My money's on magic of Messi

ARGENTINA coach Alejandro Sabella reckons his team doesn't have much of a chance in the World Cup final against Germany on Monday, 3am, Singapore time. He does have a point there, of course. The in-form Europeans, after all, have had an extra day of rest after coasting to a 7-1 rout of hosts Brazil, while Sabella's men had to play 120 gruelling minutes in their semi-final against the Netherlands before sealing the win in a nail-biting penalty shootout.

While Argentina were slogging it out, the Germans were back at their base recharging their batteries, getting an extra foot massage and carefully studying their final opponent of this captivating World Cup.

"Germany, throughout their entire history, have always shown physical might, tactical and mental prowess, and have always had players with a certain South American touch," he said yesterday. "The match is extremely difficult and I repeat the fact that they haven't played extra time and we've done so twice, and played one day after Germany. Germany is always a very difficult hurdle to overcome."