Praise for German victory
July 14, 2014
The world has rightfully praised Germany's 1-0 win, courtesy of Mario Götze, in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. Players, politicians, the media and even an astronaut have weighed in on the historic victory.
"Congratulations! From the heart!" wrote Mario Gomez, who coach Joachim Löw left out of the final World Cup squad, on Facebook. The Fiorentina striker added: "But now it really hurts again to have missed everything."
German astronaut Alexander Gerst, who watched the match in orbit from the International Space Station, congratulated Germany for a "great game."
US coach Jürgen Klinsmann, who played in Germany's previous final triumph in 1990 and later coached the team at the 2006 tournament, wrote on Twitter:
"It was a nervy match," said German President Joachim Gauck, who along with Chancellor Angela Merkel joined the team in the dressing room after the final whistle. "I was becoming increasingly concerned," added Gauck.
Rihanna, who has recently made herself one of Germany's more high-profile celebrity fans and was in attendance at the Maracana, called the match the "most epic experience" of her life.
German media revels in victory
The German press were understandably full of praise for their country's win.
"Götze the savior" said the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper.
The daily broadsheet Bild, Germany's top-selling newspaper, had the headline "World Champions 2014: There's the cup."
The Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper featured the clever pun "Götzseidank" - a play on words combining Götze and the German for "thank god" - "Gott sei Dank."
Der Spiegel simply listed the years their country had won the tournament: "Germany is World Champion: 1954. 1974. 1990. 2014!"
Global press weighs in
"Germany proved itself resilient and good enough to take the best opportunity that fell its way in a pulsating, thrilling World Cup final," wrote Australia's Sydney Morning Herald.
Britain's BBC hailed Götze's goal as a "brilliant extra time winner."
"Glory for Germany" read the website headline of US broadcaster CNN, while the Huffington Post said simply: "Champions of the World."
France's L'Equipe featured the oft-repeated phrase in their headline: "And at the end, it's Germany who win."