perhaps only the trio of Lars Eller, Brian Gionta and Rene Bour

Germany and Argentina will renew their World Cup rivalry on Sunday when they meet in the final at the Maracana. The two fabled nations have a history of squaring off in World Cup finals as they met one another in the 1986 finale and again in 1990. Listen to the match LIVE at 3pm et/Noon pt on TSN Radio Toronto 1050, TSN 690 Montreal, TSN 1200 Ottawa, TSN 1260 Edmonton, TSN 1290 Winnipeg and TEAM 1410 Vancouver. In 1986, Argentina, led by Diego Maradona, edged West Germany for the title behind a late strike from Jorge Burruchaga. But the Germans avenged the defeat in controversial fashion four years later as Rudi Voller earned a dubious penalty that Andreas Brehme converted with just five minutes left to play, giving the European nation a narrow victory. It was Germanys third World Cup title and it would be another 12 years before Die Mannschaft would log another appearance in the final, a contest the European nation lost as Brazil triumphed behind a brace from Ronaldo. Germany, which made history by becoming the first nation to make four successive appearances in the semifinals, returns to the title match after back-to-back third-place finishes and is looking to make the leap from bridesmaid to bride. It was an eventful journey to the final for Germany, which emerged from the Group of Death and stacked half of the bracket to survive a brutal draw. The Germans opened the tournament in style by cruising to a 4-0 defeat of Portugal. They looked vulnerable in a 2-2 draw with Ghana but managed to secure top spot in Group G behind their 1-0 defeat of the United States. The knockout round began in somewhat unconvincing fashion as Algeria pushed Germany to the brink of elimination. A scoreless 90 minutes forced extra time, but Germany scored twice early on to advance with a narrow 2-1 victory. The win resulted in a meeting with high-flying France, and a header from Mats Hummels proved to be the only difference between the two nations. Germany moved on to the semifinals where it met Brazil for a rematch of the 2002 final, and it was one-way traffic as the Germans thumped the host nation in a 7-1 victory. Miroslav Klose scored a goal in the emphatic win to make him the tournaments all-time leading scorer. But the 36-year-old, who has been on the losing end in a World Cup final, insisted that Germany must move on from its thrashing of Brazil. "We enjoyed the game against Brazil, but we ticked it off after 24 hours," Klose said. "In the next game, we have to again play to the best of our abilities. It feels really awful to lose a final, so its our time to win this one." Thomas Muller has been pegged as the heir apparent to Klose given his penchant for scoring goals in the World Cup. The Bayern Munich man won the Golden Boot in 2010 and is one goal shy of James Rodriguez atop the scoring chart, but he is expecting a tough and cagey affair against Argentina. "I dont know what kind of a game it will be (on Sunday), but I dont expect it to be 5-0 at halftime," the Bayern Munich forward said at a press conference. "That would be nice, but its probably going to be tight like it was against Algeria or France." Argentinas stout defensive showing thus far indicates that Muller is correct. La Albiceleste has conceded just three goals in the tournament, all of which came in the group stage. The South American nation opened the tournament with a 2-1 defeat of Bosnia- Herzegovina thanks to a game-winning strike from Lionel Messi. The Barcelona man came to Argentinas rescue twice more by scoring at the death in a narrow 1-0 victory over Iran and bagging a brace in a 3-2 victory over Nigeria. Despite failing to produce a goal in the knockout round, Messi proved he can still influence the final result without finding the net himself. He set up Angel Di Maria for a late winner against Switzerland in the round of 16 with a brilliant through ball, demonstrating his ability to thread the needle in crucial moments. The goal sent Argentina through to the quarterfinals where an early strike from Gonzalo Higuain was all the nation would need to dispatch Belgium, setting up a semifinal clash with the Netherlands. It was a tactical battle between the two nations as penalties were needed to decide a winner, and Sergio Romero proved to be the hero, stopping two attempts to see Argentina reach its fifth World Cup final. The finale has been billed as the worlds best player (Messi) facing the worlds greatest international team (Germany). But