European stalwarts won title for the fourth time when substitute Mario Goetze volleyed in a brilliant goal seven minutes from the end of extra time.
The First "Underwater Soccer Match" has kicked off at the Haichang Polar Aquarium in Tianjin.
Lionel Messi walked up the steps at the Maracana. It was at the end of 120 minutes of Sunday's gripping World Cup final and the Argentine was collecting a revered golden trophy, one befitting his status as the greatest player of his generation.
Brazil police tell local news media they have arrested 19 people suspected of vandalism during recent anti-World Cup protests in Rio de Janeiro.
Marcelo looked wide-eyed, stunned when he scored the first goal of the World Cup... against his own team. Hardly the most auspicious of starts for Brazil.
The political crisis in Ukraine will have no impact on Russia's preparations for 2018 World Cup finals according to Russia's sports minister Vitaly Mutko.
Robin van Persie and Daley Blind scored early goals to help give the Netherlands a 3-0 win over host Brazil in the third-place match at the World Cup on Saturday.
The World Cup can only hope that Lionel Messi is leaving his best for last.
Because it is turning out better than expected, the World Cup is doing more good than harm to brand Brazil. The opposite is true for Brazil's brand of football.
Even for an 84-year-old tournament drenched in history, Germany 7, Brazil 1 - you read that right - will be remembered as one of the craziest World Cup matches ever. Because of the humiliation it inflicted on a great footballing nation, as one of the most painful to watch, too.
"I kept getting tripped up and kicked to pieces ...," said Brazil's superstar player, "and the referee did nothing to protect me or my teammates from these rough-house tactics."
How is it that footballers are among the few who've not had much to say about the bite seen around the world, now punished with an appropriately tough ban?
Robin van Persie scored one of the most eye-catching goals of the World Cup with a diving header, and James Rodriguez blasted in one of the tournament's most spectacular after controlling the ball with his chest and volleying home from outside the area.
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