World Cup | Michel Struthoff’s strike extends Germany’s reign

Winning once was good, Germany had to do it one more time. An efficient German side edged Spain 1-0 in a cagey final to claim a second successive men’s World Cup title on Sunday.

It was by no means a classic at the Belifus Arena. The finalists had derailed co-host Belgium’s journey to a home World championship decider and both boasted the meanest tournament defence. It was reflected in a tightly-fought encounter, making it a hard watch for the supporters dominated by neutrals.

Not that Germany would have minded one bit. As when it mattered, late in the third quarter, Michel Struthoff kept his calm, rounding off the Spain ‘keeper Luis Calzado to put the ball into the net for the decisive goal.

Huge feat

It was a massive achievement for head coach Andre Henning, who oversaw a massive transition with only nine returnees from the 2023 group.

Germany looked dangerous on the counter, breaking forward from deeper areas, using the wings. After just 90 seconds, Benedikt Schwarzhaupt’s drag-flick was kicked out by Calzado, but it wasn’t any indication of things to come. Spain’s defence, led by Jordi Bonastre, guarded its circle, not allowing Germany to get into shot-taking positions.

Spain, meanwhile, struggled to find its rhythm until the second quarter, and didn’t test Jean-Paul Danneberg as much as it would have liked.

Spain had three short corners in the third quarter but Pepe Cunill and Marc Miralles fired wide of the post. In the third quarter, even though Spain had the best of the exchanges, Germany remained dangerous on the counter. But a rare defensive lapse proved costly for the Iberian nation, which Struthoff capitalised on.

Chasing the equaliser, Spain took off Calzado with less than four minutes to go, but couldn’t break down a resolute German defence and its wait for a first title continued.

For the defending champion, despite its transitional state, the record-equalling fourth crown further validated Henning’s process.

The result: Final: Germany 1 (Michel Struthoff 43) bt Spain 0.

Third place: Argentina 2 (Tomas Domene 41, Matias Rey 59) bt Netherlands 1 (Floris Middendorp 49).