Germany were not involved in the World Cup final four years ago but they competed in the tournament's most telling, tactically intriguing game: a 1-0 defeat by eventual winners Spain in the semifinals.

It was a more absorbing, technical and high-quality contest than the final, which was a scrap...

The previous three World Cup finals can be summarised neatly by three individual battles.

In 2002, it was Ronaldo versus Oliver Kahn, the Golden Boot winner getting the better of the Golden Ball winner in Brazil's 2-0 win over Germany.

The 2006 final was about Zinedine Zidane versus Marco Materazzi,...

ARGENTINA 0-0 NETHERLANDS

Louis van Gaal succeeded in stopping Lionel Messi. Alejandro Sabella managed to disturb the Dutch tactics. While much of the focus has been on the Netherlands manager's ever-changing approach, his Argentina counterpart altered the game with a switch of his own. He began wi...

Germany and Brazil have met only once before in a World Cup, which is strange enough, but even more peculiar is the incredible role reversal since their World Cup final meeting 12 years ago.

Back then, the situation was simple: both sides lived up to the stereotype. Brazil had become more physical...

After a goal fest in the group stages, things have quieted down in the knockout rounds with tighter games and fewer goals in open play. One moment can change everything, and one individual battle can decide a game. Before this week's semifinals, here are four key individual battles that could det...

The World Cup quarterfinal stage boasts four European sides and four Latin American sides, and there's a bit of everything in the quartet of matches: two intercontinental fights, one all-European game, and one all-South American contest.

Of more interest are the individual matchups that will shape ...