Germany have beaten Chile 1-0 in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup final in St. Petersburg, bringing to an end a two-week tournament across four Russian cities. Germany won thanks to a first-half goal from striker Lars Stindl.
Germany's Marc-Andre ter Stegen is named man of the match for keeping Chile at bay. He made some key stops, none more so than at end from that Sanchez free-kick.
Full-time: Chile 0-1 Germany. German have won the 2017 Confederations Cup!
(90+4) Last chance saloon for Chile. Sanchez with a free-kick on the edge of the box, he curls a wonderful strike in... but ter Stegen saves!
(90+1 mins) Germany make a change - Goretzka, who has been immense all tournament, makes way for defender Niklas Sule. Rudy then picks up a yellow for a challenge on Vidal.
Five minutes of added time announced in St. Petersburg.
Scuffle erupts as Can goes down and appears to lie on the ball to eat up some time while the Chile players frantically try to get play going again. The German midfielder gets a yellow for his trouble, but he won't care one bit.
Three minutes plus added time to go - Germany holding out and looking good for their first-ever Confederations Cup title.
Chilean fans still have hope!
(84 mins) Chance! Was that the golden chance for Chile? Puch does amazingly well to keep the ball in play when it looks for all the world like it's gone out. The German defense - including the keeper - looked like they all thought it had gone out of play and stopped, but Puch works it to Sagal, but he blazes over with the goal at his mercy from 6 yards out!
(83 mins) Chile with two corners in quick succession but German head clear both times. Chile need better quality on their delivery to pose any threat.
Germany are definitely sitting deeper and deeper. Emre Can breaks but he lacks support - indicative that Germany are less willing to commit numbers to going forward.
(81 mins) Double change for Chile: Edson Puch and Angelo Sagal on; Vargas and Aranguiz off.
Werner is now off for Germany, but as things stand he's looking good for the Golden Boot with three goals and two assists.
The protests were over Sanchez goes into the book - he looked to collide with Goretzka. The referee goes to check the VAR, but it's not given. Looked to be the right decision as Sanchez ran into the German man as much as anything.
(74 mins) Chance! Vargas takes the ball with one touch and spins to fire at goal with the second, but it's low and straight - and ter Stegen gathers comfortably. Moments later Vidal's shot gets deflected over. Vargas goes into the box for what appears to be protestations over something or other.
(72 mins) Sanchez with a lovely pass with the outside of his boot into the Germany box; Vargas gets crowded out before Sanchez picks up the ball again but his shot hits the defender.
(70 mins) Stindl draws a foul from Beausejour on the right wing. The game has been a bit stop-start this second half, as opposed to the more open game we saw in the first 45 minutes. That will suit Germany more than it will Chile.
(66 mins) Pinball in the Chile box from the resulting free-kick but they eventually clear. Into the last 25 minutes at St. Petersburg Stadium.
There was definitely an elbow to the jaw from Jara but he escapes with a yellow and looks relieved.
(63 mins) Werner takes a whack to the jaw from Gonzalo Jara and referee Milorad Mazic goes to the VAR to see if there was anything malicious in it...
Some interesting stats:
(59 mins) There's some commotion as Joshua Kimmich faces up to Arturo Vidal - his Bayern Munich teammate. Both men get yellow cards, Our money would be on Vidal in that one.
(58 mins) Kimmich is down for Germany after landing awkwardly following an aerial challenge with Beausejour. He wins a free-kick, which gets swung into the German box, but Chile scramble clear.
(55 mins) Chance! Draxler drives through the Chile defense at speed but his shot deflects off the defender and just goes wide.
(53 mins) Chile making the first change of the game. Marcelo Diaz, who was at fault for the Germany goal, is coming off to make way for Leonardo Valencia.
(50 mins) Slightly scrappy start to the second half with both sides giving the ball away cheaply. Goretzka tries to latch onto a ricochet that runs through, but Bravo shepherds it out for a goalkick.
We are back underway in St. Petersburg - can Chile get themselves back into the game?
Some stats from the first half:
The attendance is in for today's final - over 55,000 at St. Petersburg Stadium.
Some first-half stats: Chile had 63% possession and 12 shots to Germany's five, although Chile only registered three on target to the Germans' two - one of which was a goal.
Half-time: Chile 0-1 Germany
The world champions go in ahead at the break after a breathless first half in St. Petersburg. They weathered the early Chile storm and caught them on the break. Chile have been their own worst enemies with some of their defending, though.
(45 mins) Almost suicidal again for Chile at the back. They try to play the ball out but it goes straight to Draxler, who plays in Goretzka but Bravo does well to spread himself and make the save. What on Earth are Chile doing playing with fire like that, right on the edge of their box?
