Germany won the third place playoff after beating Uruguay 3-2 in a fast flowing and entertaining match in Port Elizabeth on Saturday evening.
Germany took the lead through their young midfielder Thomas Mueller on 19m, but Uruguay soon equalised through Edinson Cavani.
Diego Forlan gave Uruguay the lead for the first time early in the second half, but Germany came back to equalise through Marcel Jansen before Sami Khedira scored the winner with eight minutes to go.
It was the second successive time that Germany finished third after they beat Portugal 3-1 in 2006.
In a fast flowing match with plenty of goal mouth action, Uruguay’s Luis Suarez came close with a freekick on 6m, while German defender Arne Friedrich rattled the bar with a header from a corner three minutes later.
Germany took the lead on 19m when Thomas Mueller stabbed in a rebound after a powerful Bastian Schweinsteiger shot that Uruguay keeper Fernando Muslera could only parry away.
Uruguay were soon level when Uruguay launched a counterattack after Diego Perez won possession in midfield, and Edinson Cavani beat Hans Joerg Butt from close range.
Uruguay took the lead through a spectacular goal by Diego Forlan when he volleyed home a cross by Egidio Arevalo on 51m.
But Germany struck back five minutes later when Muslera missed a centre into the box by Jerome Boateng and Marcell Jansen rose high to head the ball into the net.
Chances continued to come at both ends with Mesut Ozil going close after a fine run by Cacau, while Butt brought off a fine save from a Luis Suarez shot.
Germany finally took the lead from an Ozil corner on 82m when Uruguay’s defence could not clear the ball and Khedira headed in from close range.
Uruguay had a chance to equalise in injury time when they won a freekick on the edge of the box, but Forlan’s freekick rattled off the crossbar.