FIFA World Cup: Best Fans of the Final

From Buenos Aires to the Brandenburg Gate, millions of people watched Sunday's World Cup final between Germany and Argentina in Brazil.

In Rio de Janeiro, which hosted the final, the party was in full swing, with soccer fans flocking to Copacabana Beach and flooding the city's bars and restaurants.

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A massive security operation was in force outside the famous Maracana stadium, where 10 heads of state attended the match along with nearly 75,000 fans.

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Although the host nation was not playing in the final, Brazil transformed the event into one massive carnival, with celebrations taking place across the entire country, from the favelas to the Amazon.

A tournament that has exceeded everyone's expectations and been widely deemed to be the best ever World Cup, reached its climax with a classic game between two great European and South American heavyweights.

Germany and Argentina had already played each other in two previous World Cup finals, Argentina winning 3-2 in Mexico City in 1986 and Germany triumphing 1-0 in Rome four years later.

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After a week of rain, Mother Nature also looked kindly on the biggest single sporting event in the world, leaving Rio bathed in sunshine in the lead-up to the match as fans began to make their way toward the stadium.

“We are really excited and it is great," said Germany fan Elke Dambeck. "The weather is brilliant and now we just have to play like we did against Brazil, then it will all be fine.”

Another Germany supporter, who identified herself only as Stephanie, said it was a once in a lifetime experience.

“Unbelievable, I don’t think I will be able to believe I was here until I get home and see the photos," she said.

"You only have this much luck once in your life and we are lucky enough to be here today.”

Argentina fans were also in jubilant mood, chanting songs and joining in with supporters from all over the world, sipping on caipirinha cocktails.

 “I hope that we win," said Diego. "I don’t like to talk about possible goals, I just want Argentina to win. That’s all I want.”

Another fan, Horacio, added: “I made a lot of sacrifices to be here and I hope that the players will put in the same effort on the field so that Argentina are champions again.”

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Brazil ended their World Cup with a 3-0 defeat by the Netherlands in Saturday's World Cup third-place play-off in Brasilia.

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With the home fans watching in disbelief, Van Persie stepped up to smash in the penalty as the home fans in the stadium and throughout the Brazilian capital fell into near silence.

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It was the fourth time Brazil played in a third-place match. It beat Sweden in 1938 and Italy in 1978, and the only other loss had come against Poland in 1974.

The Netherlands had played in the third-place match one other time. It fell to Croatia 2-1 in 1998 after being beaten by Brazil in the semi-finals.

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Germany's biggest challenge remains how to contain Messi, who has been heavily marked throughout the tournament but still looms as the big danger.

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Germany were back on the training pitch at their secluded base camp in Santo Andre after taking Wednesday off following their 7-1 thrashing of host-nation Brazil on Tuesday.

And so where their fans cheering them from the sidelines.

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Goalkeeper Sergio Romero saved two penalties as Argentina beat the Netherlands 4-2 via the penalty shoot-out to seal the country's first World Cup final place in 24 years after the first ever goalless semi-final at the end of extra-time on Wednesday.

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Twice champions Argentina now travel to Rio de Janeiro for Sunday's final against old rivals Germany, who thrashed hosts Brazil 7-1 in the other semi-final in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday.

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It will be a repeat of the 1986 and 1990 final and the first time the same two teams will have faced each other three times in the title decider.

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Germany football fans were all smiles on Tuesday as their team mauled Brazil 7-1 to reach the final of the 2014 FIFA Worlld Cup.

PHOTOS: Germany pump seven past hosts Brazil, make eighth final

Germany have the chance to win the World Cup for the fourth time when they play the winners of Wednesday's semi-final between Argentina and the Netherlands in Sunday's final in Rio de Janeiro.

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These Brazilian fans look all happy before the commencement of the semi-final between the hosts and Germany.

But the smiles on their faces were wiped out after their boys received a mauling at the hands of a superior German squad.

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There was no dearth of excitement when France faced African opponents Nigeria on Monday. 

PHOTOS: France leave it late, keep impressive record intact

Nigeria were tipped to give France a run for their money and so  did, keeping the fans on the edge of their seats. 

These supporters of 'Les Blues' had to wait till the 79th minute for their team to score the first goal. Soon after the winner came when Nigerian defender Joseph Yobo scored an own goal to seal the deal late in the match and give these pretty ladies lots to smile about.

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There was also reasons for this beautiful German fan to flash that beautiful smile.

PHOTOS: Germany beat Algeria to set up quarter-final with France

Her team made it to the last eight after a hard-fought win over plucky Algeria. 

The fans got their share of satisfaction when Germany won in extra time.

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The fans of the national team of Mexico have faith in their players and they believed that this team was destined to go farther than before.

-PHOTOS: Dutch leave it late to beat gritty Mexicans

But a stoppage time penalty from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar gave the Netherlands a dramatic 2-1 victory over Mexico in the second round of the World Cup on Sunday, minutes after the Mexicans seemed certain to reach the quarter-finals.

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Costa Rica secured a place in the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time on Sunday after beating Greece 5-3 on penalties after the teams finished level at 1-1 after extra time, the Central Americans playing for almost an hour with 10 men.

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The Brazilian fans kept chanting “Eu Acredito” (“I believe”) and so, finally, did their team.

-PHOTOS: Brazil do a last 16 'hat-trick' over Chile

Hosts Brazil beat Chile 3-2 in a penalty shootout to reach the World Cup quarter-finals after their dramatic last-16 match in Belo Horizonte ended 1-1 after extra time on Saturday.

