SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia -- On a day when they were frustrated, intimidated and pegged back by the red horde in front of them, Germany kept their nerve, hunkered down and punished an opponent's mistake for a 1-0 win that sealed the country's first Confederations Cup trophy.
It's what you'd call a veteran performance, borne out of age-old experience and tactical savvy, except this German side has an average age of 23 and had hardly played together until three-and-a-half weeks ago.
You hate to slip into stereotypes but, when a side this green in terms of experience displays such maturity, you're tempted to credit the magical powers of the white shirt with the four stars on it.