World Cup's 101 Most Memorable Moments: Götze denies Messi of trophy
Editor's note: Each day between now and the kickoff of the first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Nov. 20, we'll unveil a different memory from World Cup history. The countdown from 101 continues with Mario Götze's game-winning goal vs. Argentina.
It was better than the dreadful final that preceded it four years before, that's true. But the 2014 World Cup finale between Lionel Messi's Argentina and Germany still wasn't what anyone would describe as a thing of beauty.
With just seven minutes of extra time to go and still no goals on the scoreboard, the possibility that this would become just the third World Cup championship match to be decided by the dreaded penalty kick tiebreaker felt inevitable.
One moment of artistry by Mario Götze changed all that. In the 113th minute, Götze found himself on the end of a cross from fellow substitute André Schürrle. Götze caught the ball on his chest and before letting it hit the ground, side-volleyed it with his left foot across Argentine keeper Sergio Romero and inside the right post. It's arguably the prettiest World Cup-winning goal of all time.
One of the leading soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
