Familiar rivals close in proximity from one another took each other on in some interesting quarterfinal matchups. Which two out of Brazil/Colombia and France/Germany will meet in the semifinals?
Quarterfinal: France vs. Germany
Result: 1-0 win for Germany
Goalscorers: 13' Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)
Bookings: 54' Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), 80' Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich)
Lineups
France (4-3-3)
Hugo Lloris (Tottenham, captain); Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle United), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool), Patrice Evra (Manchester United); Paul Pogba (Juventus), Yohan Cabaye (PSG), Blaise Matuidi (PSG); Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad)
Changes from last match
Change from 4-5-1 to 4-3-3 formation. Laurent Koscielny (who covered for the then injured Sakho) and Olivier Giroud replaced by Sakho and Griezmann in the starting lineup.
Subs:
Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal) 72' for Mamadou Sakho
Loic Remy (Newcastle United) 74' for Yohan Cabaye
Oliver Giroud (Arsenal) 84' for Mathieu Valbuena
Germany (4-2-3-1)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich); Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich, captain), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke); Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid); Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal); Miroslav Klose (Lazio)
Changes from last match:
Change from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 formation. Shkrodan Mustafi (injured), Per Mertesacker, and Mario Gotze left off the starting lineup allowing Hummels, Khedira, and Klose to start. Lahm moves from midfield to his preferred right back position
Subs:
Andre Schurrle (Chelsea) 68' for Miroslav Klose
Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich) 83' for Mesut Ozil
Christoph Kramer (Monchengladbach) 90+3' for Toni Kroos
A matchup that caused the internet to erupt with World War 2 jokes and references was actually pretty interesting on paper. Both teams are coached by intelligent coaches, Didier Deschamps for France and Joachim Low for Germany, we've seen a lot of different players from both sides excel during their respective paths of the tournament, and both these teams along with Netherlands seemed like the most likely of the European teams that survived the group stage to win the World Cup. However, right away we remembered why Germany were so good: they waste no time to get ahead in most matches (vs. Algeria wasn't one of those matches): An early Toni Kroos free kick found Mats Hummels who beat Hugo Lloris with a well-placed header. Mats Hummels became the first defender of this World Cup to score two goals, and his contributions on both offense and defense in this match should definitely cement his starting position at least for the remainder of Germany's tournament barring any injury or suspension (sorry Per Mertesacker). The rest of the match was mostly blown opportunities by France who looked the more inspired side after that goal. Thanks to a block from Mats Hummels and some good saves from Manuel Neuer (and the post on one occasion), the best of France's chances failed. Germany handled the situation well enough for one goal to be all they needed to make it to the semifinals for a record 4th consecutive time at the World Cup. Germany appeared a bit too calm throughout that match but they got the job done and that's all that matters. I think this formation with Klose starting and Lahm in right back works wonders for them, and I understand people are concerned about Klose playing for 70-90 minutes but Germany have more than enough options to make that work.
Elimination Analysis: France
At this day and age one great World Cup run won't be enough to appease French fans. One day you're in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup defeating Brazil, the next Zinedane Zidane gets a red card in the final for a headbutt and the day after that Nicolas Anelka is being kicked out of the squad. However at least for right now things look good for France. They have a wealth of talented players playing for a lot of Europe's best clubs like Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, PSG, and Arsenal. Young players like Raphael Varane, Mamadou Sakho, Paul Pogba, and Antoine Griezmann have yet to reach their full potential. They'll definitely remain as one of Europe's best teams but the next step is trying to become the best, like they did in their sole World Cup triumph in France 1998.
Quarterfinal: Brazil vs. Colombia
Result: 2-1 win for the hosts
Goalscorers: 7' Thiago Silva (PSG), 69' David Luiz (Chelsea), 80' James Rodriguez (Monaco)
Bookings: 64' Thiago Silva (PSG), 67' James Rodriguez (Monaco), 71' Mario Yepes (Atalanta), 78' Julio Cesar (Toronto FC)
Significance of bookings: Thiago Silva will be suspended for the semi final against Germany
Lineups
Brazil (4-2-3-1)
Julio Cesar (Toronto FC); Maicon (Roma), Thiago Silva (PSG, captain), David Luiz (Chelsea), Marcelo (Real Madrid); Fernandinho (Manchester City), Paulinho (Tottenham); Hulk (Zenit), Oscar (Chelsea), Neymar (Barcelona); Fred (Fluminense)
Changes from last match
Dani Alves and Luis Gustavo (yellow card suspension) did not start and were replaced by Maicon and Paulinho
Subs:
Ramires (Chelsea) 82' for Hulk
Hernanes (Inter) 86' for Paulinho
Henrique (Napoli) 88' for Neymar
Colombia (4-4-2)
David Ospina (Nice); Juan Zuniga (Napoli), Cristian Zapata (AC Milan), Mario Yepes (Atalanta, captain), Pablo Armero (West Ham United); Victor Ibarbo (Cagliari), Carlos Sanchez (Elche), Fredy Guarin (Inter), Juan Cuadrado (Fiorentina); Teofilo Gutierrez (River Plate), James Rodriguez (Monaco)
Changes from last match
Abel Aguilar and Jackson Martinez replaced by Guarin and Ibarbo in the starting lineup
Subs:
Adrian Ramos (Hertha BSC) 46' for Victor Ibarbo
Carlos Bacca (Sevilla) 70' for Teofilo Gutierrez
Juan Quintero (Porto) 80' for Juan Cuadrado
Two South American teams who look strong and are usually interesting to watch, this definitely looked like it would be a great match. However Brazil's struggles against teams they were supposed to be able to beat easily and Colombia having an easy group were areas of criticism for both teams. Both managers made interesting lineup choices as main stays Dani Alves for Brazil and Abel Aguilar for Colombia didn't start this time. Despite having a slow start against Chile, and knowing that in recent years teams who progressed via penalty shootout were likely to lose in the next round, Brazil got the first goal thanks to a corner kick. Thiago Silva had an easy opportunity since Carlos Sanchez failed to mark him. Then David Luiz scored from another set piece to make it 2-0 to Brazil. Colombia, who had had an amazing run so far in the World Cup and felt confident in their chances to defeat the hosts, were now in a terrible position. James Rodriguez's penalty kick made the situation a bit more pleasant for the Colombians (6th goal of the World Cup for Rodriguez, 2 ahead of his nearest rivals Messi, Muller, and Neymar) but then the biggest moment of the game came when Juan Zuniga recklessly hit his knee on Neymar's back. The challenge resulted in Neymar needing to be pulled out of the match by stretcher and Neymar is ruled out of the World Cup. It's potentially bad news for Brazil's World Cup hopes, but for now Brazil won the match, sending Colombia home and Brazil into the semifinals for the first time since 2002 (after back to back quarterfinals in 2006 and 2010).
Elimination Analysis: Colombia
After missing the last 3 World Cups, the longest drought of any of the 31 nations in this World Cup who weren't making their debuts (this excludes Bosnia and Herzegovina), it's amazing how things have gone for Colombia. Led by previous Atletico Madrid and later Monaco star Ramadel Falcao, Colombia came in 2nd in CONMEBOL qualification for the World Cup. But it wasn't quite until this World Cup that we realized what an impressive supporting cast he had that are probably stars in their own right, especially James Rodriguez. Even if Colombia didn't have the toughest of group stage opponents (they were the seeded team so they were supposed to be the alpha dog in Group C), they surely did impress us with a beautiful style of playing that other South American giants such as Brazil are known for. James Rodriguez is only 22 and other players will likely be around for a while longer too, and with many of these players playing in notable clubs in Europe (especially in Serie A, such as Juan Cuadrado in Fiorentina and Cristian Zapata in AC Milan), Colombia will hope that their status as one of the best teams in the world doesn't fade away too soon.
Up next
The last two quarterfinal matchups
Argentina vs. Belgium
Netherlands vs. Costa Rica
Neighbors Belgium and Netherlands defeated another pair of neighbors USA and Mexico respectively in the Round of 16. Now their opponents come from other new world nations. Surprise package Costa Rica will not want to wake up from this dream run just yet, but if there's any team that can function as an alarm clock in this situation, it is the Netherlands, who shot Spain and Mexico out of dream land. Belgium will likely be unlikely to be able to be wasteful against Argentina, but the same applies to Argentina. Both teams, despite their vast offensive resources, haven't been beating some of their easier opponents by as many goals as they were expected to. In the only South America vs. Europe showdown in this round, a Belgian win could increase Europe's odds of having one of their nations win a World Cup in South America for the first time, while an Argentine win could signal that history is destined to repeat itself.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Thursday, July 3, 2014
2014 FIFA World Cup Day 19 Review Day 20 Preview
The Round of 16 draws to a close. Lionel Messi and Argentina, Xherden Shaqiri and Switzerland, Eden Hazard and Belgium, and Clint Dempsey and USA. 2 of those teams are in the quarterfinals, 2 of those teams are going home.
