<p>Bloodied and bruised, Bastian Schweinsteiger paid tribute to Germany’s fans after a historic victory saw the country become the first Europeans to win the World Cup in the Americas.</p>.<p>Germany claimed a fourth title after Mario Goetze came off the bench to score a 113th-minute winner in their 1-0 victory over Argentina at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana Stadium.<br /><br />Midfield general Schweinsteiger said messages of support from loyal fans back home had helped the team on their run to the title.</p>.<p>“We’ll enjoy the moment, it’s unbelievable,” said Schweinsteiger, who claimed his first international title after a decade with ‘die Mannschaft’.<br /><br />“Thank you to the whole of Germany for your support.</p>.<p>“We could feel how much you have got behind us here.</p>.<p>“It was an unbelievable performance, but how the boys on the bench have got into it is something I have never experienced before.</p>.<p>“That gave us so much power, now because of it we have won the World Cup.”</p>.<p>Schweinsteiger put his body on the line in the final and was left bloodied in his personal battle with Argentina’s midfielders Lucas Biglia and Javier Mascherano.</p>.<p>He had to twice re-adjust as defensive midfield partner Sami Khedira dropped out at the 11th hour with a calf injury, then Khedira’s replacement Christoph Kramer went off after 31 minutes with a head injury.</p>.<p>But Schweinsteiger capped a battling display by soaking up plenty of physical punishment in extra-time. </p>.<p>The Bayern Munich star needed treatment for a facial cut after taking a stray fist in the face on 110 minutes from Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero while challenging for a ball.</p>
<p>Bloodied and bruised, Bastian Schweinsteiger paid tribute to Germany’s fans after a historic victory saw the country become the first Europeans to win the World Cup in the Americas.</p>.<p>Germany claimed a fourth title after Mario Goetze came off the bench to score a 113th-minute winner in their 1-0 victory over Argentina at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana Stadium.<br /><br />Midfield general Schweinsteiger said messages of support from loyal fans back home had helped the team on their run to the title.</p>.<p>“We’ll enjoy the moment, it’s unbelievable,” said Schweinsteiger, who claimed his first international title after a decade with ‘die Mannschaft’.<br /><br />“Thank you to the whole of Germany for your support.</p>.<p>“We could feel how much you have got behind us here.</p>.<p>“It was an unbelievable performance, but how the boys on the bench have got into it is something I have never experienced before.</p>.<p>“That gave us so much power, now because of it we have won the World Cup.”</p>.<p>Schweinsteiger put his body on the line in the final and was left bloodied in his personal battle with Argentina’s midfielders Lucas Biglia and Javier Mascherano.</p>.<p>He had to twice re-adjust as defensive midfield partner Sami Khedira dropped out at the 11th hour with a calf injury, then Khedira’s replacement Christoph Kramer went off after 31 minutes with a head injury.</p>.<p>But Schweinsteiger capped a battling display by soaking up plenty of physical punishment in extra-time. </p>.<p>The Bayern Munich star needed treatment for a facial cut after taking a stray fist in the face on 110 minutes from Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero while challenging for a ball.</p>
