Germany, Netherlands edge closer to World Cup finalsLate show star: Thomas Mueller acknowledges the fans. PARIS: Germany needed a late winner from Thomas Mueller to beat Romania 2-1 while the Netherlands eked out a 1-0 win in Latvia to stay on course for the World Cup finals on Friday. Four-time world champions Germany now have a six-point lead in Group J after their win in Hamburg. A win in Skopje would put the Germans on the brink of punching their World Cup ticket. Croatia, the runners-up to France in the 2018 World Cup final, still lead Group H after a 3-0 win in Cyprus.