Round of 16: 1F Argentina vs 2E Switzerland
Result: A late 1-0 Argentine win
Goalscorers: 118' Angel di Maria (Real Madrid)
Bookings: 36' Granit Xhaka (Monchengladbach), 73' Gelson Fernandes (Freiburg), 90' Marcos Rojo (Sporting CP), 120' Angel di Maria (Real Madrid), 120+4' Ezequiel Garay (Benfica)
Lineups
Argentina (4-3-3)
Sergio Romero (Monaco); Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Federico Fernandez (Napoli), Ezequiel Garay (Benfica), Marcos Rojo (Sporting CP); Fernando Gago (Boca Juniors), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Angel di Maria (Real Madrid); Lionel Messi (Barcelona, captain), Ezequiel Lavezzi (PSG), Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli)
Changes from last match
Sergio Aguero, who wasn't quite 100%, left on the bench replaced by Lavezzi
Subs:
Rodrigo Palacio (Inter) 74' for Ezequiel Lavezzi
Jose Maria Basanta (Monterrey) 105+1' for Marcos Rojo
Lucas Biglia (Lazio) 106' for Fernando Gago
Switzerland (4-2-3-1)
Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg); Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Johan Djourou (Hamburger), Fabian Schar (Basel), Ricardo Rodriguez (Wolfsburg); Valon Behrami (Napoli), Gokhan Inler (Napoli, captain); Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich), Granit Xhaka (Monchengladbach), Admir Mehmedi (Freiburg); Josip Drmic (Nurnberg)
Changes from last match
Same starters and formation used against Honduras
Subs:
Gelson Fernandes (Freiburg) 66' for Granit Xhaka
Haris Seferovic (Real Sociedad) 82' for Josip Drmic
Blerim Dzemaili (Napoli) 113' for Admir Mehmedi
Despite both teams having more talented players besides their brightest stars, Messi for Argentina and Shaqiri for Switzerland have been instrumental to their success in the tournament up to this point. In the first half of normal time, Switzerland looked like the better team and had 2 great chances but it remained scoreless in halftime. Argentina began picking up the pace and looking more like themselves, but then both teams just cancelled each other out for the rest of the game. That is, until the last few minutes of extra time. A great run from Argentina threatened the Switzerland defense. Lionel Messi gave Angel di Maria a great ball in and di Maria finished it to score the decisive goal for Argentina. Switzerland got one last great chance in the form of a free kick outside Argentina's box in the last minute of the game, but Xherdan Shaqiri's shot hit the wall and time was up, allowing Argentina to breathe and move on to the quarterfinals for the 3rd World Cup in a row.
Elimination Analysis: Switzerland
Switzerland definitely looked the most out of place from the 8 seeded teams this World Cup (Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Belgium, Colombia<---first World Cup since 1998, and Uruguay, who qualified via playoffs), but they were an interesting and enigmatic team. In 2006, Switzerland were knocked out in the Round of 16 despite not conceding a goal (losing to Ukraine in a penalty shootout). In 2010, Switzerland beat Spain but failed to beat Chile and Honduras and left in the group stage. Switzerland were like a poor man's Belgium: they had a collection of decent players scattered around notable European clubs and were probably among the darkest of dark horses in this tournament. However, Switzerland definitely didn't look like a team that were going to lift the trophy. They won the games they were supposed to win (although they left it very late to score the winning goal against Ecuador), against the favorites of their group France they got defeated rather easily, and ultimately when it came down to the wire they lacked that extra bit of skill to come out on top against Argentina. Switzerland remain a team that will be happy to qualify for major tournaments in a tough region, UEFA, and with Ottmar Hitzfeld retiring, it won't be easy to find a coach as influential and intelligent as him. Switzerland will continue to be a mystery until they find consistency.
Round of 16: 1H Belgium vs. 2G United States
Result: 2-1 win for Belgium
Goalscorers: 93' Kevin de Bruyne (Wolfsburg), 105' Romelu Lukaku (Everton), 107' Julian Green (Bayern Munich)
Bookings: 18' Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), 42' Vincent Kompany (Manchester City)
Lineups
Belgium (4-2-3-1)
Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid); Toby Alderweireld (Atletico Madrid), Daniel van Buyten (Bayern Munich), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City, captain), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham); Axel Witsel (Zenit), Marouane Fellani (Manchester United); Dries Mertens (Napoli), Kevin de Bruyne (Wolfsburg), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Divock Origi (Lille)
Changes from last match
Anthony Van Den Borre (injured), Nicolas Lombaerts, Steven Defour (red card vs. South Korea), Mousa Dembele, Adnan Januzaj, and Kevin Mirallas left on the bench which meant Alderweireld, Kompany, Witsel, Hazard, de Bruyne, and Origi were able to start.
Subs:
Kevin Mirallas (Everton) 60' for Dries Mertens
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) 91' for Divock Origi
Nacer Chadli (Tottenham) 111' for Eden Hazard
United States (4-5-1)
Tim Howard (Everton); Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla); Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City); Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders)
Changes from last match
Change from 4-2-3-1 to 4-5-1 formation. Kyle Beckerman and Brad Davis replaced in the starting lineup by Cameron and Bedoya.
Subs:
DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders) 32' for Fabian Johnson
Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes) 72' for Graham Zusi
Julian Green (Bayern Munich) 105+2' for Alejandro Bedoya
USA got out of a tough group but are still rarely going to be favorites in any knockout stage encounter. Belgium got out of a weak group unscathed but are still a talented team. USA's worst nightmares would be that they would face the same problems they faced against Germany (being unable to hang onto possession, putting immense stress on the defense and goalkeeper) and that Belgium's talented but inexperienced team would finally start reaching their true potential. And in this match, slowly but surely those nightmares were coming true but USA definitely did put up more of a fight. They did get chances but it was still Belgium who had the bulk of them and if it weren't for some poor finishing from the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Jan Vertonghen (it was mostly them, but almost everyone except Thibaut Courtois got at least one crack at Tim Howard) and Tim Howard making 16 (yes, 16, saves), USA would've been massively screwed. However USA refused to give up. The rare opportunities they did get they put into better use than Belgium and Chris Wondolowski had a huge opportunity to break Belgian hearts and give USA a win but he didn't even hit the target. This match became the 5th of so far 8 knockout stage encounters to require extra time. My first thoughts were "ok if we can survive the first five minutes we can have a chance, just please don't concede early like they did against Ghana in the last World Cup. And guess what USA did? They conceded early. The player who seemed like he was having the worst luck ever taking shots, Kevin de Bruyne finally got rewarded for his efforts and finally scored for Belgium. To make matters worse Romelu Lukaku, the last guy you want to see on the other team if you're a tired US defender (which wasn't the first problem for the USA's defense, since Fabian Johnson had to leave the game early as he pulled a hamstring, just like his teammate Jozy Altidore). Lukaku helped set up de Bruyne's goal and he got his own right before the end of the first half of extra time. It seemed like things were finally over and Belgium had it in the bag, but all of a sudden Julian Green of all players scores and gives USA some hope. The rest of the game is pretty much USA going for that 2nd goal, with Clint Dempsey getting the closest to bringing it 2-2, but it didn't come and USA were knocked out, with Belgium reaching the quarterfinals for the first time since 1986 and their 2nd time overall.
Elimination Analysis: United States
I admit I was one of the people who were nervous for the World Cup after the draw back in December. Imagine being stuck in a car in a road trip with 3 people you're not quite friends with. That's how it was for USA. Not only were Germany, Portugal, and Ghana strong teams but in the last 3 World Cups USA had faced those teams in what were dramatic and emotional encounters. It's never easy being the USA. Because we call football soccer, because the majority of the population may prefer other sports over soccer, and.or because we compete in CONCACAF USA faces more criticism than most other teams that are at least a semi-regular sight in the World Cup. But this was an opportunity to prove to the world that they are no longer minnows in the World Cup. And it's a chance they took. They finally "broke the curse" and beat Ghana, they nearly beat Portugal once again but settled for a draw that saw USA dominate decent portions of the match against Portugual. Even though Portugal weren't 100%, they were still considered favorites by a lot of people. And Germany did beat the USA but it was a respectable game that saw Jurgen Klinsmann face his home nation and the team he coached at a World Cup 8 years ago, and since Portugal got taken down 4-0, a 1-0 loss doesn't look so bad. As runner up of a group, facing Belgium in the next round seemed like a manageable task if we played our best but USA didn't. Belgium did. But even if players like Clint Dempsey, DaMarcus Beasley, Landon Donovan (who was left out of this World Cup squad), and Tim Howard will likely not be around by the next World Cup, hopefully by then players like Matt Besler, Graham Zusi, Fabian Johnson, DeAndre Yedlin, Aron Johansson, and Julian Green will only be better and USA will be able to set their heights higher then. But for now, we'll see how much attention soccer in the USA can sustain after the World Cup is over and how the 2015 Gold Cup and 2016 Copa America Centennial (both hosted by USA) go.