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Brazil continue to be Chile's bogey team at the World Cup. The last three times (including this match) Chile has made it to the round of 16 in the tournament, it has come up second best against Brazil.

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In USA there was celebration without a victory.

Germany topped Group G courtesy a winner from Thomas Muller against USA. Yet the Americans made it to the last 16. It was via Portugal's 2-1 win over Ghana in another Group G encounter in Brasilia that made the fans cheer.

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Jan Vertonghen led 10-man Belgium to a 1-0 win over South Korea that gave them top place in their World Cup group H and ended Asian hopes.

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Honduras’ participation at the finals in Brazil ended but they head home with a consolation prize.

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Carlo Costly scored a lone goal in three outings. The goal came in their second outing against Ecuador in Group E. It broke the team’s 32-year World Cup goalscoring drought and put the underdogs in the headlines.

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Football and Samba style dancing is synonymous with Brazil and when they get together it is a mouth watering combination. The picture says it all.

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Brazil has turned out to be the perfect place for the American fans. There is festively on the sun kissed beaches before the games which they take over to the stadiums during matches.

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-PHOTOS: Portugal live to fight another day; Algeria thump Korea

And just when it looked as though the Americans had secured a come-from-behind victory to qualify for the second round, Silvestre Varela scored with a flying header from a Cristiano Ronaldo cross to keep alive Portugal's hopes.

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The result of another wildly entertaining World Cup match means that after two games the US are in second place, level with Germany on four points.

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Costa Rica continued their giantkilling spree in the World Cup and secured a spot in the next round as they defeated four-time champions Italy 1-0. In the process they knocked England out of the tournament.

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It was heartbreak for the fans too. They were waiting for a goal that never came.

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There wasn’t much to celebrate and what started out as cheers and excitement ended later in disappointment.

The win also meant curtains for England in the group which was termed as the 'Group of Death' also featuring Croatia. While Italy will need a draw to make it to the last 16, Uruguay can't settle for anything less than a victory.

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The Colombia- Ivory Coast match was one of the most entertaining in the World Cup so far as Colombia scored twice in six minutes. And there was an encore in the stadium. The Colombian fans could not have asked for more action.

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The young generation of the South American side took the centre stage with 22-year-old Rodriguez and 21-year-old Quintero scoring a goal each in front a partisan Colombian crowd at the Estadio Nacional.

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One big party is assured in Colombia. They thrashed Greece 3-0 in their opening match, are now on the verge of a berth in the knockout round as they now topped the group with six points with one match remaining -- against Japan on June 24.

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The South Americans, who are returning to the World Cup finals stage after a gap of 16 years, had reached the round of 16 at the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

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The match only really came to life in the second half and the fans also started making more noise.

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Stunned by Spain's 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands, Spain fans are already bemoaning the end of a glorious era and fearing the worst.

Instead of a proud and angry response all the fans got was watching their team getting bulldozed once again.

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On the day King Carlos of Spain abdicated his throne, his once glorious footballers found they would advance no further and will return home at the end of the first stage.

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Spanish fans reacted to the World Cup champion’s elimination with astonishment.

The streets were dead silent after the end of the match.

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Americans are starting to get a little rowdy at the World Cup in Brazil and that's just dandy for fans whose devotion highlights a growing football culture in a nation slow to embrace the world's most popular game.

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Whether they call it football or soccer, US supporters reveling in Monday's 2-1 win against Ghana are helping foster the kind of tribal and community ties that make the sport, and especially the World Cup, an indispensable event for many nations across the globe.

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The dress code ranged from traditional team kit to super-hero chic to creative uses of an American flag as hundreds of boisterous fans balanced their beers and took turns batting a beach ball around a large hall.

The increasing passion of US fans has mirrored growth of the game at home, where it competes for attention with the established sports of American Football, ice hockey and basketball.

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A South Korean fan has mixed emotions after the Asian giants were held to a draw by Russia.

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Where there is a big team there are fans and where there is Argentina there are beautiful fans!

This picture is proof to the above statement.

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While Argentine fans came in hoards to support their team this girl in particular found a lot of interest among her compatriots in the stands.

The sexy lass clicked selfies with fellow Argentines in the stand while her voice went hoarse while egging on her team.

This Argentinian fan could have been the reason behind Messi's magical performance.

She was seen screaming and cheering for Messi and company, as they edged past Bosnia- Herzegovina 2-1.

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The Bosnian crowd was not to be left behind as they joined in the football revelry, armed with their scarves, banners and smiles!

Now that is what we call a true football fan!

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Alessandra Ambrosio could not help but promote her country during the FIFA World Cup.

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The sexy supermodel couldn't have been happier as the football World Cup kicked off on her home turf.

She tweeted, “I'm warming up, getting ready for the World Cup.”

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The 33-year-old uploaded a photograph an image of her in a bikini, playing with a football. She also added a photograph with her daughter and son, clad in Brazil’s team colours.

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The Victoria's Secret model looks a million dollars (literally!).

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We probably do not know this lady with the best smile. All we know is that she supports Brazil and how!

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This blonde beauty is dominating all the major news agencies and newspapers all over across the globe.

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Football is truly a ‘beautiful’ sport and such pretty fans truly make make it worth watching.

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Thousands of Brazilian fans flocked to Fan Fests in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo to watch the hosts' opening match against Croatia.

Brazil made a winning start to their campaign after a colourful opening ceremony in Sao Paulo.