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Merkel Plans Rio Trip to Support Germany in World Cup Final


FILE - German Chancellor Angela Merkel waves after watching the group G World Cup soccer match between Germany and Portugal at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil, June 16, 2014.
FILE - German Chancellor Angela Merkel waves after watching the group G World Cup soccer match between Germany and Portugal at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil, June 16, 2014.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to travel to Brazil to watch the national team's bid to win the World Cup for the fourth time on July 13, officials said on Wednesday.

President Joachim Gauck also confirmed that he would fly with Merkel to Rio de Janeiro for the tournament's final match after Germany ruthlessly crushed World Cup hosts Brazil 7-1 on Tuesday, a victory which has stunned even jubilant Germans.

Merkel attended Germany's first match in the Cup against Portugal and cheered the team on to a 4-0 win. Images of Merkel at the game went viral online, including one of her posing with shirtless German players in the team's dressing room.

Germany will face either Argentina or the Netherlands, who play each other in the second semi-final on Wednesday.

West Germany won the World Cup in 1954, 1974 and 1990.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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