Round of 16 Wrap-Up
Despite all 16 teams putting up a decent fight, only the eight group winners survived and now have a 12.5% chance (on paper, not considering strength of each remaining team, which would increase or decrease those numbers) at lifting the most coveted trophy in this sport. 4 European teams (Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands), 3 South American teams (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and 1 North American (or Central American, which is a region, not its own continent) team (Costa Rica) remain. Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Netherlands seek their 1st, France their 2nd, Argentina their 3rd, Germany their 4th, and Brazil their 6th World Cup. It's Netherland's 2nd, Argentina's 3rd, Brazil's 6th, and Germany's 16th quarterfinal appearance in a row: it's Costa Rica and Colombia's 1st every quarterfinal appearance.
Goodbye, but congrats on reaching the top 16!
Algeria
Chile
Greece
Mexico
Nigeria
Switzerland
United States
Uruguay
Quarterfinal matchups and previews for the first two
Friday July 4th
France vs. Germany
Brazil vs. Colombia
Saturday July 5th
Argentina vs. Belgium
Netherlands vs. Costa Rica
No matter what happens, exactly 1 European and 1 South American team will be triumphant in Friday's matches. It's no surprise Germany has made it this far but it was tougher to get there than they expected, narrowly defeating Algeria after extra time. France however had a more comfortable victory over Nigeria and it only took 90 minutes for them to win their game. Both teams have strong, deep squads and it will take the combined efforts of all of their players that get used to defeat the other, and it looks like it'll be a good match.
The pressure continues to grow for Brazil. For the superstitious breed, they're relieved not to be facing Uruguay (remember Uruguay vs. Brazil at the 1950 World Cup), but that relief isn't that comforting considering Colombia is proving to be a very strong team even without Ramadel Falcao. James Rodriguez currently leads the scoring racing with 5 goals and might need to score more against Brazil if Colombia are to advance. If Brazil can conquer Colombia, winning the World Cup in their own backyard will seem much more realistic after barely getting through Chile on penalties.
Round of 16: 1F Argentina vs 2E Switzerland
Result: A late 1-0 Argentine win
Goalscorers: 118' Angel di Maria (Real Madrid)
Bookings: 36' Granit Xhaka (Monchengladbach), 73' Gelson Fernandes (Freiburg), 90' Marcos Rojo (Sporting CP), 120' Angel di Maria (Real Madrid), 120+4' Ezequiel Garay (Benfica)
Lineups
Argentina (4-3-3)
Sergio Romero (Monaco); Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Federico Fernandez (Napoli), Ezequiel Garay (Benfica), Marcos Rojo (Sporting CP); Fernando Gago (Boca Juniors), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Angel di Maria (Real Madrid); Lionel Messi (Barcelona, captain), Ezequiel Lavezzi (PSG), Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli)
Changes from last match
Sergio Aguero, who wasn't quite 100%, left on the bench replaced by Lavezzi
Subs:
Rodrigo Palacio (Inter) 74' for Ezequiel Lavezzi
Jose Maria Basanta (Monterrey) 105+1' for Marcos Rojo
Lucas Biglia (Lazio) 106' for Fernando Gago
Switzerland (4-2-3-1)
Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg); Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Johan Djourou (Hamburger), Fabian Schar (Basel), Ricardo Rodriguez (Wolfsburg); Valon Behrami (Napoli), Gokhan Inler (Napoli, captain); Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich), Granit Xhaka (Monchengladbach), Admir Mehmedi (Freiburg); Josip Drmic (Nurnberg)
Changes from last match
Same starters and formation used against Honduras
Subs:
Gelson Fernandes (Freiburg) 66' for Granit Xhaka
Haris Seferovic (Real Sociedad) 82' for Josip Drmic
Blerim Dzemaili (Napoli) 113' for Admir Mehmedi
Despite both teams having more talented players besides their brightest stars, Messi for Argentina and Shaqiri for Switzerland have been instrumental to their success in the tournament up to this point. In the first half of normal time, Switzerland looked like the better team and had 2 great chances but it remained scoreless in halftime. Argentina began picking up the pace and looking more like themselves, but then both teams just cancelled each other out for the rest of the game. That is, until the last few minutes of extra time. A great run from Argentina threatened the Switzerland defense. Lionel Messi gave Angel di Maria a great ball in and di Maria finished it to score the decisive goal for Argentina. Switzerland got one last great chance in the form of a free kick outside Argentina's box in the last minute of the game, but Xherdan Shaqiri's shot hit the wall and time was up, allowing Argentina to breathe and move on to the quarterfinals for the 3rd World Cup in a row.
Elimination Analysis: Switzerland
Switzerland definitely looked the most out of place from the 8 seeded teams this World Cup (Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Belgium, Colombia<---first World Cup since 1998, and Uruguay, who qualified via playoffs), but they were an interesting and enigmatic team. In 2006, Switzerland were knocked out in the Round of 16 despite not conceding a goal (losing to Ukraine in a penalty shootout). In 2010, Switzerland beat Spain but failed to beat Chile and Honduras and left in the group stage. Switzerland were like a poor man's Belgium: they had a collection of decent players scattered around notable European clubs and were probably among the darkest of dark horses in this tournament. However, Switzerland definitely didn't look like a team that were going to lift the trophy. They won the games they were supposed to win (although they left it very late to score the winning goal against Ecuador), against the favorites of their group France they got defeated rather easily, and ultimately when it came down to the wire they lacked that extra bit of skill to come out on top against Argentina. Switzerland remain a team that will be happy to qualify for major tournaments in a tough region, UEFA, and with Ottmar Hitzfeld retiring, it won't be easy to find a coach as influential and intelligent as him. Switzerland will continue to be a mystery until they find consistency.
Round of 16: 1H Belgium vs. 2G United States
Result: 2-1 win for Belgium
Goalscorers: 93' Kevin de Bruyne (Wolfsburg), 105' Romelu Lukaku (Everton), 107' Julian Green (Bayern Munich)
Bookings: 18' Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), 42' Vincent Kompany (Manchester City)
Lineups
Belgium (4-2-3-1)
Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid); Toby Alderweireld (Atletico Madrid), Daniel van Buyten (Bayern Munich), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City, captain), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham); Axel Witsel (Zenit), Marouane Fellani (Manchester United); Dries Mertens (Napoli), Kevin de Bruyne (Wolfsburg), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Divock Origi (Lille)
Changes from last match
Anthony Van Den Borre (injured), Nicolas Lombaerts, Steven Defour (red card vs. South Korea), Mousa Dembele, Adnan Januzaj, and Kevin Mirallas left on the bench which meant Alderweireld, Kompany, Witsel, Hazard, de Bruyne, and Origi were able to start.
Subs:
Kevin Mirallas (Everton) 60' for Dries Mertens
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) 91' for Divock Origi
Nacer Chadli (Tottenham) 111' for Eden Hazard
United States (4-5-1)
Tim Howard (Everton); Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla); Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City); Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders)
Changes from last match
Change from 4-2-3-1 to 4-5-1 formation. Kyle Beckerman and Brad Davis replaced in the starting lineup by Cameron and Bedoya.
