Jere Longman The New York Times

It might have seemed an odd sight, Brazilian fans celebrating another team inside their own cathedral of soccer, the Maracana stadium. But after two demoralizing losses brought national embarrassment, solace finally came Sunday as Germany defeated Argentina, 1-0, to become the first European team to win a World Cup played in North or South America.

Four times, Messi has been named the world player of the year. He has won three European championships with Barcelona. Some consider him the greatest player of all time. But even if he wins a World Cup, he will not be viewed as Maradona's equal by many in Argentina, at least not yet, for reasons having as much to do with class, personality, history...

Argentina will face off against Germany in the final match of FIFA World Cup 2014.

Argentina beat Netherlands 4-2 in a penalty shootout to reach the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. For Argentina, Lionel Messi, Ezequiel Garay and Sergio Aguero confidently punched their shots into the net. The decisive attempt, by Maxi Rodriguez, was deflected, but it hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the net.

Arjen Robben, the maddening and magnificent Dutch winger, spoke on the sideline with Jorge Luis Pinto, the Ticos' accusatory coach. The score was 0-0 and the game was headed to penalty kicks, but the two men seemed to chat amiably. Then they hugged.

Everyone knew it would be difficult for Brazil without the injured star Neymar and the suspended captain, Thiago Silva, but nobody imagined this feeble capitulation - four goals surrendered to Germany in six minutes during a 7-1 rout in a World Cup semifinal.

Costa Rica waged

Belgium's captain Vincent Kompany, 28, is a charismatic and ebullient presence, perhaps the top central defender at the World Cup. He speaks five languages and has a keen sense of social responsibility. But he is also frequently injured.

This particular witch doctor put a curse on the knees of Cristiano Ronaldo in February. These are not just any knees. The reigning world Player of the Year, Ronaldo is so agile and elusive that he is the only man known to have dated Kim Kardashian without marrying her for a reality show.

Memories of 2010 Vancouver Games - where Russia failed to win a gold for the first time since 1960 - were erased when the host nation won its first gold in the Sochi Olympics. President Vladimir Putin was visibly pleased with the gleam of the team figure-skating medal.

Important decisions like which city will host the 2020 Olympics and who will head IOC are expected to be taken.

On Sunday, Messi set an international record by scoring his 86th goal in a calendar year, for both Barcelona and the Argentine national team, delivering an average of one goal every four days, more frequently than a starting pitcher takes the mound, as often as Starbucks opens a new store in China.

The most important sporting event in Eastern Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall begins June 8 with the European soccer championships hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

Russia and the tiny Gulf state of Qatar were awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups Thursday after an acrimonious bidding war marred by allegations of corruption and illegal deal-making.

It might have seemed an odd sight, Brazilian fans celebrating another team inside their own cathedral of soccer, the Maracana stadium. But after two demoralizing losses brought national embarrassment, solace finally came Sunday as Germany defeated Argentina, 1-0, to become the first European team to win a World Cup played in North or South America.

Four times, Messi has been named the world player of the year. He has won three European championships with Barcelona. Some consider him the greatest player of all time. But even if he wins a World Cup, he will not be viewed as Maradona's equal by many in Argentina, at least not yet, for reasons having as much to do with class, personality, history...

Argentina will face off against Germany in the final match of FIFA World Cup 2014.

Argentina beat Netherlands 4-2 in a penalty shootout to reach the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. For Argentina, Lionel Messi, Ezequiel Garay and Sergio Aguero confidently punched their shots into the net. The decisive attempt, by Maxi Rodriguez, was deflected, but it hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the net.

Arjen Robben, the maddening and magnificent Dutch winger, spoke on the sideline with Jorge Luis Pinto, the Ticos' accusatory coach. The score was 0-0 and the game was headed to penalty kicks, but the two men seemed to chat amiably. Then they hugged.

Everyone knew it would be difficult for Brazil without the injured star Neymar and the suspended captain, Thiago Silva, but nobody imagined this feeble capitulation - four goals surrendered to Germany in six minutes during a 7-1 rout in a World Cup semifinal.

Costa Rica waged

Belgium's captain Vincent Kompany, 28, is a charismatic and ebullient presence, perhaps the top central defender at the World Cup. He speaks five languages and has a keen sense of social responsibility. But he is also frequently injured.

This particular witch doctor put a curse on the knees of Cristiano Ronaldo in February. These are not just any knees. The reigning world Player of the Year, Ronaldo is so agile and elusive that he is the only man known to have dated Kim Kardashian without marrying her for a reality show.

Memories of 2010 Vancouver Games - where Russia failed to win a gold for the first time since 1960 - were erased when the host nation won its first gold in the Sochi Olympics. President Vladimir Putin was visibly pleased with the gleam of the team figure-skating medal.

Important decisions like which city will host the 2020 Olympics and who will head IOC are expected to be taken.

On Sunday, Messi set an international record by scoring his 86th goal in a calendar year, for both Barcelona and the Argentine national team, delivering an average of one goal every four days, more frequently than a starting pitcher takes the mound, as often as Starbucks opens a new store in China.

The most important sporting event in Eastern Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall begins June 8 with the European soccer championships hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

Russia and the tiny Gulf state of Qatar were awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups Thursday after an acrimonious bidding war marred by allegations of corruption and illegal deal-making.