Mistakes sentence Chile as youthful Germany triumph
Chile were terrific in the first half, but it was not enough to beat the best team in the world, who took the lead against all odds and, as expected, managed to keep it.
Germany looked shell-shocked as Chile came out like a storm to the Confederations Cup final, putting Joachim Low's side under pressure from the very beginning.
Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal looked especially lively, dominating the spaces in Chile's final third. Within the opening five minutes, Aranguiz broke into the penalty area, and played the ball back into the path of Vidal who forced Ter Stegen into action.
Such a start saw Chile claim complete control over Germany, with 'Die Mannschaft' scrambling to get the ball out of the danger zones as Pizzi's side forced them into their own half.
However, nobody at the St. Petersburg stadium expected what was about to happen. Just before reaching the 20th minute, and Chile looking stronger with every passing minute, Germany took the lead.
Marcelo Diaz turned on the ball just outside the box, giving the ball away to Werner. The Leipzig striker unselfishly squared the ball to Stindl who sidefooted into the empty net.
Chile initially reacted well, by continuing to push forward in search of an equalizer, but Germany slowly began to break them down. With the South Americans claiming possession, the World Cup holders looked more dangerous as they countered in numbers.
Low's youthful Germans managed to keep Chile at bay throughout most of the final, tactically outsmarting them after the break and for much of the second half, which proved frustrating for Pizzi's team.
Tension started to rise as Bayern Munich teammates Arturo Vidal and Joshua Kimmich were booked for getting into a fight over the height of Claudio Bravo's leg. A few minutes later, Chile defender Jara should have been dismissed for a deliberate elbow on Werner, but the official showed him a yellow card after checking the VAR review.
The Chileans appealled for a penalty on Alexis Sanchez, before Vidal fired his effort over the bar. It was not until the final 15 minutes that the South American champions began their resurgence, pinning Germany into defensive positions.
Chances from Aranguiz and Alexis Sanchez were dealt with well by Ter Stegen, and substitute Sagal skied his effort after Puch pulled the ball back to the six-yard line.
In the end, one of the most exciting sides in the competition was not able to break down the young Germans, who showed that 'Die Mannschaft' is in safe hands.