Subs:
DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders) 32' for Fabian Johnson
Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes) 72' for Graham Zusi
Julian Green (Bayern Munich) 105+2' for Alejandro Bedoya
USA got out of a tough group but are still rarely going to be favorites in any knockout stage encounter. Belgium got out of a weak group unscathed but are still a talented team. USA's worst nightmares would be that they would face the same problems they faced against Germany (being unable to hang onto possession, putting immense stress on the defense and goalkeeper) and that Belgium's talented but inexperienced team would finally start reaching their true potential. And in this match, slowly but surely those nightmares were coming true but USA definitely did put up more of a fight. They did get chances but it was still Belgium who had the bulk of them and if it weren't for some poor finishing from the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Jan Vertonghen (it was mostly them, but almost everyone except Thibaut Courtois got at least one crack at Tim Howard) and Tim Howard making 16 (yes, 16, saves), USA would've been massively screwed. However USA refused to give up. The rare opportunities they did get they put into better use than Belgium and Chris Wondolowski had a huge opportunity to break Belgian hearts and give USA a win but he didn't even hit the target. This match became the 5th of so far 8 knockout stage encounters to require extra time. My first thoughts were "ok if we can survive the first five minutes we can have a chance, just please don't concede early like they did against Ghana in the last World Cup. And guess what USA did? They conceded early. The player who seemed like he was having the worst luck ever taking shots, Kevin de Bruyne finally got rewarded for his efforts and finally scored for Belgium. To make matters worse Romelu Lukaku, the last guy you want to see on the other team if you're a tired US defender (which wasn't the first problem for the USA's defense, since Fabian Johnson had to leave the game early as he pulled a hamstring, just like his teammate Jozy Altidore). Lukaku helped set up de Bruyne's goal and he got his own right before the end of the first half of extra time. It seemed like things were finally over and Belgium had it in the bag, but all of a sudden Julian Green of all players scores and gives USA some hope. The rest of the game is pretty much USA going for that 2nd goal, with Clint Dempsey getting the closest to bringing it 2-2, but it didn't come and USA were knocked out, with Belgium reaching the quarterfinals for the first time since 1986 and their 2nd time overall.
Elimination Analysis: United States
I admit I was one of the people who were nervous for the World Cup after the draw back in December. Imagine being stuck in a car in a road trip with 3 people you're not quite friends with. That's how it was for USA. Not only were Germany, Portugal, and Ghana strong teams but in the last 3 World Cups USA had faced those teams in what were dramatic and emotional encounters. It's never easy being the USA. Because we call football soccer, because the majority of the population may prefer other sports over soccer, and.or because we compete in CONCACAF USA faces more criticism than most other teams that are at least a semi-regular sight in the World Cup. But this was an opportunity to prove to the world that they are no longer minnows in the World Cup. And it's a chance they took. They finally "broke the curse" and beat Ghana, they nearly beat Portugal once again but settled for a draw that saw USA dominate decent portions of the match against Portugual. Even though Portugal weren't 100%, they were still considered favorites by a lot of people. And Germany did beat the USA but it was a respectable game that saw Jurgen Klinsmann face his home nation and the team he coached at a World Cup 8 years ago, and since Portugal got taken down 4-0, a 1-0 loss doesn't look so bad. As runner up of a group, facing Belgium in the next round seemed like a manageable task if we played our best but USA didn't. Belgium did. But even if players like Clint Dempsey, DaMarcus Beasley, Landon Donovan (who was left out of this World Cup squad), and Tim Howard will likely not be around by the next World Cup, hopefully by then players like Matt Besler, Graham Zusi, Fabian Johnson, DeAndre Yedlin, Aron Johansson, and Julian Green will only be better and USA will be able to set their heights higher then. But for now, we'll see how much attention soccer in the USA can sustain after the World Cup is over and how the 2015 Gold Cup and 2016 Copa America Centennial (both hosted by USA) go.
Round of 16 Wrap-Up
Despite all 16 teams putting up a decent fight, only the eight group winners survived and now have a 12.5% chance (on paper, not considering strength of each remaining team, which would increase or decrease those numbers) at lifting the most coveted trophy in this sport. 4 European teams (Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands), 3 South American teams (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and 1 North American (or Central American, which is a region, not its own continent) team (Costa Rica) remain. Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Netherlands seek their 1st, France their 2nd, Argentina their 3rd, Germany their 4th, and Brazil their 6th World Cup. It's Netherland's 2nd, Argentina's 3rd, Brazil's 6th, and Germany's 16th quarterfinal appearance in a row: it's Costa Rica and Colombia's 1st every quarterfinal appearance.
Goodbye, but congrats on reaching the top 16!
Algeria
Chile
Greece
Mexico
Nigeria
Switzerland
United States
Uruguay
Quarterfinal matchups and previews for the first two
Friday July 4th
France vs. Germany
Brazil vs. Colombia
Saturday July 5th
Argentina vs. Belgium
Netherlands vs. Costa Rica
No matter what happens, exactly 1 European and 1 South American team will be triumphant in Friday's matches. It's no surprise Germany has made it this far but it was tougher to get there than they expected, narrowly defeating Algeria after extra time. France however had a more comfortable victory over Nigeria and it only took 90 minutes for them to win their game. Both teams have strong, deep squads and it will take the combined efforts of all of their players that get used to defeat the other, and it looks like it'll be a good match.
The pressure continues to grow for Brazil. For the superstitious breed, they're relieved not to be facing Uruguay (remember Uruguay vs. Brazil at the 1950 World Cup), but that relief isn't that comforting considering Colombia is proving to be a very strong team even without Ramadel Falcao. James Rodriguez currently leads the scoring racing with 5 goals and might need to score more against Brazil if Colombia are to advance. If Brazil can conquer Colombia, winning the World Cup in their own backyard will seem much more realistic after barely getting through Chile on penalties.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
2014 FIFA World Cup Day 18 Review Day 19 Preview
Africa's last survivors in this World Cup took on a pair of European giants, and this is what happened:
Round of 16: 1E France vs. 2F Nigeria
Result: 2-0 win for France
Goalscorers: 79' Paul Pogba (Juventus), 90+2' Joseph Yobo own goal (Norwich City)
Bookings: 54' Blaise Matuidi (PSG)
Lineups
France (4-5-1)
Hugo Lloris (Tottenham, captain); Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle United), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United); Yohan Cabaye (PSG), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid); Olivier Giroud (Arsenal)
Changes from last match
Bacary Sagna, Mamadou Sakho (injured), Lucas Digne, Morgan Schneiderlin, Antoine Griezmann, and Moussa Sissoko left on the bench, allowing Debuchy, Varane, Evra, Cabaye (was suspended from Ecuador game due to yellow cards), Valbuena, and Giroud to start.
Subs:
Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad) 62' for Olivier Giroud
Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United) 90+4' for Mathieu Valbuena
Nigeria (4-4-2)
Vincent Enyeama (Lille); Efe Ambrose (Celtic), Joseph Yobo (Norwich City, captain), Juwon Oshaniwa (Ashdod), Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough); Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow), Ogenyi Onazi (Lazio), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea), Victor Moses (Liverpool); Peter Odemwingie (Stoke City), Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce)
Changes from last match
Michael Babatunde replaced by Moses in the starting lineup, otherwise same starters and formation used against Argentina
Subs:
Reuben Gabriel (Waasland-Beveren) 59' for Ogenyi Onazi
Uche Nwofor (Heerenveen) 89' for Victor Moses
Both teams failed to get out of the group stage in the last World Cup but just because they got farther than last time didn't mean they were satisfied just by getting to this point. Both sides believed they could get into the quarterfinals (for Nigeria, it would've been their first quarterfinal ever and Africa's 4th, while for France that was quite familiar but inconsistently visited territory). Nigeria looked up to the task and seemingly scored a goal in the first half but Emmanuel Emenike's effort was ruled offside by the referee Mark Geiger. France had most of the chances and Vicent Enyeama was more busy than Hugo Lloris was, but Enyeama was not phased and made a lot of good saves, denying a lot of good chances France had including a powerful header from Karim Benzema. But in a corner kick in the 79' minute, a Vincent Enyeama blunder and poor marking all around by the Nigerians resulted in an easy opportunity for Paul Pogba to finally put France in front. And although Nigeria tried their best to equalize with what little time they had left, all that happened was their captain Joseph Yobo (celebrating his 100th cap for Nigeria, the first Nigerian player to reach that milestone) scoring an own goal (which Antoine Griezmann thought, or claimed, was his) which only sealed France's victory. Now France move on in the tournament with potentially their toughest opponent yet standing by. Considering France's opposition so far, their appearance in the quarterfinals wasn't quite a shock but they still have been playing quite well. However, all those missed opportunities are more likely to go punished when playing a stronger team.
