Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/347048
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 16 JULY 2014 22 Sport WORLD CUP One of the biggest parties in recent German history took place in Berlin, where hundreds of thousands of fans gathered at the capital's Brandenburg Gate to welcome home the national team after their World Cup victory in Brazil ONE of the biggest parties in re- cent German history took place on Tuesday in Berlin, where hun- dreds of thousands of fans gath- ered at the capital's Brandenburg Gate to welcome home the na- tional team after their World Cup victory in Brazil. The German team landed about an hour late at Tegel airport due to a delay in the departure of the Lufthansa f light from Rio de Ja- neiro. First off Lufthansa f light 2014 was captain Philipp Lahm, who waved the World Cup trophy as he descended the plane. Blessed by balmy weather in the German capital, many people waving f lags and wearing black- red-gold garlands had started converging towards the specially- designated Fan Mile area from the early hours of the morning. At least 400,000 people were estimated to have been attending the World Cup party, which saw the team parading around Berlin on a black open-top bus featur- ing the dates of Germany's four World Cup trophies - 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014. "Wow, what is going on here? Madness!" tweeted Mario Goetze from the bus as it moved at a snail's pace through the crowds. The team then arrived at the Brandenburg Gate to a heroes' welcome. "We are all world champions," coach Joachim Loew, who sported rock-star sunglasses and a black t-shirt with a huge "1", told the crowd to chants of "Deutschland! Deutschland!" It was then the turn of Goetze, Andre Schuerrle and Miroslav Klose, the all-time World Cup top scorer with 16 goals, to entertain the crowd with a sing-a-long. Germany won their first World Cup as a unified country on Sun- day, when they beat Argentina 1-0 at the Maracana stadium thanks to a goal from Goetze deep into extra time. Germany gives rapturous welcome to world champions Germany's Lukas Podolski (left), Thomas Mueller and Per Mertesacker (right), the latter holding the World Cup trophy in his hands, cheer and celebrate on stage during the welcome reception for Germany's national football team at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. Photo by EPA/MICHAEL KAPPELER The coach with Germany's national football team is surrounded by crowds of cheering fans on its way to the Fan Mile at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The German team won the 2014 World Cup final against Argentina by 1-0, clinching the title for the fourth time after 1954, 1974 and 1990. Photo by EPA/WOLFGANG KUMM German national football team captain Philipp Lahm raises the World Cup trophy as he walks down the gangway, followed by his teammates Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Mueller, as Germany's squad arrives at Tegel Airport in Berlin. Photo by EPA/JENS BUETTNER