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MT 13 July 2014

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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 JULY 2014 46 THE German camp will not rest on the laurels from that 7-1 semi- final hammering of the tourna- ment hosts, and expects a tough encounter against the team around Lionel Messi who would confirm his status as an all- time great as a World Cup winner. A fourth title, following 1954, 1974 and 1990, would complete the careers of Joachim Loew's golden generation after near misses over the past years. Argentina, who escaped the Netherlands on penalties to reach the final, are after a third World Cup trophy, following 1978 and 1986, and winning it in the iconic Maracana would be the ultimate insult for the host nation. Germany won their last title 1-0 against Argentina, and four years earlier the inspired Diego Mara- dona carried Argentina 3-2 past Germany for their last crown. No other teams have met three times in a World Cup final for which around 100,000 Argentine fans are expected in town - and up to 40,000 in the stadium - while the Brazilians will likely support Germany against their arch rivals. Germany's awesome midfield and attack will aim to break down a stubborn Argentine de- fence which has stolen the atten- tion from the frontline of Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria by not letting in a goal in three knock-out games. Captain Philipp Lahm is aware of the difficulty but also of the golden opportunity to win silver- ware at last along with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Mueller, Toni Kroos and company after near misses of third-place finishes 2006 and 2010, and a 2012 semi- final and 2008 final at European championships. "We are optimistic. We want to bring the world title back to Ger- many at long last," said Lahm, who would be the fourth German captain to lift the cup after Fritz Walter (1954), Franz Beckenbau- er (1974) and Lothar Matthaeus 46 German possession game meets Germany aim to carry the momentum from their epic win over Brazil into today's World Cup final with Argentina in order to end a 24-year title drought. Brazilians of German descent hoping Loew's side can triumph Brazil's five million citizens of German descent are hoping that Joachim Loew's team triumph in today's World Cup final against Argentina, despite Germany's 7-1 destruction of Brazil in the semi-finals FOR a small part of Brazil's 200 million population, Tuesday's 7-1 meltdown against Germany in the World Cup semi-finals was not really the end of a dream - but instead the beginning of one. There are around five million people of German descent in the Brazilian states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, where entire cities try to maintain the language, traditions and culture of their ancestors. This is exactly the case in Pomerode, a town in Santa Cata- rina founded in the 19th century by immigrants from the German region of Pomerania, which is considered today to be the most 'German' place in Brazil. Around 90 per cent of its inhab- itants are of German descent, and about half of them speak the lan- guage of Goethe. In the group stage of the World Cup, most of Pomerode's people supported Brazil, but after the elimination of the hosts their loy- alties quickly changed. "I am a fan of Germany, my county of origin," 20-year-old Ro- drigo Hornburg told the Jornal de Pomerode. In the neighbouring town of Blumenau, the municipal au- thorities have decided to organ- ize a kind of early Oktoberfest in the town's Vila Germanica park, so the locals can follow Sunday's final between Germany and Ar- gentina on a giant screen while drinking beer and eating Brat- wurst sausages. "Germany is in the heart of the people of Blumenau and now, with Brazil knocked out, the major- ity want to see Germany win the cup," said the town's secretary of tourism Ricardo Stodieck. There is a similar ambiance in Nova Petropolis, a city in Rio Grande do Sul which has a large colony of Germans among its 19,000 inhabitants. "At least 90 per cent of the pop- ulation will be cheering for Ger- many," said the local secretary of tourism Daniel Camargo, who added that a giant screen will be set up in the main street of the town for the final. The people of Nova Petropolis will not be alone. Online polls have revealed that the great ma- jority of Brazilians prefer Ger- many to neighbouring Argentina. Brazil's captain David Luiz reacts while German players celebrate. Photo by EPA/Fernando Bizerra Jr.

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