World Cup 2018: Germany's 5 most iconic matches

#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.