Goals: Germany—Schurrle 52’ Gotze 78’; Argentina—Aguero 20’ Lamela 40’ Fernandez 47’ Di Maria 40’
Recap: It took nearly two months, but Argentina were finally able to exact their revenge on Wednesday, capturing a comprehensive 4-2 victory over Germany in Dusseldorf.
A wildly entertaining first half saw goals from Sergio Aguero and Erik Lamela, giving La Albiceleste a 2-0 lead into the break. Federico Fernandez would extend it just two minutes after the restart. All three goals were assisted by Angel Di Maria. He would contribute one of his own in the 50th minute.
Germany would respond as the match progressed, but proved to be no match for Argentina on the night.
Key Moment: Germany had their opportunity to equalize early in the first half. A left-footed shot from Mario Gomez from point-blank range, however, was denied Sergio Romero.
Man of the Match: One goal, three assists, six take-ons and five key passes. The night belonged to Di Maria.
Lesson Learned: Argentina would’ve won the 2014 World Cup had Di Maria been healthy enough to feature in it. The 26-year-old was ruled out of the final in Rio de Janeiro thanks to a thigh injury. A listless Argentine attack waned on the biggest stage, allowing Germany to capture a 1-0 victory in extra time. The infusion of his creative prowess was enough to give the Germans fits in Dusseldorf. It would’ve been enough to do the same at Maracana Stadium.
Up Next: Germany returns home to face Scotland in a 2016 European Cup qualifier on Sunday, while Argentina will eventually travel to Beijing to meet with Brazil on Oct. 11.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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