Elimination Analysis: Nigeria
From a disappointing early exit in 2010 in their home continent and their president threatening to ban Nigeria from playing for two years, a lot has gone right for Nigeria these last four years. Their players have made moves to bigger clubs (Enyeama from Hapoel Tel Aviv to Lille, Victor Moses from Wigan Athletic to Liverpool on loan from Chelsea, Peter Odemwingie from Lokomotiv Moscow to Stoke City), and they put together a decent showing at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup which resulted from an impressive African Cup of Nations victory that same year. Even though they matched their best finish at a World Cup with a Round of 16 appearance, there is still area for improvement, especially since Nigeria were lucky to get this far. Had Edin Dzeko's goal been correctly allowed, Bosnia and Herzegovina would've made it through to the last 16 at Nigeria's expense. Their defense remains a work in progress, with Joseph Yobo not getting any younger (33) and Efe Ambrose being their next best defender, whose Champions League experience with Celtic is largely appreciated for this team. The key now for Nigeria is consistency. They have to be hungry for more and assert their dominance at least in a regional perspective. If Nigeria can constantly match or best the likes of Cote D'Ivoire and Ghana, then that would be good for them.
Round of 16: 1G Germany vs. 2H Algeria
Result: Germany escape with a 2-1 win
Goalscorers: 92' Andre Schurrle (Chelsea), 120' Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), 120+1' Abdelmoumane Djabou (Club Africain)
Bookings: 42' Rafik Halliche (Academica), 107' Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)
Lineups
Algeria (5-1-3-1)
Rais M'Bolhi (CSKA Sofia), Mehdi Mostefa (Ajaccio), Esseid Belkalem (Watford), Rafik Halliche (Academica, captain), Aissa Mandi (Reims), Faouzi Ghoulam (Napoli); Mehdi Lacen (Getafe); Saphir Taider (Inter), Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia), Islam Slimani (Sporting CP); El Arbi Hillel Soudani (Dinamo Zagreb)
Subs:
Yacine Brahimi (Granada) 78' for Saphir Taider
Madjid Bougherra (Lekhwiya) 97' for Rafik Halliche
Abdelmoumene Djabou (Club Africain) 100' for El Arbi Hillel Soudani
Germany (4-3-3)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Shkodran Mustafi (Sampdoria), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke); Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich, captain), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich); Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Subs:
Andre Schurrle (Chelsea) 46' for Mario Gotze
Sami Khedira (Real Madrid) 70' for Shkodran Mustafi
Christoph Kramer (Monchengladbach) 109' for Bastian Schweinsteiger
Believe it or not, Algeria had an 100% record against Germany going into this match. A victory in a friendly match as well as a famous 2-1 victory over West Germany in the Group Stage in the 1982 World Cup. However, on the final match day of the group stage, West Germany and Austria played out a convenient 1-0 German win that sent both teams through and eliminated Algeria on goal difference. Known as the "non-aggression pact of Gijon", it's something the Algerians were very upset about. That incident is the reason why the final group matches in major tournaments are played simultaneous now. Germany were expected to dominate and annihilate the Algerians but Algeria looked like they could make history repeat itself, looking dangerous throughout the match. Germany were denied by various good saves by Rais M'Bohli but also screwed up a lot of good chances. The match went to extra time but right at the start of it, Andre Schurrle finally broke through the impressive Algerian defense and scored for Germany. Mesut Ozil sealed the deal and Algeria finally got a goal they deserved as Sofiane Feghouli delivered a great cross to Abdelmoumane Djabou but it was too little too late. Germany, in what definitely was their worst performance of this tournament so far, just made it to the quarterfinals, and France will hope that Germany play like this in that match.
Elimination Analysis: Algeria
In 2010, Algeria were known solely for giving England a hard time and for being the team USA beat to win the group and advance to the second round. They entered this World Cup as one of the teams with the lowest expectations from non-Algerian fans, they exit it as arguably the best African team of the tournament. They scored 7 goals, more than all the goals they obtained in their previous World Cup history. To get out of their group instead of either Russia or South Korea and then causing as much problems as they did to favorites Germany, they have gained a lot of respect from the soccer/football world. This could be the last tournament Algeria are underestimated in, as long as they keep getting results. And with players like Islam Slimani and Sofiane Feghouli, that seems very likely.
Up Next
1F Argentina vs. 2E Switzerland
1H Belgium vs. 2G United States
A showdown between Lionel Messi vs. Xherdan Shaqiri. Both are idols for their respective countries and their teammates, coaches, and fans will look to them to lift their respective sides into their quarterfinals. Aside from a 5-2 defeat to France, Switzerland have looked like a decent team. Argentina have had their work cut out for them so far and needed Lionel Messi to get them this far. However, whichever team gets the most out of their other players besides their main super star will be the one to win.
Belgium and USA both are trying to shake off their underdog statuses compared to the elite teams in the world, but both have talented squads that have their fans excited about their chances of doing well in this World Cup. USA are happy to have survived a group everyone thought would be too much for them, but now they're looking to do even better, and against a vulnerable Belgian side that will likely be without Vincent Kompany, they certainly have a shot. But Belgium are still a vastly talented team with a number of elite clubs in their players' resumes and will like their chances against a USA team they've already beaten twice (1-0 in Brussels, 4-2 in Cleveland) in the Jurgen Klinsmann era.
Round of 16: 1E France vs. 2F Nigeria
Result: 2-0 win for France
Goalscorers: 79' Paul Pogba (Juventus), 90+2' Joseph Yobo own goal (Norwich City)
Bookings: 54' Blaise Matuidi (PSG)
Lineups
France (4-5-1)
Hugo Lloris (Tottenham, captain); Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle United), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United); Yohan Cabaye (PSG), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid); Olivier Giroud (Arsenal)
Changes from last match
Bacary Sagna, Mamadou Sakho (injured), Lucas Digne, Morgan Schneiderlin, Antoine Griezmann, and Moussa Sissoko left on the bench, allowing Debuchy, Varane, Evra, Cabaye (was suspended from Ecuador game due to yellow cards), Valbuena, and Giroud to start.
Subs:
Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad) 62' for Olivier Giroud
Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United) 90+4' for Mathieu Valbuena
Nigeria (4-4-2)
Vincent Enyeama (Lille); Efe Ambrose (Celtic), Joseph Yobo (Norwich City, captain), Juwon Oshaniwa (Ashdod), Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough); Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow), Ogenyi Onazi (Lazio), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea), Victor Moses (Liverpool); Peter Odemwingie (Stoke City), Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce)
Changes from last match
Michael Babatunde replaced by Moses in the starting lineup, otherwise same starters and formation used against Argentina
Subs:
Reuben Gabriel (Waasland-Beveren) 59' for Ogenyi Onazi
Uche Nwofor (Heerenveen) 89' for Victor Moses
Both teams failed to get out of the group stage in the last World Cup but just because they got farther than last time didn't mean they were satisfied just by getting to this point. Both sides believed they could get into the quarterfinals (for Nigeria, it would've been their first quarterfinal ever and Africa's 4th, while for France that was quite familiar but inconsistently visited territory). Nigeria looked up to the task and seemingly scored a goal in the first half but Emmanuel Emenike's effort was ruled offside by the referee Mark Geiger. France had most of the chances and Vicent Enyeama was more busy than Hugo Lloris was, but Enyeama was not phased and made a lot of good saves, denying a lot of good chances France had including a powerful header from Karim Benzema. But in a corner kick in the 79' minute, a Vincent Enyeama blunder and poor marking all around by the Nigerians resulted in an easy opportunity for Paul Pogba to finally put France in front. And although Nigeria tried their best to equalize with what little time they had left, all that happened was their captain Joseph Yobo (celebrating his 100th cap for Nigeria, the first Nigerian player to reach that milestone) scoring an own goal (which Antoine Griezmann thought, or claimed, was his) which only sealed France's victory. Now France move on in the tournament with potentially their toughest opponent yet standing by. Considering France's opposition so far, their appearance in the quarterfinals wasn't quite a shock but they still have been playing quite well. However, all those missed opportunities are more likely to go punished when playing a stronger team.
Elimination Analysis: Nigeria
From a disappointing early exit in 2010 in their home continent and their president threatening to ban Nigeria from playing for two years, a lot has gone right for Nigeria these last four years. Their players have made moves to bigger clubs (Enyeama from Hapoel Tel Aviv to Lille, Victor Moses from Wigan Athletic to Liverpool on loan from Chelsea, Peter Odemwingie from Lokomotiv Moscow to Stoke City), and they put together a decent showing at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup which resulted from an impressive African Cup of Nations victory that same year. Even though they matched their best finish at a World Cup with a Round of 16 appearance, there is still area for improvement, especially since Nigeria were lucky to get this far. Had Edin Dzeko's goal been correctly allowed, Bosnia and Herzegovina would've made it through to the last 16 at Nigeria's expense. Their defense remains a work in progress, with Joseph Yobo not getting any younger (33) and Efe Ambrose being their next best defender, whose Champions League experience with Celtic is largely appreciated for this team. The key now for Nigeria is consistency. They have to be hungry for more and assert their dominance at least in a regional perspective. If Nigeria can constantly match or best the likes of Cote D'Ivoire and Ghana, then that would be good for them.
