World Cup 2018: Germany's 5 most iconic matches

After 18 tournaments, 224 goals and four titles Germany can rightfully be considered one of the most dominant sides in FIFA World Cup history. The defending champions will step down in Russia with the sole object of retaining their crown. With an all-star team consisting of match winners in each department, Germany will be hard to stop once they attain full flow.

Since their debut in 1934, Germany has been part of a record 106 world cup matches. A lot of these won, a few of these lost, yet all of them being very important. Out of these, however, there have been some that left a profound mark. So much so that fans still talk about it as if it was yesterday.

Today, we discuss five such iconic world cup matches Germany contested in. They have been list down in chronological order starting from the most recent.

Note: Germany here represents cumulative records of Germany before WWII, West Germany, and unified Germany.

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#5 Germany 7-1 Brazil (2014 Semi-finals)

In the most recent of encounters on this list, Germany faced Brazil in the 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-finals. Being the host, the Selecao were under tremendous pressure. The loss of Neymar and Thiago Silva was a big blow for them. Germany, as always, was one of the favorites.

The game turned out to be Brazil's worst nightmare. The well-oiled Germans rampaged past the hosts, who looked totally out of place. Not a single person could have predicted the five-time world champions losing by a margin of seven goals to one. The match also witnessed Miroslav Klose create history, becoming the all-time world cup top-scorer with 16 goals to his name.

Eventually, Brazil finished fourth, and Germany ended up winning the title. Four years after that match, the image of home supporters mourning the dreadful demise of their dreams remains afresh in every football fan's mind.

#4 West Germany 2-1 Netherlands (1974 Final)

Beckenbauer captained West Germany to it's second FIFA World Cup.

The final of 1974 FIFA World Cup was more about Netherlands' loss than the host West Germany's win. Johan Cruyff and co., with their concept of 'Total Football', seemed flawless on paper. But names like Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, and Wolfgang Overath made the Germans a force to reckon with too.

In the match, the Dutch drew first blood with a Johan Neeskens' penalty. But their arrogance, combined with their opponent's tenacity, cost them big time. The hosts not only equalised but also took the lead before halftime. For the next 45 minutes, Netherlands tried every possible move in their arsenal but to no avail.

The final score read two goals to one in favor of West Germany, who won their second title. For the Dutch, this was the first of three world cup finals they would lose without a positive result. Most importantly, it was the end of Johan Cruyff's FIFA World Cup career, who went down in history as the greatest player to never win the ultimate price.

#3 West Germany 0-1 East Germany (1974 Group stage)

East Germany and West Germany faced each other only once in international football.

The group stage of 1974 FIFA World Cup was the first time East and West Germany played each other in international football. Hosts West Germany were the favorites to win the contest against their eastern neighbor, who were participating in their first world cup.

Both the sides played in good spirit, eliminating the possibility of an animosity-ridden encounter. Already qualified for the next round, West was subdued in their efforts. On the other hand, East Germany gave in their everything and came on top. The game ended with East Germany upsetting the hosts by one goal to nil.

Books like 'Where Were You When the Sparwasser Goal Was Scored' were written to immortalize this historic contest. To maintain a perfect record against their distinguished neighbors, East Germany declined any further outing against them. As a result, West Germany, with all its world cup and Euro triumphs, remained winless against their Eastern counterparts.

#2 West Germany 3-4 Italy (1970 Semi-finals)

Both the sides scored a total of five goals during extra time.

On 17th June 1970, Italy played West Germany in the semi-finals of FIFA World Cup. Italy's strength, going into the match, had been their impenetrable defence. On the other hand, Germany's striker, Gerd Muller had been running riot in front of goal. Fans knew they were in for a treat.

Despite ending 1-1, the first 90 minutes of play gave iconic moments like Beckenbauer continuing with a dislocated shoulder and Schnellinger's injury time equalizer. But this was just the tip of the iceberg. A mind-boggling total of five goals were scored in the following 30 minutes, an extra-time record yet to be broken.

Both sides traded advantage until Gianni Rivera's 111th-minute strike earned Italy the contest. The final score read four goals to three in favor of the Azzurri. Rightly labeled as the 'Game of the Century', this match intensified the footballing rivalry between the two European heavyweights. Italy would eventually lose in the final to Pele's Brazil. Nonetheless, they had a lot of great memories to relish.

#1 West Germany 3-2 Hungary (1954 Finals)

West Germany shocked the world by defeating the mighty Hungarians.

1954 FIFA World Cup final, a game that changed the course of German football forever. Called the 'Golden Team', Hungary had been on a five-year unbeaten streak. Simply put, they were the most dominating and ruthless side football had ever seen. A bunch of semi-professionals led by war-veteran Fritz Walter, West Germany was promising but stood no chance in front of the 'Mighty Mygars'.

Within eight minutes into the match, strikes from Ferenc Puskas and Zoltan Czibor gave Hungarians a two goals advantage. To everyone's surprise, Germans managed to end the seemingly unassailable lead in just 10 minutes. This comeback gave their confidence a massive boost.

Hungary kept attacking the German goal but couldn't find a way into it. The unexpected happened in the 84th minute with Helmut Rahn's left-footed strike giving West Germany the lead. Despite all their efforts, Hungarians couldn't find an equaliser, resulting in one of the greatest upsets ever witnessed in a sports finale.

Known as the 'Miracle of Bern', this game saw West Germany adopt their trademark grit and determination. This world cup victory caused a nation-wide euphoria among the Germans. Hitherto reeling from the humiliations of WWII, they were now the proud world champions. From this point on, West Germany had no stopping, both as a football team and as a nation.