KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, and Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin were among the thousands that thronged Dataran Merdeka here early Monday to catch the World Cup final 2014, in which Germany beat Argentina 1-0.

Mr Najib tweeted after the match: "What a thrilling World Cup final! Well done, Germany, the new World Champs. Argentina was a fantastic opponent."

Mr Khairy, who donned the Argentina jersey depicting its star player Lionel Messi and his number 10, took the loss in his stride. He was seen joking with Mr Najib before leaving the event.

Mr Khairy also tweeted: "Well played Germany. Luck. LONG LIVE MESSI."

Prior to the match, Mr Khairy advised those watching the match not to skip work on Monday.

"It is up to them, but essentially, there is no excuse for not attending work," he said.

An intense battle between both teams saw no goals scored in regulation time, but Germany striker Mario Goetze netted one in the 113th minute to settle the contest, breaking the hearts the South American team's supporters.

"I was hoping that Messi would have ended the 28-year wait for the World Cup," said 29-year-old businessman Mijanur Rahman, from Bangladesh.

German Marcel Strubel-Huber, 28, was ecstatic but regretted not being at home to witness his country's triumph.

"I am sad that I was not back home in Mannhiem to celebrate this historic win with my friends and family.

"However, I am glad that I was able to enjoy the final here with my colleagues and this electrifying crowd tonight," said the engineer currently on a working trip to Malaysia.