Round of 16: 1G Germany vs. 2H Algeria
Result: Germany escape with a 2-1 win
Goalscorers: 92' Andre Schurrle (Chelsea), 120' Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), 120+1' Abdelmoumane Djabou (Club Africain)
Bookings: 42' Rafik Halliche (Academica), 107' Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)
Lineups
Algeria (5-1-3-1)
Rais M'Bolhi (CSKA Sofia), Mehdi Mostefa (Ajaccio), Esseid Belkalem (Watford), Rafik Halliche (Academica, captain), Aissa Mandi (Reims), Faouzi Ghoulam (Napoli); Mehdi Lacen (Getafe); Saphir Taider (Inter), Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia), Islam Slimani (Sporting CP); El Arbi Hillel Soudani (Dinamo Zagreb)
Subs:
Yacine Brahimi (Granada) 78' for Saphir Taider
Madjid Bougherra (Lekhwiya) 97' for Rafik Halliche
Abdelmoumene Djabou (Club Africain) 100' for El Arbi Hillel Soudani
Germany (4-3-3)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Shkodran Mustafi (Sampdoria), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke); Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich, captain), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich); Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Subs:
Andre Schurrle (Chelsea) 46' for Mario Gotze
Sami Khedira (Real Madrid) 70' for Shkodran Mustafi
Christoph Kramer (Monchengladbach) 109' for Bastian Schweinsteiger
Believe it or not, Algeria had an 100% record against Germany going into this match. A victory in a friendly match as well as a famous 2-1 victory over West Germany in the Group Stage in the 1982 World Cup. However, on the final match day of the group stage, West Germany and Austria played out a convenient 1-0 German win that sent both teams through and eliminated Algeria on goal difference. Known as the "non-aggression pact of Gijon", it's something the Algerians were very upset about. That incident is the reason why the final group matches in major tournaments are played simultaneous now. Germany were expected to dominate and annihilate the Algerians but Algeria looked like they could make history repeat itself, looking dangerous throughout the match. Germany were denied by various good saves by Rais M'Bohli but also screwed up a lot of good chances. The match went to extra time but right at the start of it, Andre Schurrle finally broke through the impressive Algerian defense and scored for Germany. Mesut Ozil sealed the deal and Algeria finally got a goal they deserved as Sofiane Feghouli delivered a great cross to Abdelmoumane Djabou but it was too little too late. Germany, in what definitely was their worst performance of this tournament so far, just made it to the quarterfinals, and France will hope that Germany play like this in that match.
Elimination Analysis: Algeria
In 2010, Algeria were known solely for giving England a hard time and for being the team USA beat to win the group and advance to the second round. They entered this World Cup as one of the teams with the lowest expectations from non-Algerian fans, they exit it as arguably the best African team of the tournament. They scored 7 goals, more than all the goals they obtained in their previous World Cup history. To get out of their group instead of either Russia or South Korea and then causing as much problems as they did to favorites Germany, they have gained a lot of respect from the soccer/football world. This could be the last tournament Algeria are underestimated in, as long as they keep getting results. And with players like Islam Slimani and Sofiane Feghouli, that seems very likely.
Up Next
1F Argentina vs. 2E Switzerland
1H Belgium vs. 2G United States
A showdown between Lionel Messi vs. Xherdan Shaqiri. Both are idols for their respective countries and their teammates, coaches, and fans will look to them to lift their respective sides into their quarterfinals. Aside from a 5-2 defeat to France, Switzerland have looked like a decent team. Argentina have had their work cut out for them so far and needed Lionel Messi to get them this far. However, whichever team gets the most out of their other players besides their main super star will be the one to win.
Belgium and USA both are trying to shake off their underdog statuses compared to the elite teams in the world, but both have talented squads that have their fans excited about their chances of doing well in this World Cup. USA are happy to have survived a group everyone thought would be too much for them, but now they're looking to do even better, and against a vulnerable Belgian side that will likely be without Vincent Kompany, they certainly have a shot. But Belgium are still a vastly talented team with a number of elite clubs in their players' resumes and will like their chances against a USA team they've already beaten twice (1-0 in Brussels, 4-2 in Cleveland) in the Jurgen Klinsmann era.
Monday, June 30, 2014
2014 FIFA World Cup Day 17 Review Day 18 Preview
Old World vs. New World, Europe vs. North America. Collectively, CONCACAF are having one of their best World Cups, UEFA one of their worst. Netherlands, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Greece took the stage as more fireworks flew in the knockout stage.
Round of 16: 1B Netherlands vs. 2A Mexico
Result: 2-1 win for Netherlands
Goalscorers: 48' Giovani dos Santos (Villarreal), 88' Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray), 90+4' Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke)
Bookings: 69' Paul Aguilar (America), 90+2' Rafael Marquez (Leon), 90+3' Andres Guardado (Bayer Leverkusen)
Significance of bookings: If Mexico made it to the quarterfinals, Marquez and Aguilar would've been suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Lineups
Netherlands (4-3-1-2)
Jasper Cillessen (Ajax); Paul Verhaegh (Augsburg), Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa), Stephan de Vrij (Feyenoord), Daley Blind (Ajax); Dirk Kuyt (Fenerbahce), Nigel de Jong (AC Milan), Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV); Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray); Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), Robin van Persie (Manchester United, captain)
Changes from last match
Daryl Janmaat and Jeremain Lens left on the bench, replaced by Verhaegh and van Persie (who was suspended for the Chile game due to multiple yellow cards).
Subs:
Bruno Martins Indi (Feyenoord) 9' for Nigel de Jong
Memphis Depay (PSV) 56' for Paul Verhaegh
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke) 76' for Robin van Persie
Mexico (5-3-2)
Guillermo Ochoa (Ajaccio); Paul Aguilar (America), Francisco Rodriguez (America), Rafael Marquez (Leon, captain), Hector Moreno (Espanyol), Miguel Layun (America); Hector Herrera (Porto), Carlos Salcido (UANL), Andres Guardado (Bayer Leverkusen); Giovani dos Santos (Villarreal), Oribe Peralta (Santos Laguna)
Changes from last match
Jose Vazquez was replaced by Salcido in the starting lineup since Vazquez was suspended for yellow card accumulation
Subs:
Diego Reyes (Porto) 46' for Hector Moreno
Javier Aquino (Villarreal) 61' for Giovani dos Santos
Javier Hernandez (Manchester United) 75' for Oribe Peralta
Both of these teams came out of their groups relatively unscathed. Despite having to deal with the likes of Brazil and Spain, Mexico and Netherlands were undefeated in the group stage and deservedly made their way to the Round of 16. Although Netherlands have had less difficulty scoring goals than Mexico, this seemed like a pretty even match up and fans and players of both nations felt they had a decent shot in this game. It was a tale of two halves really. Mexico seemed like the better team in the first half, and then got their goal early on but after that it was almost like they forgot that a 1-0 lead...40 minutes before the end of the game....in a world cup knockout game....against the NETHERLANDS....IS NOT A SAFE LEAD! They were playing with fire, they dropped deep and allowed Netherlands to get more possession of the ball, more corner kicks, and more opportunities. And when you play with fire, you get burned. Wesley Sneijder found his opportunity and buried it past Guillermo Ochoa. Seemed fair, it was a good match, both teams have played well and balanced each other out, we'll see what extra time brings? OR Arjen Robben could dive and settle things 2 minutes before the final whistle by drawing a penalty. Some arguments that it weren't a dive and it was a legitimate call seemed feasible but from my perspective and knowing what Arjen Robben is capable of and how frustrated he was not having made as much of an impact in this game as he had in previous games for the Netherlands in this tournament, I considered it a dive. But regardless, Wesley Sneijder's goal was legitimate and maybe Mexico just lost their concentration for a split second and that's exactly enough time for the story to be rewritten. At the very least without that penalty it would be extra time and maybe still Netherlands had that win coming. Regardless, Netherlands progress to the quarterfinals for the 2nd World Cup running and even though they needed a late surge to get the result they needed, they still look like legitimate contenders to win it all, something they haven't done yet. They're called the greatest team to never win a World Cup for a reason, and now only three games remain for them to discard that title.
