July 12, 2014, afternoon.
Rio de Janeiro, Maracanã Stadium.
Historically, Germany held an advantage with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss.
Their most recent World Cup encounter was four years prior in the quarterfinals, where the German Team decisively defeated Argentina 4-0, with Thomas Müller, Klose, and Friedrich scoring for the German Team.
In this match, Müller and Klose both started.
German fans, of course, hoped the two could score again and contribute to defeating Argentina.
According to FIFA's arrangement, the German Team, as the home team, would wear white jerseys for the World Cup final in Brazil.
Argentina, as the away team, could only choose dark blue jerseys.
However, bad news came from the German Team before the match:
Midfielder Khedira suffered an injury during warm-up!
Khedira was the team's first line of defense in midfield, and his injury was absolutely crucial for the German Team's defensive efforts in that area.
Helplessly, Löw could only send Mönchengladbach youngster Kramer onto the field, making his first start of the tournament!
Nevertheless, the German Team's semifinal thrashing of Brazil revealed the terrifying side of German collective football.
In this German Team, it seemed that the absence of any single player would not significantly impact the team's strength, which was quite daunting.
Of course, Kramer, one of the players who had not appeared in the tournament at all, making his first appearance as a starter in the World Cup final, was certainly an unstable factor.
Many media outlets supporting Argentina believed this unknown Mönchengladbach youngster would be Argentina's breakthrough point.
"Welcome, everyone, to Sky Sports' live coverage of the 2014 World Cup Final in Brazil…"
"The teams facing off are the German Team and Argentina…"
"Let's first look at the starting lineups…"
"For Germany, the Super Substitute Mark is on standby, and Arsenal star Özil returns to the starting lineup…"
Germany's starting lineup saw two changes compared to the previous match against Brazil.
Özil returned to the starting lineup, playing as a left winger;
Kramer replaced the injured Khedira, partnering with Schweinsteiger in central midfield.
Argentina, on the other hand, completely retained the starting lineup that defeated Netherlands in the previous round.
The tactical formation was 4-3-3.
In goal was Romero:
The four defenders were Zabaleta, Garay, Demichelis, and Rojo.
In the three-man midfield, "Little Boss" Mascherano played deep, flanked by Biglia and Enzo Pérez.
The trident consisted of Lavezzi, Higuaín, and Messi!
Di María, who was injured in the quarterfinals and speculated by the media to start, remained on the bench.
On paper, Germany held a slight advantage.
In terms of physical fitness, the German Team also had a certain edge.
After all, Germany had defeated Brazil in the first half of the previous round and had an extra day of rest.
Argentina, however, had battled Netherlands to a penalty shootout before a winner could be decided.
Accompanied by the resounding singing echoing in the stadium, Mark, along with the other substitute players, walked out of the player tunnel early and took their places on the bench.
Although he couldn't start in the World Cup final.
However, Mark knew very well that if things went south, he would definitely be Löw's first choice.
Moreover, with the Super Substitute card, coming off the bench would certainly be better than starting.
However, when he would enter the match depended on how the game unfolded.
Of course, if they could defeat Argentina without him even having to play, that would naturally be the best outcome.
To the stirring music, former World Cup-winning captain Puyol, along with Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen, brought the box containing the world cup trophy to the sidelines.
Then, from the box, they took out the world cup trophy, which represented the highest honor in football!
Looking at the world cup trophy, which glowed faintly in the sunlight, Mark couldn't help but lose himself in thought:
This was the world cup trophy that all professional players dreamed of!
It was also the necessary honor to become a Football King!
With the trophy in place, both teams lined up to enter the field, and the stadium erupted in cheers.
Especially when Messi's image appeared on the giant screen, the cheers in the Maracanã stadium suddenly grew much louder.
At 27, Messi already held four Ballon d'Or awards and three Champions League titles.
This Argentine king, one of the two greatest players of his generation, only needed a world cup trophy to be crowned!
Of course, the prerequisite was to defeat Germany!
With a whistle from Italian referee Rizzoli, the World Cup final officially began!
