World Cup: Netherlands beat Brazil to finish third

By Euronews

Published on 13/07/2014 - 7:58 GMT+2

The Netherland’s ended their World Cup campaign on a winning note when they beat hosts Brazil 3-0 in the match for third place in Brasilia.

Skipper Robin van Persie got his side off the mark after just three minutes when he converted from the spot after Thiago Silva hauled down Arjen Robben in the box.

Daley Blind doubled the Dutch lead on 17 minutes while Georginio Wijnaldum put the win beyond any doubt on 90 minutes and hand the Dutch some consolation whilst completing a miserable end to the tournament for Brazil.

The Showpiece match

The Maracana stadium plays hosts on Sunday evening to a promising battle between Germany and Argentina – two teams that have already met each other twice at the same stage of this competition with one win apiece.

Arguably one of the greatest World Cups in history comes down to a clash between the best of Europe and the best of South America.

Germany will be brimming with confidence after their 7-1 semi-final mauling of the hosts Brazil on Tuesday.

Coach Joachim Loew has a fully fit squad to choose from and is expected to field the same team from the one that impressed in the last four.

This is Germany’s eighth final appearance and Die Mannschaft is hunting a fourth World Cup title – 24 years after their last triumph in Italy.

Germany stand in the way of Argentina’s quest for a third World Cup title.

Lionel Messi has been the key player for the Albiceleste during the tournament, scoring four goals so far.

But he is likely to be without the support of Angel Di Maria who is suffering with a thigh strain.

Sergio Aguero is a likely starter after recovering from a similar problem to feature as a sub against the Netherlands.

As well as having the chance to win at the home of their greatest rivals Brazil, Argentina can also offer Messi the chance to cement his place in the pantheon of football greats.

We might be wrong

This is the last prediction of the 2014 World Cup for us.

After our meager success till now we promise to improve ourselves for the 2018 edition.

You can send us your predictions and comments on the social networks using # TheCornerScores.

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Well here it is – we predict Germany to win the 20th edition of the World Cup for their fourth title.

We feel Joachim Loew’s men will prevail 2-0 at the iconic Maracana.

Bringing in the troops

The Germany and Argentina teams as well as their fans are not the only ones travelling to Rio for the final of FIFA’s flagship event.

Hundreds of extra army personnel have been deployed to the city to maintain law and order before and after the match.

But they are their also to protect the foreign dignitaries that will flock to the country to watch the game.

A convoy of security vehicles, involving army trucks and helicopters have been carrying out practice drills in the area of the government headquarters.

More than 25,000 public security officials will be deployed in Rio on Sunday, with a further 1,500 private security officials present within the stadium.

Here we are at the highly anticipated final of the World Cup.

The Maracana stadium plays hosts on Sunday evening to a promising battle between Germany and Argentina:

Two teams that have already meet each other twice at the same stage of this competition with one win apiece.

So arguably one of the greatest World Cups in history comes down to a clash between the best of Europe and the best of South America.