Elimination Analysis: Mexico
Mexico will have every reason to be frustrated. 6th World Cup in a row losing at the final 16...that stuff has to be getting old and annoying. 4th time losing in the knockout stage after scoring 1st (1970 vs. Italy, 1998 vs. Germany, 2006 vs. Argentina, and now this time) is brutal. And flop or not, being eliminated by a penalty kick minutes before the end of regulation is a heart breaker. But let's rewind back to the hexagonal. Mexico were falling apart. Drawing at home to Jamaica and USA. Blowing a 2-goal lead away against Honduras to tie 2-2, followed by some tough defeats like the latest "Dos a cero" loss to the USA in Columbus and the "Aztecazo" 2-1 loss to Honduras. Graham Zusi's equalizer against Panama in the final match day gave Mexico the opportunity to face New Zealand for their World Cup spot. It looked like Mexico were gonna limp past the unimpressive Kiwis into the World Cup. But after thrashing New Zealand 9-3 on aggregate Mexico under Miguel Herrera start to regain the form they were in prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics and they were back in business. They played 3 great games in Group A, defeating Cameroon and Croatia and tying to Brazil, but just couldn't keep things going this time. They were very close to their first ever quarterfinal appearance outside of Mexico, and hopefully they continue to work hard and next time it will be their time to do better than top 16, and from there, who knows?
Round of 16: 1D Costa Rica vs. 2C Greece
Result: 1-1 but Costa Rica emerged victorious in the penalty shootout
Goalscorers: 52' Bryan Ruiz (PSV), 90+1' Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund)
Penalty Shootout
Costa Rica 1: Celso Borges (AIK) successful
Greece 1: Kostas Mitroglou (Fulham) successful
1-1
Costa Rica 2: Bryan Ruiz (PSV) successful
Greece 2: Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Bologna) successful
2-2
Costa Rica 3: Giancarlo Gonzalez (Columbus Crew) successful
Greece 3: Jose Holebas (Olympiacos) successful
3-3
Costa Rica 4: Joel Campbell (Olympiacos) successful
Greece 4: Theofanis Gekas (Konyaspor) unsuccessful
4-3 Costa Rica
Costa Rica 5: Michael Umana (Saprissa) successful
Costa Rica advance upon winning the shootout 5-3
Bookings: 36' Andreas Samaris (Olympiacos), 48' Yeltsin Tejeda (Saprissa), 57' Oscar Granados* (Herediano), 42', 66' two yellow cards Oscar Duarte (Club Brugge), 70' Bryan Ruiz (PSV), Kostas Manolas (Olympiacos), 90' Keylor Navas (Levante), 120' Fernando Santos, Greece's coach, sent off
*=Oscar Granados became the 3rd player to receive a yellow card from the bench after confronting the ref.
Significance of bookings: Duarte, for receiving a red card (two yellows), will be suspended for Costa Rica's quarterfinal match against the Netherlands. If Greece progressed, Fernando Santos would've missed the next match as well.
Lineups
Costa Rica (5-2-2-1)
Keylor Navas (Levante); Cristian Gamboa (Rosenborg), Oscar Duarte (Club Brugge), Giancarlo Gonzalez (Columbus Crew), Michael Umana (Saprissa), Junior Diaz (Mainz 05); Celso Borges (AIK), Yeltsin Tejeda (Saprissa); Bryan Ruiz (PSV, captain), Christian Bolanos (Copenhagen); Joel Campbell (Olympiacos)
Changes from last match
Change from 5-3-2 to 5-2-2-1 formation. Randall Brenes and Roy Miller dropped from starting lineup, replaced by Bolanos and Umana respectively.
Subs:
Jose Cubero (Herediano) 66' for Yeltsin Tejeda
Johnny Acosta (Alajuelense) 77' for Cristian Gamboa
Randall Brenes (Cartagines) 83' for Christian Bolanos
Greece (4-5-1)
Orestis Karnezis (Granada); Vasilis Torosidis (Roma), Kostas Manolas (Olympiacos), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund), Jose Holebas (Olympiacos); Giorgos Karagounis (Fulham, captain), Giannis Maniatis (Olympiacos), Andreas Samaris (Olympiacos), Dimitris Salpingidis (PAOK), Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Bologna); Georgios Samaras (Celtic)
Changes from last match
Panagiotis Kone (wasn't 100%) left on the bench, allowing Samaris to start.
Subs:
Kostas Mitroglou (Fulham) 58' for Andreas Samaris
Theofanis Gekas (Konyaspor) 69' for Dimitris Salpingidis
Kostas Katsouranis (PAOK) 78' for Giannis Maniatis
Neither team was expected to get this far, and the fact that one of them were going to the quarterfinals to face the Netherlands. Both have had interesting paths to get this far. Suddenly Costa Rica became the biggest predator in the Group D shark tank, while Greece had to dig deep against Japan and get a little lucky against Cote D'Ivoire to get here. However, this was probably the worst of the knockout matches so far. A lot of sloppy or boring play between both teams until Bryan Ruiz scored a goal to open things up. It wasn't the fastest shot and Orestis Karnezis didn't even go for it, but a goal is a goal. Costa Rica though they were in control but then Oscar Duarte received his 2nd yellow and Costa Rica were reduced to 10 men for what they thought would be 25 minutes or so but eventually became 55 thanks to Sokratis Papastathopoulos's equalizer in the dying minutes of the game. In extra time, Costa Rica, especially Joel Campbell, appeared to be running on near empty, possibly because they played at a higher tempo for longer than Greece or the numbers disadvantage was taking its toll. As always for Greece, slow and steady wins the race. If it wasn't for Keylor Navas having a fantastic game, Greece would've been the word and the Greeks would've won before a penalty shootout was necessary. But alas it was, and Theofanis Gekas was the unlucky person to blow it as Costa Rica moved on to the quarterfinals for the first time ever for them, and Greece were knocked out, probably not soon enough for the millions of neutrals who criticize their defensive approach to playing soccer. Mexico (1970 and 1986), USA (2002), and, I kid you not, Cuba (1938, their only World Cup appearance) are the only other CONCACAF teams to get this far.
Elimination Analysis: Greece
Greece made their World Cup debut in 1994 but were seen as the sand bags of their group which contained Argentina, Bulgaria, and Nigeria. And then incredibly they managed to win the 2004 UEFA Euro tournament (Giorgos Karagounis and Kostas Katsouranis were a part of that Greek squad), which remains one of the biggest shocks in football/soccer in the 21st century. That tournament, since then, has given Greece the belief that on their day they can stand up to any opponent. Well they haven't been winning any trophies since then but at least they managed to qualify for every major tournament available to them since then, excluding the 2006 World Cup. This tournament will definitely be a success for Greece even though they didn't replicate their 2004 feat (which would've been asking for a whole lot). They made it to the top 16 for the first time at a World Cup, they got out of a group that not too many people predicted them getting out of since Colombia and Cote D'Ivoire/Japan were considered the more likely scenario. Some of Greece's biggest names like Karagounis (37), Salpingidis (32), Katsouranis (34), and Gekas (34) are likely playing on borrowed time for this national team, which means the younger players like Kostas Mitroglou, Andreas Samaris, and Sokratis Papastathopoulos will need to continue to step up and grow stronger to keep Greece as one of the better teams in Europe, though not quite a giant. It would be nice if they could emphasize more attacking play, but every nation has their own style and whichever way gets you results, that's what counts.
Up next
1E France vs. 2F Nigeria
1G Germany vs. 2H Algeria
Europe's battles shift from North American opponents to African ones. France and Germany are undoubtedly favorites in these matchups but can Nigeria or Algeria pull off an upset?
France have been in good form this whole tournament, they have a deep squad, they've scored eight goals in three games, and they're looking to make a deep run in this tournament. Nigeria's coach Stephen Keshi continues to show his faith in his side, whom he once said have the potential to be the first African team to reach the semifinal. It'll take much more than Vincent Enyeama's impressive goal keeping to keep that dream alive though.
Germany look like a powerful team as well. A lot of people foresee this side winning the World Cup even when knowing a European team has only once one a World Cup outside of Europe, and that was Spain 4 years ago in South Africa. For Algeria though, this matchup brings back both great and horrible memories of the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Algeria beat Germany 2-1, an incredible shock at the time and the first time an African nation had beaten a European nation at the World Cup. However, in the final group game, Germany and Austria notoriously played to a 1-0 Germany win (allegedly a case of match fixing), knowing that's what they needed for both teams to advance and eliminate Algeria. 32 years later, Algeria still has kept note of that match and even though they are heavy underdogs in this match, a win against Germany would be as sweet as winning the World Cup.
