Louis van Gaal took some credit for showing Argentina's Sergio Romero how to stop penalties, advice that cost the Netherlands coach dearly on Wednesday.

Romero stopped two spot kicks as Argentina beat Van Gaal's team 4-2 in a penalty shootout in the World Cup semifinals, advancing to the final against Germany.

The director of a World Cup hospitality company implicated in ticket scalping surrendered his tournament credentials on Thursday.

The MATCH group, which owns rights to sell World Cup hospitality tickets, says Ray Whelan denies wrongdoing.

Goalkeeper Sergio Romero saved two shoot-out penalties as Argentina beat the Netherlands to reach the World Cup final for the first time in 24 years on Wednesday.

Romero, who has hardly played for French club Monaco this season, blocked shots from Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder as Argentina won the shoot-out 4-2 after the two sides finished extra time 0-0.

Some 14 years after their humiliating Euro 2000 exit, Germany now stand with the world at their feet amidst the fall-out from their remarkable thrashing of Brazil.

Joachim Loew's Germany capitalized on an emotionally fragile Selecao side, shorn of injured star Neymar and suspended captain Thiago Silva, to inflict a 7-1 mauling on the hosts in Tuesday's World Cup semi-final.

Germany was Wednesday swept up in a wave of red, black and gold World Cup euphoria after its record 7-1 victory over Brazil, almost as though the mighty "Mannschaft" were already world champions.

"Stunning" and "speechless" wrote media commentators, the morning after the national team's crushing defeat of the hosts, sending hopes soaring for an end to the 24-year wait for a fourth World Cup title.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck will attend the World Cup final in Brazil Sunday to back the German side, Berlin said.

"President Joachim Gauck will travel with Chancellor Angela Merkel to Rio de Janeiro from July 12 to 14" and watch the final match together, his office said Wednesday.

Defending champion Chris Froome quit the Tour de France on Wednesday after crashing twice as a nervous pack neared seven patches of bone-jarring cobblestones in the rainy and slick fifth stage of the race.

The withdrawal of the 29-year-old Team Sky leader, the favorite to win again this year, leaves the three-week race wide open. Froome's tumbles were but two on a day when many riders skidded out of control and crashed, including overall race leader Vincenzo Nibali of Italy.

Brazilians are having a difficult time trying to fathom how it all went wrong so quickly against Germany in the World Cup semifinals.

With the humiliating 7-1 loss still very raw for Brazil supporters, players struggled to find explanations for the country's worst ever World Cup defeat.

Poland striker Robert Lewandowski says that his "batteries are full" and he is looking forward to improving as a player at Bayern Munich.

Lewandowski, who joined the Bundesliga champion on a free transfer from league rival Borussia Dortmund, said at his presentation Wednesday that his new club is "the yardstick, the club where I can win many titles."

Bayern Munich's Croatian international striker Mario Mandzukic is poised to join Atletico Madrid, the Bundesliga champions' sporting director Matthias Sammer announced on Wednesday.

"There is a verbal agreement between Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich, as well as between Atletico and Mario Mandzukic," Sammer told a press conference.