As a final to decide the champion, both teams played very cautiously at the start, not daring to commit too many players to attack easily.
Although Argentina's tactical formation was 4-3-3, when defending, Biglia and Mascherano would position themselves in parallel, forming a double pivot.
Pérez would also tuck into the middle, forming a 4-2-3-1, specifically targeting Schweinsteiger, who liked to make late runs, and Özil, who roamed freely.
It wasn't until ten minutes later, when the probing phase ended, that both teams slowly committed more players.
Compared to the German Team, which had strong overall cohesion and a slight advantage in all aspects, this Argentina team relied more on individual star performance, with the decisive factor being the form of their core player, Messi.
And Messi was also the German Team's key target for marking!
Whenever Messi got the ball, Özil on the left would immediately press him.
Of course, Özil obviously didn't apply enough pressure to Messi, often requiring Schweinsteiger to provide cover defense to force Messi to pass to a certain extent.
Even so, Messi was still able to thread dangerous vertical passes through tight spaces!
Fortunately, Higuaín and Lavezzi stumbled, and the German Team's defense was strong enough to thwart several excellent opportunities.
In the first twenty-odd minutes of the game, Messi, relying on his extraordinary individual ability, repeatedly created localized breakthroughs, creating opportunities for his other teammates.
It was precisely his individual ability that prevented Germany from completely dominating the game.
Sitting on the bench, watching Messi's dribbling up close, Mark was also fixated, unable to help but sigh in his heart:
"It's truly you!"
In Mark's view, his current playing style was somewhat similar to Messi's.
Both were responsible for creating individual breakthroughs in the team, tearing open the opponent's defense while creating opportunities for teammates.
And his dribbling ability was already close to Messi's.
However, after breaking through the defense, whether it was his ability to make dangerous passes or his direct shooting ability, he was far inferior to Messi.
However, from Messi, he could also see how he should improve: either improve his goal-scoring methods and abilities after dribbling past opponents, becoming the team's main attacker;
Or improve his passing ability after breaking through the defense, becoming the core organizer on the wing!
The former was like Robben, the latter like Ribéry!
However, considering that Wolfsburg already had an organizational core like De Bruyne, he didn't need to organize and pass; he only needed to get into the penalty area and finish after receiving a good pass!
Thus, Mark also gained a clear understanding of what aspects he should strengthen next... Back to the match, Germany encountered the toughest defense of the tournament so far.
Although Argentina's defenders were not strong in one-on-one defense, they were excellent at grappling and executed the team's defensive strategy very well, with fierce man-to-man marking.
The distance between the defensive line and the midfield line was maintained very well, with tight positioning.
Midfielders Lavezzi and Pérez were responsible for disrupting the passing rhythm of Lahm and Schweinsteiger;
The two defensive midfielders were responsible for blocking the passing routes of Kroos and Özil, thus restricting the German Team's passing and preventing it from flowing smoothly.
It was this defensive tactic that allowed Argentina to create an evenly matched situation with the German Team in the midfield area.
However, when the game reached the thirtieth minute, a sudden change occurred!
Here, Argentina's Higuaín had just scored a goal, but it was disallowed for offside.
Over there, the German Team suffered a reduction in players!
Kramer, who started in place of Khedira, was injured in a challenge when his head collided with Rojo's shoulder.
After the team doctor examined him, it was found that Kramer had symptoms of concussion and dizziness.
Seeing the team doctor signal to the sideline that he couldn't continue, Löw discussed with his most trusted assistant, Flick:
"Hans, who do you think would be a good substitute?"
"Mark! Then have Toni drop back, and Mesut (Özil) move back to the center!"
"I think so too!"
After quickly reaching an agreement, Löw immediately turned around and beckoned to Mark:
"Mark, warm up!"
Hearing this, Mark immediately got up and ran to the sideline, warming up under the guidance of the fitness coach.
This scene was also captured by the live broadcast cameras:
"Kramer seems unable to continue."
"The German Team is forced to make a substitution in the first half."
"We can see eighteen-year-old youngster Mark Lane on the sidelines."
"Can this young Super Substitute bring the change the team needs after coming on?"