(43 mins) Mauricio Isla swings one in from the right for Chile but it's just a bit lofty for the forwards waiting in the box. Sanchez then gets on the end of a cross but ter Stegen gathers the ball after the header loops up. Chile pressing and probing as we approach half-time.
(40 mins) Draxler sidefoots one from outside the box and it goes just wide. Claudio Bravo is gesturing like crazy for his team to get tighter in defense. Another interesting stat as we approach half-time: apparently Germany have not lost a competitive game in which they scored the opening goal since 2004. Big task for Chile ahead.
(39 mins) Goretzka kicks Vidal as both go for the ball. It looks like a painful one but Vidal is made of stern stuff and is back on his feet, but he still looks sore.
(38 mins) Germany break again in numbers and it's four on four, but Werner's touch lets him down and Isla clears for Chile.
(37 mins) Germany break on the right and Leon Goretzka collects the ball in side the box, but he pulls his shot across the face of Claudio Bravo's goal. Nervous moments there for Chile.
(27 mins) Chile again look shaky at the back and Gary Medel gives the ball away. It falls to Timo Werner but luckily for Chile he's just offside as he races clear. The two German forwards are starting to cause Chile problems at the back.
Open, flowing game so far being played at a fast pace. Chile have had most of the ball, but as we've seen throughout the tournament, Germany are so, so dangerous on the counter...
Lars Stindl opens the scoring for Germany after a shocking mistake by Chile at the back. Marcelo Diaz dallies on the ball just outside his own box, Timo Werner nips in to steal it and squares it to Stindl, who taps into an empty net. Just before that Chile had a golden chance of their own to open the scoring. All that early pressure has counted for nothing.
(20 mins) GOAL! Chile 0-1 Germany
Chile have had five shots on goal to Germany's one in the opening 15 minutes. Quite a start from the Copa America champs, but can they sustain it?
(15 mins) First sight on goal for Germany as they win a corner. Defender Shkodran Mustafi rises highest, but heads well over.
(13 mins) Chile force Germany into a mistake on the edge of their box and Vargas again hits a shot along the floor, but ter Stegen is equal to it in the German goal. Germany are still trying to play their way out from the back, but it's dangerous with such intense Chile pressure.
(11 mins) Vargas tries his luck with a volley from outside the box, but sends it over. The ball then comes to Alexis Sanchez, who tries to work an opening but sees the ball blocked for a corner. Germany then clear their lines for some respite.
Chile are swarming all over Germany whenever they have the ball. It's been an uncomfortable opening period for Joachim Low's men, but they soaked up similar pressure against Mexico well enough in the semifinal, so Chile will have to be wary of the threat on the break. It would also be surprising to see Chile keep up this pace for the whole 90 minutes (or more).
(7 mins) Arturo Vidal collects the ball in the middle of the park and drives forward, letting fly from about 25 yards out, but his shot doesn't trouble ter Stegen in the German goal.
No doubt about it, Chile are opting for a high press and are not letting Germany settle on the ball at all. This time Antonio Ruediger is forced into a hurried clearance for Germany.
(5 mins) First moment of danger as Chile break into the German box, but Germany scramble the ball clear. The South Americans are looking the brighter team in the opening exchanges.
Kick-off: We are underway in St. Petersburg for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup final.
Brazil star Ronaldo and Argentina legend Diego Maradona are in the crowd - we're almost ready to go...
St Petersburg Stadium
Saint Petersburg Stadium – aka Krestovsky Stadium – was the venue for the opening ceremony and match between Russia and New Zealand, where the hosts won 2-0.
It’s also hosted games between New Zealand and Portugal, and Cameroon and Australia.
It’s the home of Zenit St. Petersburg, and can hold almost 68,000 fans.
Both of today’s finalists are playing for the first time in St. Petersburg.
Germany have had three games in Sochi, where they’ve won each time, and one game (against Chile) in Kazan.
La Roja have had two games in Moscow and two in Kazan.
Low v Pizzi
The two main men in the dugouts today are Germany’s Joachim Low and Chile’s Juan Antonio Pizzi.
Low, 57, is vastly experienced, and led his team to the 2014 World Cup title in Brazil.
He presided over his 100th win in 150 matches as German head coach during the group stage match against Cameroon.
The Confederations Cup is one piece of silverware that has eluded all German coaches so far though, and Low will be out to register a first for Germany in today’s game.
“The mood and the atmosphere in the team is excellent… it was our goal to reach the final, we think we deserve to be here,” Low said at the pre-match press conference.
“We’d like to think that Germany and Chile have been the best two teams at the tournament.
"It will be a match with a lot of intensity and commitment. Chile is an outstanding team with excellent ways of playing, with a lot of experience, we’ll have to bring 100% of we want to win.”
