It sure looked like the match was heading to penalty kicks, but a brilliant late goal by Mario Götze sealed the 1-0 win over Argentina to give Germany its fourth World Cup championship, matching the Italians with four wins.

It was an interesting and entertaining tournament, though a complete disaster for Brazil. Watching Argentina lose in the final may have lessened the sting a tad, but overall this will be a painful memory for Brazilian fans.

Meanwhile, European teams have now won three World Cups in a row, with Russia on the horizon.

Tough break for Brazil as popular forward Neymar has been ruled out of the World Cup after fracturing a vertebra in his back in the win over Colombia. The host nation will now have to face Germany next in Belo Horizonte without their superstar.

They scored right away with Clint Dempsey delivering a beautiful goal in the first 29 seconds, and then spent most of the match hanging on for dear life. In a way the early goal put them in a tough spot, as they seemed to forget how to pass the ball crisply and control possession.

Most of the game was a mess, and when Ghana equalized late, it looked like utter disaster. But then John Brooks saved them with an amazing header off a corner kick late, and jubilation set in. I suppose the three young ladies pictured below are partying like crazy tonight.

#TeamUSA 😍🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/xudhLGNLVX

— ⚽️ (@TrueSoccerProbz) June 16, 2014

This hilarious clip from John Oliver sums it up pretty well.

The World Cup is finally here, and Jurgen Klinsmann doesn’t think Team USA can actually win the tournament. But he’s playing the long game, trying to set up Team USA for long-term success.

As you gear up for the tournament, you should check out this in-depth profile of Klinsmann and his approach. With the release of Landon Donovan, Klinsmann has shown that he’s not afraid to take responsibility for his approach, and he’ll take quite a bit of heat if Team USA falls flat in Brazil.

But Klinsmann wanted the most dedicated and fit players, and Donovan didn’t fit that mold. Many have disagreed with the decision, and when you see teams like Italy relying on aging but crafty veterans like Pirlo you have to question this decision.

But Klinsmann has a plan. Now we’ll see how it works.