Germany's experimental
young side overcame street-wise Chile to win a bruising Confederations Cup
final 1-0 on Sunday, vindicating Joachim Loew's decision to leave most of his
world champions at home.
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Germany's
Lars Stindl, right, scores the opening goal past Chile goalkeeper Claudio
Andres Bravo Munoz during the Confederations Cup final soccer match between
Chile and Germany, at the St.Petersburg Stadium, Russia, Sunday, July 2, 2017.
(AP Photo/Dmitri Lovestky)
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Lars
Stindl scored his third goal of the World Cup warm-up tournament in the 20th
minute, tapping into an empty net after a defensive blunder.
It
came completely against the run of play in a first-half dominated by Chile, but
the more experienced south American champions could find no way past a side
that is effective on the counterattack.
Chile's
frustrations were clear in the second half when Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal
squared up to Bayern Munich teammate Joshua Kimmich, who was also shoved by
Gary Medel.
Gonzalo
Jara then elbowed Germany forward Timo Werner in the face but escaped with a
yellow card despite the incident being reviewed by the referee on a pitch-side
monitor.
It
was the latest moment of confusion during trials of the video replay system by
FIFA, which is determined to retain the technology at the World Cup next year
in Russia despite major teething problems.
Russia's
capabilities as a host for the World Cup next year became far clearer during
the two weeks it hosted eight teams in four cities, as the country overcome
concerns about fan behavior to provide a welcoming environment. It has also
proved a useful testing ground for Germany, with Loew able to test the
capabilities of the talent at his disposal.
Victory
in St. Petersburg came two days after Germany beat Spain in the Under-21
European Championship final, signaling a bright future for a country which will
return to Russia in a year to defend the World Cup won in Brazil in 2014.
This Confederations Cup might never be defended, with the eighth edition likely to be the last. The competition - featuring the regional champions, World Cup holders and next World Cup hosts - failed to spark much interest outside competing countries. Qatar, the 2022 World Cup hosts, also cannot stage the Confederations Cup in 2021 because it would have to be played in November or December and disrupt a second European club season.
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