaring inflation and the scandal-plagued end to a 12-year political dynasty that has polarized the nation. The country’s World Cup semifinal victory over the Netherlands in a penalty shootout unleashed a collective catharsis on Buenos Aires’ streets on Wednesday night the likes of which Argentines have rarely seen in recent times.
Coinciding with Independence Day celebrations, tens of thousands of Argentines dressed in blue and white partied well past midnight in cities across the country. ‘We’re all in this battle together going forward,’ said Osvaldo Darica, owner of a newspaper kiosk in Buenos Aires. Darica said he is thrilled to see the recent torrent of depressing headlines about rampant crime and one of the world’s highest inflation rates replaced by front-page photos of goalkeeper Sergio Romero, or Saint Romero as he’s now lionised, deflecting two Dutch penalty kicks. Soccer legend Diego Maradona also wrapped himself in the flag. ‘Look at us there, there’s no distinction, we’re all Argentines,’ he told Venezuela’s Telesur network while watching images of jubilant fans engulfing Buenos Aires’ iconic Obelisk.
Amid the nationalist fervor, one prominent voice has been missing: that of president Cristina Fernandez. Sidelined the past week with a throat infection, the normally loquacious leader has yet to comment on Argentina’s dramatic win. Not even on Twitter, where she’s a constant presence. Late Thursday, she posted a letter declining Brazil president Dilma Rousseff’s invitation to attend the final, saying she’s under doctor’s orders to reduce air travel and wants to spend the day celebrating her grandson’s first birthday.
Analysts say Fernandez’s silence may be well-placed, and any attempt to reap political benefit from the national team’s run is likely to be short-lived or even backfire given how low support for her government has plunged with a corruption scandal penetrating her inner circle.