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The BBC trounced ITV during the simulcast of last night’s World Cup final, pulling in over four times more viewers.
An average 12.09 million viewers tuned in to watch the BBC’s advertisement-free coverage of Germany vs Argentina , with 2.86 million opting to watch ITV’s broadcast instead.
Alan Hansen ’s last appearance on the BBC sofa is also thought to have contributed to the broadcaster’s 9 million lead.
The BBC’s coverage of the 2014 World Cup has not been without difficulties after Phil Neville’s commentary drew 445 complaints and Jonathan Pearce struggled to get to grips with goal-line technology.
ITV’s coverage was widely criticised as the more unprofessional of the two channels, with Adrian Chiles and pundits appearing in shorts and T-shirts on the beach in Rio de Janerio.
Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratingsShow all 23 1 /23Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Manuel Neuer Performed with authority on ground and in the air - but was fortunate not to be punished when racing out to punch clear off the head of Higuain. 6/10
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Philipp Lahm Again started at right-back and still remained one of the main threats going forward for Germany. Solid in defence in commanding showing. 7
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Jérôme Boateng Cleared danger from underneath his own crossbar as Messi drove forward and made another vital interception as substitute Aguero closed in. 7
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Mats Hummels Troubled by pace and trickery of Messi in opening minutes but recovered composure to keep forwards at bay. Used strength to hold off Higuain. 6
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Benedikt Höwedes Carded before half-time for a late lunge on Zabaleta and powered header against Romero’s post at end of first-half when should have scored. 6
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Christoph Kramer Brought in after Khedira’s warm-up injury and was then hurt himself when caught by Garay. Attempted to stay on but taken off after half an hour. 6
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Bastian Schweinsteiger First player to go in the book after light challenge on Lavezzi. Got back to make crucial blocks on Messi and Perez and also influenced Germany’s attacks. 8
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Thomas Müller Enjoyed running battle with most of the Argentine backline. Found space on right side to link up with Lahm and delivered dangerous balls into box. 6
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Toni Kroos Was impetus behind semi-final victory but fortunate not to cost side when heading straight to Higuain. Weak shot at Romero and sent another effort wide. 6
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Mesut Özil Arsenal man struggled to get on the ball in right places at start but his bearing on the match grew. Moved inside after introduction of Schürrle. 7
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Miroslav Klose Record finals scorer pulled out of early challenge as Romero charged out. Veteran looked a little off the pace, failing to trouble with header or shot. 5
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Mario Gotze Bayern Munich midfielder replaced record-breaker Miroslav Klose in the closing minutes of normal time and displayed marvellous composure to chest down André Schürrle’s pass before volleying past Sergio Romero. 7
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Sergio Romero Last season’s Monaco reserve keeper excelled again. Semi-final hero was not troubled by Kroos effort and displayed solid handling when called upon. 7/10
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Pablo Zabaleta Got forward well, making valuable headed clearances and combining to good effect with Biglia. Made important block on Klose and caught by Höwedes. 7
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Martin Demichelis Stood up well to sporadic German attacks but was let down by his own indecision as he was caught in possession badly by Klose. 7
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Ezequiel Garay Robust challenge on Kramer eventually forced young opponent off. Never hid from a challenge and gave Argentines a presence at set-pieces as well. 6
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Marcos Rojo Wing-back has enjoyed stellar tournament and went in strong on Müller. Kept occupied by pace and passing of Lahm though. 6
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Javier Mascherano Content to drop back when required and also helped engineer attacks. Surrendered ball to Klose before hacking him down to earn booking. 7
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Lucas Biglia Early shot was blocked by Höwedes and displayed good positional sense. Fine ball through to Messi came to nothing. Blocked off Lahm. 6
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Enzo Perez Unable to reach Messi cutback and struggled to make his mark, Swapped flanks in effort to have more impact but taken off near end of normal time. 6
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Gonzalo Higuain Shot across goal and sent effort wide when presented with Kroos header. Slotted home when offside and caught as Neuer charged out of the box. 7
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Lionel Messi Surged forward to create opportunities but was well policed. Drove past post early in second half and shot wide but again faded in influence. 7
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Germany 1 Argentina 0 player ratings Ezequiel Lavezzi Put himself in place to be pushed over by Schweinsteiger and win free-kick. Pace gave Germany food for thought before early departure. 6
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Andy Townsend’s commentary was also slated for its over use of clichés and his inclination to state the obvious.
A peak audience of 20.64 million tuned it to watch the World Cup final, making it the biggest UK TV audience since the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony.
The disparity in ratings for the 2010 World Cup final between Spain and Holland was even larger, with 15.1 million opting to watch the match on BBC One in comparison to 3.3 million on ITV.
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