That's all from me. I have - as always - enjoyed bringing live updates. Do join me tomorrow from about 23:00 hours for the final. The big one. Until then, try to get some sleep. Good bye and good night.
Diego Forlan has by far been the best South American player of the tournament. But Uruguay and him will have to settle for fourth place.
The German squad and their coach are receiving their bronze medals from Jacob Zuma and Sepp Blatter. They also don't mind posing. This lot might be beaten to a World Cup final for a second consecutive time but they have got the mentality of winners.
Golden Boot as it stands update:- Mueller leads it with five goals and three assists.
Forlan could have led the race for the Golden Boot if his free-kick had gone in but a fairytale was denied to him and Uruguay.
For Germany, it is their second bronze medal in four years. Their time - in four years time, the talents of Ozil, Mueller, Khedira would have developed even further - will most definitely come.
That was a fantastic 90 minutes of football. After having given us some great fun over the course of the last month, it was just fitting that they served up an outstanding football match. It was a no-holds barred (in this case, defences excuse us but we want to entertain) 90 minutes of sheer joy.
A cruel blow for Uruguay but Germany will not mind.
90+3: A free-kick from just near the box for Uruguay. Friedrich gets a yellow. Forlan eyes up the free-kick. And it hits the crossbar. That's the last kick of the game as the whistle blows. Heartbreak for Forlan and Uruguay.
Just seconds left now.
Abreu comes on for Cavani. Tasci comes on for Ozil.
88th minute Kiessling should have put this match to bed by now. A pass from the edge of the area isolates him and all he has to do is wrap his left-foot softly around the ball and put it into the net. But he hurries his strike and it goes over the bar from just outside the six-yard box.
87th minute Boateng sees an 18-yard left footed strike from the right saved by Muslera.
83rd minute Khedira puts Germany ahead. A loose ball from a Germany corner is put into the back of the net brilliantly by Sami Khedira. Germany's third. Is that game over or does Uruguay have something left in the tank?
Jansen replaced by Kroos.
80th minute Boateng again delivers a lovely cross from the right and Kiessling is inches away from putting Germany into the lead. Boateng's new employers, Manchester City, would be happy to see such crosses.
77th minute Gargano replaces Perez.
76th minute Two chances for Germany in three minutes. Schweinsteiger and Kiessling have close-range efforts deflected and saved respectively.
73rd minute Kiessling replaces Cacau.
70th minute Jansen, obviously buoyed by his goal, decides to have an effort from about 25-yards just near the left touchline. But it misses the keeper's left post and knocks of one of the cameras stationed behind the goal-post. Symbolically saying that his shot was not meant for the cameras.
It's just a shame that this match is to decide the bronze-medallist. It has been a great game so far.
65th minute Cavani and Suarez get involved before Forlan gets a final say. But his shot from about six-yards, from the left, is saved by Butt.
Even though Forlan has scored five goals, he's got one only assist to his name. So it's Mueller who still leads the race.
61st minute Suarez lets it fly from more than 20-yards but Butt punches it away. This is a cracking match, folks. Fair play to both teams
More chances. This time for Germany. Cacus dodges past two defenders before releasing the ball down the left to Ozil. But he procrastinates too much and the situation passes. Up the other end, Uruguay fashion a chance. It's that man Forlan again orchestrating things but his effort from about eight-yards is blocked.
56th minute Jansen scores. A fantastic cross from the right finds Jansen who puts a header from just about six-yards into the net. There were doubts about an own-goal there but Jansen is quick to claim the goal and he gets to keep it.
Forlan is now on level terms with Sneijder and Villa
51st minute A fantastic strike from Forlan. From the right, Arevalo finds Forlan and he only has intention in mind. He, from about 18-yards, takes it superbly on the volley and his strike takes a bounce before nestling into the back of the net. Neuer was rooted to the spot.
48th minute Cavani is on to a lose ball but Butt comes of his line to thwart Cavani's effort. But Cavani gets hold of the ball again and decides to tee up Suarez but the Ajax forward's strike strikes a diving Butt before going behind for a corner. Again poor from Suarez because his strike was anyway going wide.
Germany get us under way for the second-half.
The teams are coming out of the tunnel - it will be the last time Germany and Uruguay will be undertaking that particular exercise at this year's World Cup - for the second-half.
The Germans were enjoying some possession early on but Uruguay woke up after Germany opened the scoring. And they must be ahead to be honest. Suarez - he who has been scoring goals for keeps at Ajax - missed from about six yards just before half-time.
Will Klose come on during the second-half and try to emulate Ronaldo's achievement of 15 goals or even go one better?
And regarding the rules of the Golden Boot, Thomas Mueller indeed does lead the race but not because of the least time. It's because he has more assists than David Villa and Wesley Sneijder.
The whistle goes to signal the end of a rather entertaining first-half.
43rd minute Lugano hands the ball about 20-yards from goal to give Germany a free-kick from a very tempting area. But Schweinsteiger's kick hits the wall and goes behind for a corner.
42nd minute Uruguay should be 2-1 ahead now. A fantastic defence splitting pass from Forlan sends Suarez into the area but his effort from about six-yards, a little to the right of the goal, puts his effort just wide of the keeper's left post.