"Let's wait and see…"
After a quick and simple warm-up, Mark took off his substitute vest and came to the sideline.
Löw put an arm around his shoulder, and while Kramer was being helped off the field, he gave Mark his final pre-match pep talk:
"Mark, once you're on, play at your own pace."
"Break through more on the wing, they are no match for you!"
"Let the whole world witness your talent!"
Hearing this, Mark's eyes sharpened, and he nodded heavily.
Taking advantage of a dead-ball situation, Mark Lane, the German Super Substitute from Wolfsburg, wearing number 23, stepped onto the World Cup final stage in the 33rd minute of the match!
At the same time, in the stands on the west side, a blonde girl wearing a baseball cap strained her eyes, watching Mark, who had just come onto the field.
This person was Esther Hitsch!
Mark didn't know that he had casually invited Hisch to watch the World Cup final live.
He hadn't expected her to actually come!
After coming on, Mark immediately explained the positional changes to Kroos and Özil.
Subsequently, Özil returned to the attacking midfield position, and Kroos dropped back to central midfield, partnering with Schweinsteiger.
Due to Argentina's excessive focus on central defense, more space was left on the wings.
Originally, the German Team lacked explosive wingers, making it difficult to exploit this.
However, after Mark came on, the situation changed!
Mark on the left wing, though not as prone to roaming and interchanging as Özil.
However, he possessed an ability that no other German player could match.
That was individual breakthrough!
Immediately after coming on, Mark received the ball on the left wing, and before he could even turn, he heard Biglia's heavy breathing behind him.
In a flash, Mark didn't give the opponent a chance to engage physically.
He knocked the ball to the right with his left heel, then turned to the right.
Biglia was momentarily stunned, allowing Mark, ball and all, to slip past him.
Even though he instinctively reached out to pull, he grabbed nothing!
"Why is this kid so fast?!"
After getting past Biglia, Mark dribbled along the wing and cut inside, facing Mascherano's sliding tackle, he suddenly stopped and pushed the ball outwards, getting past another player!
"Wow!"
"Mark's dribbling is like art, so pleasing to the eye!"
"Compared to Messi, he's absolutely no less impressive!"
Having gotten past Mascherano, Mark dribbled the ball to the edge of the penalty area.
Immediately after, he glanced at the goal and, without hesitation, swung his leg and unleashed a powerful shot with the instep of his foot!
Bang!
The ball instantly transformed into a black blur in the air, flying directly towards Argentina's goal.
The shot was fast enough, but the angle wasn't open, going straight towards Argentina's national goalkeeper Romero.
Romero didn't dare to be negligent, directly using a double-fisted punch to clear the ball away.
As the ball flew towards the right side of the penalty area, Müller, not surprisingly, was first to it, hitting a volley.
Unfortunately, he was interfered with by Rojo during the shot, and the rebound shot went slightly wide of the goal.
Although this attack didn't result in a goal, it still received enthusiastic applause from German fans.
Mark's entry was like adding a weight to a previously balanced scale.
His threat with the ball on the left wing was enough to draw two Argentine defenders.
As a result, Argentina's defensive formation would tilt towards the left side where Mark was.
This would inevitably create larger gaps in the center and on the right wing.
With Mark as an explosive player, the German Team could not only tear open the opponent's defense on the wings but also create fluid passing and movement combinations around Mark.
However, Argentina also realized this and tried to heavily defend the right wing, not allowing Mark to easily receive the ball and break through.
Even so, the stronger German Team gradually took control of the game.
And thanks to Mark's breakthroughs, they also earned several set-piece opportunities.
For the German Team, which had an advantage in height, set pieces were definitely an excellent way to break the deadlock.
In the forty-third minute of the match, Mark created a foul by Zabaleta on the left side of the attacking third, earning a set-piece opportunity for the German Team.
Kroos lofted the ball into the crowded penalty area, and Höwedes was first to it, heading it back towards the far post!
Fortunately, Mascherano at the far post was in position and headed the ball clear.
Otherwise, the ball might have already flown into the goal...
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