Gallery: World Cup

The night before the big clash, a 'super moon' shined over Rio de Janeiro, glowing down on the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue

By the next afternoon, fans all over the world were up and cheering, from Berlin...

... to Buenos Aires

And even in Vatican City

A man dressed up as Pope Francis blessed a crowd in the Argentinian capital

While German supporters gathered near Brandenburg gate felt just as well

Fans from both sides united to enjoy the fun to come

The World Cup closing ceremony started the day's festivities inside the Estádio Maracanã about two hours before kick-off

The all-star trio of Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean, and Brazilian singer Alexandre Pires collaborated to celebrate the occasion

Shakira - seen here holding her son, Milan - strutted her stuff as well

Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel looked a bit left out, sitting next to FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Russian President Vladimir Putin - who acted like regular ole chums

Brazilian greats Kaka and Pele posed for photos with David Beckham

And Mick Jagger enjoyed the atmosphere in Rio, wearing a hat that couldn't possibly cause any more 'jinxing' harm

A horde of professional photographers swelled as the minutes until the match winded down

Eventually, the German team lined up to have the moment frozen in time

And the Argentinians - donning a unique, royal blue kit - did the same

The match started off with a quick pace that only let up when the half-time whistle sounded. Germany defender Mats Hummels worked against Argentina forward Ezequiel Lavezzi

While Germany forward Miroslav Klose vied with Argentina defender Ezequiel Garay on the other end

Germany's veteran forward and goal machine Thomas Mueller looked to break away from Garay in a spot of sunlight

Germany keeper Manuel Neuer did all he could to keep a clean sheet

Which these Germany fans watching the match in Rome, Italy no doubt appreciated

After around 20 minutes of play, Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuain received a ball right at his feet off a disastrous mistake in the German defence, which he promptly failed to convert

Higuain seemed to redeem his error minutes later with a goal that was only to be called back as offside

Higuain celebrated the goal, while the linesman raised his offside flag in the background

Germany fans watched nervously as Argentina threatened

While Argentina fans enjoyed their success

Players from both sides continued their tango while preparing to receive the ball

Germany midfielder Toni Kroos made a corner near the end of the first half in Maracana

And just before the half-time whistle blew, Germany had the nearest chance of the match so far, when a driving header from defender Benedikt Hoewedes forced Argentina keeper Sergio Romero to make a sketchy save

A view of the chaotic play from behind the net

Germany fans celebrated their squad's attacking pressure

While Argentina fans likewise praised their defence's ability to keep the score even at 0-0 going into the break

Argentina's star striker Lionel Messi looked on at the start of the second, as he no doubt hoped to make more of an impact in the final 45'

His supporters were gathered at the Copacabana to watch what was to unfold

The second half got off to a bit of a stop start, with Argentina earning two yellow cards in two minutes at 65'. Here, Germany forward Andre Schuerrle and Argentina defender Pablo Zabaleta lie on the ground after a clash

Messi vied with Germany's midfielder and captain Phillipp Lahm to make his presence known

While the stadium lit up around him, as the Rio sun began to set

Schuerrle worked to create some chances later in the second

And play continued on as the end of regular time drew closer

Klose - who in the previous match passed Brazil's Ronaldo as the World Cup's all-time leading goal-scorer - exited the match to raucous applause in the final minutes

And Germany prepared for an extra 30' of play

Messi competed with Hoewedes and Hummels

Argentina forward Rodrigo Palacio - steered ahead by his majestic rat tail - should have scored in the first period of extra time, but was prevented by a fearless Neuer who charged ahead

Germany fans looked on restlessly

Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger left the pitch to get patched up after a rough knock that left him bleeding profusely

Yet, Germany's luck turned around at 113' when forward Mario Goetze scored a gorgeous goal past Romero

Goetze and Mueller celebrated the crucial score, which put the Germans up 1-0 with seven minutes left to play

Klose and the rest of the German squad briefly stormed the field in their elation

In the end, Messi and Argentina couldn't engineer any magic to provide an equaliser. As time elapsed, Germany became the first European side to win a World Cup on South American soil

Back home in Berlin, German supporters erupted as their side became football's World Champions

And the German players triumphantly raised the World Cup trophy, to bring this spectacular go-around to a close

Gallery: World Cup - Day 32

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