It's pouring down at the stadium.
This game has picked up its pace after the Germany goal. And both teams want to win it, make no mistake about it.
28th minute That's not something I have said lots of times at this World Cup. Schweinsteiger is robbed off the ball in midfield (yes, you read that right) by Perez and he releases Suarez, who feeds it to Cavani. And the counter is on. With options everywhere, Cavani opts to do it himself and slots it past Butt for his first World Cup goal from just around the 18-yard box. Great counter.
25th minute An attempt from Suarez from inside the box is blocked and the rebound falls to Forlan but Mertesacker's legs prevents Forlan from equalising. Boateng then puts it behind for a corner.
Germany have had some half-chances to further extend their advantage.
Although Mueller is level with Sneijder and Villa, I think he leads the race for the Golden Boot because he has played fewer minutes than both of them. Not sure about this, I will get back to you on this.
19th minute It's the golden boy Mueller again. Khedira tries to inspire a German move through the middle but it breaks and goes back the way it came. But Schweinsteiger, from about 30-yards to goal, rattles in an effort which can only be parried by Muslera. Unfortunately for him, he parries it on to the path of Mueller, who makes no mistake from about eight yards. He had the freedom of the penalty box there, Mueller.
Some possession finally for Uruguay. Germany have been the livelier of the two teams thus far.
10th minute Another German corner and Germany hit the woodwork. Ozil beautifully flights an inswinging corner but a thumping header from Friedrich hits the crossbar.
9th minute Germany has their first corner of the game.
6th minute A free-kick, from about 30-yards from goal, is cracked in by Forlan but a stray hand from the wall stops its flight. Cue yellow for Cacau who handled. The subsequent free-kick, which is again taken by you-know-who, sails wide of the keeper's left post.
5th minute Aogo, getting his first start of the World cup for Germany tonight, has already left his stamp on the match. An ugly challenge which sees him booked.
3rd minute Most of the football has been played in the Uruguay half and as a testament to that, Schweinsteiger earns a free-kick some 35 yards from goal on the left. But the free-kick causes no harm though.
Uruguay will be kicking off the game. And the game has kicked-off.
The anthems are in progress.
The teams are out on the field. FIFA President Sepp Blatter is also out there, shaking the hands of all the players.
Just a few minutes more before the start of the game. I just can't help but get the feeling that both the teams would be less committed. The crunching tackles and challenges would be replaced with casual feelers. Hoping I get proved wrong.
Want some fun? A random prediction says 21-17. Why? Ashwin Achal beat me 21-17 in our last table-tennis game. The Octopus can only predict the victor. I can even give you the scorelines.
Looking at the team formations (and the changes), Uruguay want this more than Germany. But saying that Germany were more than a handful in 2006 when they beat Portugal 3-1 in the third-place play-off.
Injury doubts surrounding Klose is true and he does not start. That is just one of many changes for the German side who also give Bayern Munich keeper Hans-Joerg Butt his first start of the World Cup. Mueller, who could yet win the Golden Boot, also returns to the starting XI.
For Uruguay, forward Luis Suarez returns after serving a one-match ban. Diego Lugano, their captain who was injured for the game against the Netherlands, replaces Victorino in defence.
Team News:
Uruguay: Fernando Muslera, Diego Lugano, Diego Godin, Jorge Fucile, Maximiliano Pereira, Diego Perez, Egidio Arevalo, Edinson Cavani, Martin Caceres, Luis Suarez, Diego Forlan.
Germany: Hans-Joerg Butt, Marcell Jansen, Arne Friedrich, Per Mertesacker, Jerome Boateng, Thomas Mueller, Dennis Aogo, Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Cacau, Mesut Ozil.
Although the question of commitment to play in such an encounter lingers, Miroslav Klose and Diego Forlan have enough ammunition to motivate an entire team, albeit it being for their personal cause.
For Forlan, it's all about winning the Golden Boot. He's currently on four goals - behind Wesley Sneijder and David Villa - and does retain hope of winning the Golden Boot.
For Klose - who also has a chance to win the Golden Boot - a brace tonight would mean he would become the greatest penalty box manipulator in the history of World Cups. Right now he has 14, one short of matching Ronaldo (A brace would also mean he could lead the scoring charts in this World Cup by the end of the night).
Route to the third-place play-off:-
Germany: Group Stages - Beat Australia 4-0, Lost to Serbia 1-0 and beat Ghana 1-0. Round of 16 - beat England 4-1. Quarter-final - beat Argentina 4-0. Semi-final (turn away German fans) - Lost to Spain 1-0
Uruguay: Group Stages - drew France 0-0, beat South Africa 3-0, beat Mexico 1-0. Round of 16 - beat South Korea 2-1. Quarter-final - beat Ghana 4-2 on penalties after 1-1 at the end of 120 minutes. Semi-final - (don't look this way Uruguay supporters) lost to Netherlands 3-2.
The two bridesmaids of this World Cup - the losing semi-finalists - get the chance to go home with a third-place finish to their name but it could have very different. How different? Like playing in the final tomorrow. The difference one match makes.
Hello and welcome to our live updates between Uruguay and Germany.
