Germany became the first European side to win the World Cup on South American soil this evening courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Argentina in the final at the Maracana.

The winner came deep into extra time as Andre Schurrle set up fellow substitute Mario Gotze for a supremely well-taken goal to send the Germans into delirium.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at who impressed during an absorbing 120 minutes of action.

GERMANY

Goal

Manuel Neuer: Didn't have a save to make, but that was largely down to his presence inside the box. Argentina had a number of great chances, but Higuain and Palacio in particular seemed to be put off by the big keeper, who was awarded the Golden Gloves after the match. (7/10)

Defence

Philipp Lahm: Another fine performance down the right. Despite playing most of last season in midfield, he has returned to defence and once again looks like the best full-back in the world. Provided most of Germany's threats throughout as they repeatedly attacked down his flank. (8/10)

Jerome Boateng: Had a towering game to keep Argentina's talented attackers quiet for the most part. (8/10)

Mats Hummels: A Golden Ball nominee but looked like a potential weak link at times tonight. Struggled with the mixture of a high line and Argentina's pace, being caught out on a couple of occasions. (6/10)

Benedikt Howedes: It was clear on a number of occasions that he is not the most natural left-back around. Wasted a few good positions as a result and struggled defensively now and again as Argentina got most joy down his flank, but overall a fairly solid performance. (6/10)

Midfield

Christoph Kramer: A late inclusion to the starting lineup after Khedira was injured in the warm-up, but only lasted 32 minutes himself before being subbed off with a head injury. (6/10)

Bastian Schweinsteiger: Instrumental in the heart of midfield, pulling the strings as his side enjoyed the vast majority of the possession. Was a key player both in attack and defence as he made a number of vital interceptions. (9/10)

Toni Kroos: Got away with a dreadful header back towards goal in the first half and missed a couple of decent chances at the other end too. Was solid in general play but will be disappointed in his personal performance. (5/10)

Thomas Muller: A constant thorn in the side of the defence, as usual. He never stopped running and was involved in some nice link-up play, but Argentina's backline dealt with him fairly well in an intriguing battle. (7/10)

Mesut Ozil: Another fairly quiet game, although he did make a couple of incisive passes that threatened to open up the Argentina defence. Set up a good chance for Kroos, but his teammate fired wide. (7/10)

Attack

Miroslav Klose: Struggled to make an impact in what is surely his final appearance at the World Cup. Will go down in the tournament's history, but not for this performance. (6/10)

Substitutes

Andre Schurrle: Came on with just over half an hour played for the injured Kramer and once again made a difference by setting up the winner with a superb run and cross down the left. (8/10)

Mario Gotze: Replaced Klose in the 88th minute and went on to be the match winner. His goal was extremely well taken and he can forever boast that he has scored the winning goal in a World Cup final. (8/10)

Per Mertesacker: Came on in the 120th minute and made a towering header straight away, but that was all he had time to do. (6/10)

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ARGENTINA

Goal

Sergio Romero: Didn't have much to do all game, with most of Germany's efforts being straight at him. Couldn't do anything about the goal. (7/10)

Defence

Pablo Zabaleta: Battled all night down the right hand side and got forward a bit more often than he has on other occasions at this World Cup. The cross for the winner came from his flank, but that was good play from Schurrle more than bad defending. (7/10)

Martin Demichelis: Continues to prove that he is a defender who can perform at the highest level after all. Made a few vital blocks and tackles and overall had a good game. (7/10)

Ezequiel Garay: Joined Demichelis in a strong defensive performance throughout as Germany struggled to break Argentina down. (7/10)

Marcos Rojo: Didn't pose much of an attacking threat, with the focus very much on defending. Had it tougher than the rest of the back four with Germany repeatedly targeting his flank. (6/10)

Midfield

Enzo Perez: Played his part in a fascinating midfield battle but didn't have a huge impact on the match all told. (6/10)

Javier Mascherano: Arguably Argentina's second best player behind Messi, and he showed why tonight. Never gave up in midfield and went toe to toe with the German machine. Superb performance, and didn't deserve to be on the losing side. (9/10)

Lucas Biglia: Gave Mascherano support in midfield but, like Perez, didn't exactly grab the game by the scruff of the neck. (6/10)

Ezequiel Lavezzi: Made a few really bright runs in the first half and looked dangerous, but was taken off at half time. (7/10)

Attack

Lionel Messi: Was again kept quieter than he would have liked, but showed flashes of his brilliance. Squandered his chance to be a World Cup final match winner, however, as he put a golden opening wide that he would normally have buried. Won the Golden Ball after the match for the tournament's best player, but he was not on top form tonight. (7/10)

Gonzalo Higuain: Missed a sitter having been gifted the ball by Kroos in the first half. Did have the ball in the back of the net but was denied by a correct offside flag later in the game. Will be replaying his missed chance over and over in his head, though. (5/10)

Substitutes

Sergio Aguero: Replaced Lavezzi at half time and made a few bright runs down the channels. Couldn't make a decisive impact off the bench like two of the Germans subs did, though. (6/10)

Rodrigo Palacio: Came on for Higuain and followed in his footsteps by missing a gilt-edged chance in extra time. Was fairly bright up top but failed to take the opportunity when it arose. (5/10)

Fernando Gago: Had 34 minutes on the field including extra time and joined in the midfield battle without making a great impact. (6/10)

Written by
Barney Corkhill