Mario Gotze
Thomas Muller congratulates Mario Gotze on his superb strike that sealed Germany's victory Reuters

One of the greatest World Cups in recent memory came to a thrilling close last night as Germany edged past Argentina to lift the famous golden trophy in Rio de Janeiro in a tense final.

It capped off a memorable, action-packed tournament, which started with an incredible group stage loaded with goals, before a knockout stage wrought with drama as fine margins determined a new world champion.

From wonder goals to commentary gaffs to selfies with German chancellors, here's the very best of Twitter during the 2014 Fifa World Cup.

Invisible spray

Disappearing spray was introduced in Brazil to mark where free kicks around the penalty area should be taken and where the defending team should stand. It was a successful new tool for officials but one joke was begging to be made...

Netherlands take Spain apart

On day two of the World Cup a rematch of the 2010 final took place in Group B as Netherlands sought out revenge over Spain. Spain will still rather have won the final four years ago, but Netherlands tore them apart and it was Robin van Persie's now-iconic diving header that put them on their way.

BBC commentary

The BBC's World Cup coverage was naturally the best around, that didn't stop their commentary team from routinely getting on the nerves of fans on Twitter. Mark Lawreson's sour demeanour never went down well, but at least he understands goaline technology ‒ unlike a certain Jonathan Pearce during France v Honduras. Meanwhile, Phil Neville didn't get a potential career in co-commentating off to the good start during England's opening game against Italy.

Lukas Podolski's selfies

German forward Lukas Podolski is a big Twitter-user so while his team's 4-0 win over Portugal was a surprise, him taking a bunch of selfies afterwards was not. Taking one with German chancellor Angela Merkel was certainly strange, however.

Chile 2-0 Spain

Following a disastrous dismantling by Netherlands, Spain's World Cup hopes lay on a tie with Chile ‒ but it did not go as planned. Goals from Chilie's Vargas and Aránguiz sealed a two-goal win that made Spain one of the first teams to crash out of the tournament.

Miguel Herrera

Miguel Herrera won the world over with his superb, gif-able celebrations on the touchline as Mexico coach. As his side won 3-0 against Croatia, he celebrated like few in football can.

Chewy Luis makes the news (everyone is using this gag so I might as well)

Were it not for Brazil's humiliation later in the tournament, Luis Suarez might have stolen all the World Cup headlines after biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini. It was the third time the volatile Uruguayan has bitten a player and he was duly punished by Fifa with the nine-game international ban and a four-month worldwide ban.

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

Like it or not, the US are now a major footballing force. Their recent World Cup history puts England to shame and as a country they are completely embracing the world's most beloved sport. Naturally they went a bit overboard, but they are American after all. Special praise also went to Tim Howard after a heroic performance against Belgium.

Brazil v Chile

The knockout stages got off to a dramatic start with Colombia taking Brazil all the way to penalties in Belo Horizonte. Eventually it was Brazil who would win the day, but at one point it all hinged on Golden Boy Neymar, who despatched his penalty without a sign of the stress he was surely under.

Netherlands v Costa Rica

Netherland's quarter final against Costa Rica was decided on penalties after an enthralling, tense 120 minutes that saw neither side score thanks in large part to Costa Rican keeper Keylor Navas.

The game hinged on Dutch manager Louis van Gaal's decision to switch goalkeepers in the dying minutes. Tim Krul came on for Jasper Cillessen and saved two penalties to see his side through to the semi finals, making van Gaal look like a genius in the process.

Brazil humiliated

Brazil 1 Germany 7 is not a scoreline you'd ever expect to see, not even a friendly. For it to happen in a World Cup semi-final, in Brazil, just made the game one of the more stunning sporting moments you are ever likely to see. Twitter was on fine form.

Germany win the Fifa World Cup 2014

Germany v Argentina, like so many games at this tournament, was a thrilling goaless draw for most of its duration. Eventually it was a single, wonderful moment of sheer brilliance from 22-year-old Mario Gotze that sealed Germany's fourth World Cup.

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