Germany wins Confederations Cup as Russia passes World Cup test

Reigning football’s world champions, Germany, beat Chile on Sunday to win the Confederations Cup just two days after claiming the European Under-21 title. Lars Stindl scored the only goal into an empty net in the 20^th minute of a pulsating, bad-tempered final in the Russian city of St Petersburg.

The dramatic game featured missed chances, defensive howlers, scuffles and two video reviews, one producing a highly controversial outcome. But Germany survived Chile’s whirlwind assault to claim a 1-0 victory and their first-ever Confederations Cup title.

It was a remarkable achievement for Germany to lift the trophy with a young, experimental squad. But it could also be a bad omen as no team has ever lifted the World Cup after winning the Confederations Cup the year before.

Portugal claimed third place after a 2:1 extra-time win over Mexico.

The Confederations Cup is a great dry run for World Cup hosts, and Russia has also passed the test convincingly. And FIFA is delighted.

“Definitely the Cup of Confederations is used by all actors as a rehearsal and as I have seen in terms of welcoming, in terms in terms of security level in terms also of fan engagement I can only imagine how beautiful the World Cup next year will be,” said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura.

There remain a few small details to nail down, but Russia is World Cup ready says its Football Union vice-president. “I have spoken with the coach of the English team, Gareth Southgate and he was just fascinated by the way the Confederations cup has been organized and it is a very important signal. I think that such an important event will help us to show that we are a good and hospitable country to all our friends,” said Sergei Anohin.

Austin Ohaegbu