Woltemade's hat-trick, two for Havertz, and a scoreline no World Cup final had ever imagined: the fourth final between these nations ended as the largest winning margin in the history of the fixture, the tournament, and the sport's biggest night. Germany are champions of the world, level with Brazil on five.
EAST RUTHERFORD — Finals are supposed to be cagey. Somebody forgot to translate the word for this German team. By the 34th minute it was 3-0 and the questions in the press box had changed from who would win the World Cup to what, exactly, was happening; by the 88th, when Kimmich curled in the eighth, MetLife Stadium had witnessed the most complete performance a final has ever contained.
Every fear Argentina carried into the night arrived at once. Woltemade scored with his first touch on 11, headed the second... the full account reads like a training drill: Woltemade 11, Havertz 23, Woltemade 34, Havertz 45+2, Woltemade 58 — a hat-trick in a World Cup final, the first since Geoff Hurst in 1966 — then Wirtz, Tah, Kimmich. Messi, in his last match, was applauded off by both sets of supporters on 72; it was the night's one act of mercy.
Neuer, who began this run saving penalties against Paraguay when the tournament was one kick from ending, finished it without a save worth the name — the quietest evening of his month, on the loudest occasion of his life. At 40 years and 113 days he is the oldest world champion in history, and the only man to lift the trophy twelve years apart.
'In 2014 we needed 113 minutes for one goal,' said Nagelsmann, whose team scored eight in ninety. 'Football owed us the other seven, I think, with interest. The fifth star is for every German team since Rio that was told the machine had stopped.'
Neuer read Oyarzabal's penalty, Woltemade headed the only goal off the bar, and Arlington carried Germany into the final the hard way — the night the run stopped being a fairytale and became a machine.
Twenty days before the 8-0, Germany were one Canale penalty from going home in the last 32. Neuer saved it. Every champion has an origin story; none has ever been this close to not existing.
Only Geoff Hurst had ever done it. The 24-year-old did it inside 58 minutes — and assisted none of the other five because, as he put it, 'the others also wanted one.'
Fabian Ruiz and De Ketelaere traded first-half goals at SoFi. After Courtois limped off on 71, substitute keeper Lammens spilled a routine shot and Mikel Merino pounced on 88 — Spain meet France in Tuesday's semi-final.
Spain edged Portugal 1-0 in Arlington. Cristiano Ronaldo leaves the stage after a fifth World Cup without the trophy.
The USMNT's home World Cup ended in a lopsided round-of-16 defeat.
Norway won 2-1 at MetLife after Nyland saved Bruno Guimaraes' penalty. Neymar's stoppage-time spot-kick was a consolation, and he confirmed his international retirement after the final whistle.
| Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 6 |
| 2 | Ivory Coast | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | Ecuador | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | Curacao | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 1 |
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