Germany survive Chile onslaught to win Confederations Cup

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Lars Stindl struck the only goal as Germany beat Chile 1-0 to win the Confederations Cup in St Petersburg on Sunday.

Germany won the title for the first time after Stindl scored in the 20th minute when Chile midfielder Marcelo Diaz gave the ball away on the edge of his own area.

Chile, playing with their trademark high octane style and driven forward by another relentless display by Arturo Vidal, dominated the match but were let down by poor finishing.

Lars Stindl (L) of Germany scores a goal during the FIFA Confederations Cup final against Chile in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 2, 2017. /VCG Photo

The dramatic game featured missed chances, defensive howlers, scuffles and two video reviews, one producing a highly controversial outcome in the second half.

Chilean defender Gonzalo Jara elbowed Timo Werner by the touchline and Serbian referee Milorad Mazic, alerted by the video assistants, let him off with a yellow card instead of a red.

Shortly afterwards, Mazic turned down Chilean appeals for a penalty, stood by his original decision after another review incident and booked Eduardo Vargas for drawing an imaginary television screen.

It was a remarkable achievement for Germany to lift the trophy with a young, experimental squad, although it could also be a bad omen as no team has ever won the World Cup after winning the Confederations Cup the year before.

Antonio Ruediger (R) and Shkodran Mustafi of Germany in action against Artudo Vidal (down) of Chile during the FIFA Confederations Cup final in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 2, 2017. /VCG Photo

Supporters of Chile during the FIFA Confederations Cup final against Germany in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 2, 2017. /VCG Photo

"The fact that these young players have won this tournament makes it an historic achievement, it's unique in Germany's history, it's outstanding," said Germany Coach Joachim Löw.

"We put our ideas into practice," said Chile Coach Juan Antonio Pizzi. "We took the initiative, we took control and created chances.... but because of one of those things, those accidents, that happen in football, it was our turn to lose."

(Source: Reuters)

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