Forlan 51        Jansen 56

                                                                                                                                   Khedira 82

Germany clinched third place for the second consecutive World Cup with this entertaining victory over Uruguay in Port Elizabeth.

They took the lead when Bastian Schweinsteiger’s well-struck 35-yard drive was parried by Uruguay keeper Fernando Muslera into the path of Thomas Mueller, who rolled the ball home right-footed.

La Celeste equalised through Edinson Cavani slotting the ball past German keeper Hans Joerg Butt after a swift three-man break.

And Diego Forlan gave the Uruguayans the lead early in the second half, volleying home Edigio Arevalo Rios’s pinpoint cross from 15 yards.

Germany were level within five minutes, Jerome Boateng’s right-wing cross evading Muslera and bouncing into the net off the side of Marcell Jansen’s face.

Sami Khedira headed home the winner from a poorly-cleared corner. And Forlan narrowly failed to take matters into extra-time when he struck the crossbar with a free-kick which was the last kick of the game.