Germany and Argentina will renew their World Cup rivalry on Sunday when they meet in the final at the Maracana. Matt Hunwick Jersey . 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." Miroslav Satan Jersey . Gorges is believed to have suffered the injury while blocking a shot with a hand during Montreals win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The Canadiens added to their defensive depth this week by acquiring veteran Mike Weaver from the Florida Panthers. Jake McCabe Jersey . The Mavericks avoided a season sweep by the Nuggets, who ran away with a win in Denver two weeks ago to hand Dallas its longest losing streak at three games. Dallas (42-28) got a boost in the playoff race when Miami rallied from seven down in the last 3 1/2 minutes to beat Memphis 91-86 Friday night.Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Los Angeles Lakers spoiled Pau Gasols return to Staples Center. It turned out to be a lot harder than it shouldve been. Jordan Hill had 26 points and 12 rebounds as the Lakers defeated the Chicago Bulls 123-118 in double overtime on Thursday night. The Lakers squandered a 15-point second half advantage and a nine-point cushion late in regulation. Chicago didnt take it first lead until the early moments of the first overtime when Derrick Rose knocked down a 3-pointer at the 4:42 mark. Hill, though, sent the game into another extra session with a late jumper from the left wing in overtime and LA pulled away in the second OT. Gasol, who helped the Lakers win two NBA titles during his six-plus seasons in the City of Angels, received a standing ovation from the crowd following a video tribute during his introduction. Gasol then walked out to halfcourt and waved to the fans. When things were going well here, it was exceptional, Gasol said. The spectators were given T-shirts that said Thanks Pau on the front with a list of his accomplishments with the Lakers on the back. Gasol, whose tip-in tied the game at 98-98 with 11 seconds left in regulation, finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Wayne Ellington posted 23 points and five rebounds for the Lakers, who snapped a nine-game losing streak. Our guys battled. Played extremely hard all night, Lakers coach Byron Scott said. Was happy with the teams poise and ability to bounce back in the OTs. Jimmy Butler netted a career-high 35 points to go with seven boards, while Joakim Noah pulled down 17 rebounds and dished out nine assists for Chicago, which had won three of its last four games coming in. DDerrick Rose, who was 7-of-26 from the floor, poured in 17 points to go with six helpers in defeat. Ryan Miller Jersey. After Butlers steal and dunk trimmed the Chicago deficit to 84-83 with 8:39 left, the Lakers responded with an 8-0 run. Ellington drove in for a finger roll layup, Carlos Boozer converted a hook shot in the paint with the shot clock running down, Jeremy Lin banked in a jumper and Robert Sacres putback staked LA to a 92-83 margin with 5:39 to play in the fourth quarter. Hill appeared to pour salt on the wound with a step-back jumper over Gasol for a 98-89 spread with 1:29 left in the frame. Chicago, though, recorded the last nine points of regulation. Butler put in the first seven and Gasol tapped in a Rose miss to knot it. Roses triple in the opening overtime was his first one of the game. He finished 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. Hills jumper with 16.2 ticks on the clock tied it and Rose was off the mark on a step-back jumper at the horn. Ellington scored the first two baskets of the second overtime and Chicago never seriously threatened again. A 10-4 first-quarter burst helped LA jump out to a 16-8 cushion midway through the frame and it took a 28-19 margin into the second. The Lakers, who led 59-48 at the break, was up by as many as 15 in the third. Chicago, though, closed the frame on an 8-2 spurt to get within 80-76 going into the fourth. Game Notes The Lakers had lost three straight and six of their last seven games against the Bulls ... LA blew a 19-point lead in its loss against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday ... The Lakers held a 68-56 points in the paint advantage ... Chicago was just 6-of-25 from long distance. ' ' '