according to striker Sergio Aguero, Argentina is happy to play the role of the underdog. "Germany were always the favorites, along with Brazil, to win the World Cup," the Manchester City man said on Thursday. "They continue to be so now. We need to play our own game and it suits us that all the pressure is on them." Baseball Jerseys UK . PETERSBURG, Fla. Cheap College Jerseys UK . Vincent Lamar Carter is no longer the lean, athletic dynamo who dazzled Raptors fans with eye-popping dunks that posterized even the leagues best defenders. http://www.cheapjerseysuk.com/ . -- Canadian womens amateur golf champion Brooke Henderson is a little less starstruck as she prepares for her second career appearance at an LPGA Tour major event. Cheap NHL Jerseys UK . Not Peyton Manning. Hes holding on to the heartache to stoke his competitive fire. Cheap MLB Jerseys UK . -- Ryan Gropp scored in overtime as the Seattle Thunderbirds shut out the Spokane Chiefs 1-0 in Western Hockey League play Tuesday.BOSTON -- Asked if the Canadiens dodged a bullet in Game 1 against the Bruins, Montreal coach Michel Therrien opted for a different view of his teams 4-3 double-overtime win. "The good news is we found a way to win. Thats the most important thing," he told reporters Friday. "And we all know were capable of being better. And we will (be). "But (goaltender) Carey Price was outstanding. He was tough to beat (Thursday night)." Despite the win, Therriens message was that his team has to be better in Game 2 of the second-round playoff series Saturday. Boston outshot Montreal 51-33 Thursday, climbing back from a 2-0 hole to force overtime. Price turned the surging Bruins back again and again, giving his team a chance to win. P.K. Subban obliged with the double-overtime winner. "We played against the best team in the league and you need goaltending," Therrien said. "Certainly Carey Price gave us that type of performance. He was phenomenal. Its good for the confidence of the team. "Like I said, we know as a team we could be better. We liked the way we finished the year. We liked the way we played the first round." Boston coach Claude Julien dismissed the idea that Price might get into his players heads. "Theres a lot of good goaltenders in this league," he said. "Weve got one (in Tuukka Rask). "And we basically still got three goals on him last night ... Weve just got to play our game and the chances are there. Im going to go back to what I said earlier -- bury those great opportunities. We played well, but there were a lot of open nets that we missed, there was a lot of chances that if we would have shot them properly, instead of panicking maybe, we get ourselves a goal." Therrien thought his team showed the rust of not having played since the April 22 completion of the Tampa Bay Lightning sweep.dddddddddddd But there were positives. The Montreal power play finally clicked, going 2-for-3 on the night with both goals coming from Subban. And the Canadiens, who managed 43 hits combined in the two games in Tampa, dished out 45 Thursday night in Boston. Still the Bruins outhit them 56-45 on the night. Asked about having to play a 12:30 p.m. ET start Saturday, Therrien laughed and said, "We had no choice." The Canadiens had a team meeting Friday and most of the players hit the gym. Therrien mixed up his lines during Game 1, with perhaps only the trio of Lars Eller, Brian Gionta and Rene Bourque standing out. "We tried to use them as much as we can in good situations, to help the team win." said Therrien. "But thats part of coaching," he added. "Sometimes you can not be afraid to make some changes." Thomas Vanek, who plays on the top line with David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty, has somehow become the poster boy for the need for improvement. "Theres a few players on our team who I believe need to step up our game regarding (Thursday night) and hes one of them," Therrien said of Vanek. "Im not here to mention any names but as a group weve got to be better and we will. "Im not worried and were glad that weve got Thomas Vanek in our lineup because he can be a dangerous guy to the other teams." Vanek, who was minus-one and did not have a shot in Game 1, did not shy away from the issue. "Last night as a line, even as a team, I dont think we played well. I think Carey carried us the whole game and then stole us the game. Subbie (Subban) stepped up and had a big goal. I think were not ignorant (of the need) for us being better as a line and myself as an individual." ' ' '