Facing him will be Chile’s Pizzi, an Argentinian-born Spaniard who had a playing career that included a spell at Barcelona.
Pizzi, 49, took the reins of La Roja in 2016, leading the team to that year’s Copa America centenary title.
Speaking at the press conference ahead of today’s game, Pizzi said: "We are happy to be here. We accomplished our first objective, which was to make it to the final. Now our dream is to win it.”
Key players
The key men for Chile are undoubtedly midfield man Arturo Vidal and winger Alexis Sanchez.
Tough-tackling Vidal breaks up the play and also offers a threat going forward, while Sanchez – who became Chile’s all-time top scorer during the group stage game against Germany – is capable of producing the sublime but also works his socks off to create chances for others.
Vidal plays his club football for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, so will be a familiar foe (and friend) to many in the German team.
Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was inspired in the penalty shootout win against Portugal, and the La Roja captain is also key to his team’s chances.
For Germany, captain Julian Draxler has been the driving force behind the team at the tournament, taking the responsibility of leading the team on his 23-year-old shoulders.
Midfielder Leon Goretzka, 22, has shone throughout the tournament and has drawn comparisons with German great Lothar Matthaus. Goretzka has three goals to his name at Russia 2017, while striker Tim Werner, 21, has also shone up front and has netted three times.
Routes to the final
So, how did the teams get to today’s St. Petersburg showdown?
Both teams were drawn in Confederations Cup Group B.
Germany opened their campaign with a 3-2 win over Australia in Sochi, thanks to goals from Lars Stindl, Julian Draxler and Leon Goretzka.
Chile started with a 2-0 win over African champions Cameroon in Moscow, scoring late on through Arturo Vidal and Eduardo Vargas.
The two teams then met in Kazan, where they played out a 1-1 draw – Alexis Sanchez getting on the scoresheet for Chile (and becoming the country’s outright topscorer on 38 goals in the process) before Lars Stindl replied for the world champions.
Germany ended their group stage campaign with a convincing 3-1 win over Cameroon in Sochi, thanks to a double from Timo Werner and a cracker from Kerem Demirbay.
Chile battled to a 1-1 draw with Australia in Moscow, coming from behind to level through Martin Rodriguez.
That meant Germany topped the group on seven points and progressed to a semifinal against Group A runners-up Mexico, while Chile settled for second on five points and a semifinal match-up against Group A winners and European champs Portugal.
Goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was the hero for Chile as they prevailed on penalties after the sides could not be separated at 0-0 after extra time. Bravo saved three Portuguese spotkicks, while Chile converted their first three penalties to book a place in the final.
Things were more straightforward for Germany in Sochi, as they swept aside Mexico 4-1 thanks to a quick-fire double from Leon Goretzka and further goals from Timo Werner and Amin Younes.
Third place playoff
In case you missed it – a reminder that we’ve already had one game today. Portugal beat Mexico 2-1 in extra time in their third place playoff in Moscow.
Mexico looked set for the win having taken the lead in the second half through a Luis Neto own goal, but Pepe leveled with an acrobatic goal in injury time before Adrien Silva converted a penalty in extra time. There were also two sendings off in a tempestuous game that saw Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio sent to the stands.
Youth v experience, attack v defense?
Germany are the youngest team at the tournament, with an average age of 24 years and four months. Chile, by contrast, are the oldest – at 29 years and one month.
Germany have scored the most goals at Russia 2017 – 11 in four games, while conceding five.
Chile have conceded four goals in their four games, but have only scored four (excluding penalty shootouts).
Team news
RT Sport’s Danny Armstrong is in St. Petersburg Stadium for the final and has the team news ahead of tonight’s game.
Chile boss Juan Pizzi has gone for his tried and tested backline with Claudio Bravo in goal and Mauricio Isla, Jean Beausejour, Gary Medel and Gonzalo Jara in front of him.
Marcelo Diaz, Pablo Hernandez, Charles Aranguiz and Arturo Vidal make up the midfield, while Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas are up front.
German boss Joachim Low has opted for Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal, Shkodran Mustafi in defense alongside Antonio Ruediger and Matthias Ginter, while Joshua Kimmich and Jonas Hector will run the flanks, Sebastian Rudy and Leon Goretzka will be in midfield with Julian Draxler just in front of them, and Lars Stindl and Timo Werner will lead the line up fron.
Welcome
So, after two weeks and 15 games across and four cities, we’ve reached the climax of what has been a fabulous festival of football in Russia. South American champions Chile are taking on World Cup winners Germany at St. Petersburg Stadium in what promises to be a fitting denouement to a wonderful tournament.
The two teams met earlier in the competition at the group stage, when it finished honors even at 1-1. We said back then that it wouldn’t be a surprise if the pair met again in the final, and so it has proved. Who will run out winners today? Stay with us to find out…