German fans celebrate at TNP's 'live' screening
FINAL
GERMANY 1
(Mario Goetze 113)
ARGENTINA 0
- After extra time
He's been to the European Championship, Champions League and other top football matches but never to a World Cup.
So, clad with an old Die Mannschaft jersey and armed with a replica World Cup trophy, 66-year-old retiree Joseph Loh was bent on witnessing history unfold at The New Paper's live screening of the World Cup final between Germany and Argentina at the Hard Rock Cafe along with 99 other fans early this morning.
Never mind the two-hour wait, but Loh was vindicated when Mario Goetze scored the 113th-minute winner with a brilliant piece of control and volley to help Germany win their fourth title.
"No European team had ever won the World Cup on South American soil, but the jinx has been broken through one moment of magic," he said, as he held the trophy aloft.
"I'm happy to be here to witness history.
"This event has been a great success. It's very easy to make friends, even with fans of the opposing team, and we are no longer strangers."
GREAT TIME
Indeed, the 100 fans who packed the Hard Rock Cafe had a great time mingling and enjoying the fabulous food, drinks and goodie packs on offer.
Whether they were in the white of Germany or blue-and-white stripes of Argentina, they were all hoping for a final for the ages.
Collectively, they appreciated and cheered fine attacking moves from either team, and groaned together when Bastian Schweinsteiger suffered a cut to his head.
In between, they also had the opportunity to take part in trivia quizzes and guess-the-score contests where they could win a Garnier Men's hamper worth $200.
Leisha Kuah, a 25-year-old consultant who correctly predicted the 0-0 scoreline at 90 minutes, thought it was "pretty obvious" the match would end in a stalemate in regulation time.
Said the Argentina fan, who won a hamper: "Both teams have good attackers but even better defences, so I guessed 0-0."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