Round of 16: 1B Netherlands vs. 2A Mexico
Result: 2-1 win for Netherlands
Goalscorers: 48' Giovani dos Santos (Villarreal), 88' Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray), 90+4' Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke)
Bookings: 69' Paul Aguilar (America), 90+2' Rafael Marquez (Leon), 90+3' Andres Guardado (Bayer Leverkusen)
Significance of bookings: If Mexico made it to the quarterfinals, Marquez and Aguilar would've been suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Lineups
Netherlands (4-3-1-2)
Jasper Cillessen (Ajax); Paul Verhaegh (Augsburg), Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa), Stephan de Vrij (Feyenoord), Daley Blind (Ajax); Dirk Kuyt (Fenerbahce), Nigel de Jong (AC Milan), Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV); Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray); Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), Robin van Persie (Manchester United, captain)
Changes from last match
Daryl Janmaat and Jeremain Lens left on the bench, replaced by Verhaegh and van Persie (who was suspended for the Chile game due to multiple yellow cards).
Subs:
Bruno Martins Indi (Feyenoord) 9' for Nigel de Jong
Memphis Depay (PSV) 56' for Paul Verhaegh
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke) 76' for Robin van Persie
Mexico (5-3-2)
Guillermo Ochoa (Ajaccio); Paul Aguilar (America), Francisco Rodriguez (America), Rafael Marquez (Leon, captain), Hector Moreno (Espanyol), Miguel Layun (America); Hector Herrera (Porto), Carlos Salcido (UANL), Andres Guardado (Bayer Leverkusen); Giovani dos Santos (Villarreal), Oribe Peralta (Santos Laguna)
Changes from last match
Jose Vazquez was replaced by Salcido in the starting lineup since Vazquez was suspended for yellow card accumulation
Subs:
Diego Reyes (Porto) 46' for Hector Moreno
Javier Aquino (Villarreal) 61' for Giovani dos Santos
Javier Hernandez (Manchester United) 75' for Oribe Peralta
Both of these teams came out of their groups relatively unscathed. Despite having to deal with the likes of Brazil and Spain, Mexico and Netherlands were undefeated in the group stage and deservedly made their way to the Round of 16. Although Netherlands have had less difficulty scoring goals than Mexico, this seemed like a pretty even match up and fans and players of both nations felt they had a decent shot in this game. It was a tale of two halves really. Mexico seemed like the better team in the first half, and then got their goal early on but after that it was almost like they forgot that a 1-0 lead...40 minutes before the end of the game....in a world cup knockout game....against the NETHERLANDS....IS NOT A SAFE LEAD! They were playing with fire, they dropped deep and allowed Netherlands to get more possession of the ball, more corner kicks, and more opportunities. And when you play with fire, you get burned. Wesley Sneijder found his opportunity and buried it past Guillermo Ochoa. Seemed fair, it was a good match, both teams have played well and balanced each other out, we'll see what extra time brings? OR Arjen Robben could dive and settle things 2 minutes before the final whistle by drawing a penalty. Some arguments that it weren't a dive and it was a legitimate call seemed feasible but from my perspective and knowing what Arjen Robben is capable of and how frustrated he was not having made as much of an impact in this game as he had in previous games for the Netherlands in this tournament, I considered it a dive. But regardless, Wesley Sneijder's goal was legitimate and maybe Mexico just lost their concentration for a split second and that's exactly enough time for the story to be rewritten. At the very least without that penalty it would be extra time and maybe still Netherlands had that win coming. Regardless, Netherlands progress to the quarterfinals for the 2nd World Cup running and even though they needed a late surge to get the result they needed, they still look like legitimate contenders to win it all, something they haven't done yet. They're called the greatest team to never win a World Cup for a reason, and now only three games remain for them to discard that title.
Elimination Analysis: Mexico
Mexico will have every reason to be frustrated. 6th World Cup in a row losing at the final 16...that stuff has to be getting old and annoying. 4th time losing in the knockout stage after scoring 1st (1970 vs. Italy, 1998 vs. Germany, 2006 vs. Argentina, and now this time) is brutal. And flop or not, being eliminated by a penalty kick minutes before the end of regulation is a heart breaker. But let's rewind back to the hexagonal. Mexico were falling apart. Drawing at home to Jamaica and USA. Blowing a 2-goal lead away against Honduras to tie 2-2, followed by some tough defeats like the latest "Dos a cero" loss to the USA in Columbus and the "Aztecazo" 2-1 loss to Honduras. Graham Zusi's equalizer against Panama in the final match day gave Mexico the opportunity to face New Zealand for their World Cup spot. It looked like Mexico were gonna limp past the unimpressive Kiwis into the World Cup. But after thrashing New Zealand 9-3 on aggregate Mexico under Miguel Herrera start to regain the form they were in prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics and they were back in business. They played 3 great games in Group A, defeating Cameroon and Croatia and tying to Brazil, but just couldn't keep things going this time. They were very close to their first ever quarterfinal appearance outside of Mexico, and hopefully they continue to work hard and next time it will be their time to do better than top 16, and from there, who knows?
Round of 16: 1D Costa Rica vs. 2C Greece
Result: 1-1 but Costa Rica emerged victorious in the penalty shootout
Goalscorers: 52' Bryan Ruiz (PSV), 90+1' Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund)
Penalty Shootout
Costa Rica 1: Celso Borges (AIK) successful
Greece 1: Kostas Mitroglou (Fulham) successful
1-1
Costa Rica 2: Bryan Ruiz (PSV) successful
Greece 2: Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Bologna) successful
2-2
Costa Rica 3: Giancarlo Gonzalez (Columbus Crew) successful
Greece 3: Jose Holebas (Olympiacos) successful
3-3
Costa Rica 4: Joel Campbell (Olympiacos) successful
Greece 4: Theofanis Gekas (Konyaspor) unsuccessful
4-3 Costa Rica
Costa Rica 5: Michael Umana (Saprissa) successful
Costa Rica advance upon winning the shootout 5-3
Bookings: 36' Andreas Samaris (Olympiacos), 48' Yeltsin Tejeda (Saprissa), 57' Oscar Granados* (Herediano), 42', 66' two yellow cards Oscar Duarte (Club Brugge), 70' Bryan Ruiz (PSV), Kostas Manolas (Olympiacos), 90' Keylor Navas (Levante), 120' Fernando Santos, Greece's coach, sent off
*=Oscar Granados became the 3rd player to receive a yellow card from the bench after confronting the ref.
Significance of bookings: Duarte, for receiving a red card (two yellows), will be suspended for Costa Rica's quarterfinal match against the Netherlands. If Greece progressed, Fernando Santos would've missed the next match as well.
Lineups
Costa Rica (5-2-2-1)
Keylor Navas (Levante); Cristian Gamboa (Rosenborg), Oscar Duarte (Club Brugge), Giancarlo Gonzalez (Columbus Crew), Michael Umana (Saprissa), Junior Diaz (Mainz 05); Celso Borges (AIK), Yeltsin Tejeda (Saprissa); Bryan Ruiz (PSV, captain), Christian Bolanos (Copenhagen); Joel Campbell (Olympiacos)
Changes from last match
Change from 5-3-2 to 5-2-2-1 formation. Randall Brenes and Roy Miller dropped from starting lineup, replaced by Bolanos and Umana respectively.
Subs:
Jose Cubero (Herediano) 66' for Yeltsin Tejeda
Johnny Acosta (Alajuelense) 77' for Cristian Gamboa
Randall Brenes (Cartagines) 83' for Christian Bolanos
Greece (4-5-1)
Orestis Karnezis (Granada); Vasilis Torosidis (Roma), Kostas Manolas (Olympiacos), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund), Jose Holebas (Olympiacos); Giorgos Karagounis (Fulham, captain), Giannis Maniatis (Olympiacos), Andreas Samaris (Olympiacos), Dimitris Salpingidis (PAOK), Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Bologna); Georgios Samaras (Celtic)
Changes from last match
Panagiotis Kone (wasn't 100%) left on the bench, allowing Samaris to start.
Subs:
Kostas Mitroglou (Fulham) 58' for Andreas Samaris
Theofanis Gekas (Konyaspor) 69' for Dimitris Salpingidis
Kostas Katsouranis (PAOK) 78' for Giannis Maniatis
Neither team was expected to get this far, and the fact that one of them were going to the quarterfinals to face the Netherlands. Both have had interesting paths to get this far. Suddenly Costa Rica became the biggest predator in the Group D shark tank, while Greece had to dig deep against Japan and get a little lucky against Cote D'Ivoire to get here. However, this was probably the worst of the knockout matches so far. A lot of sloppy or boring play between both teams until Bryan Ruiz scored a goal to open things up. It wasn't the fastest shot and Orestis Karnezis didn't even go for it, but a goal is a goal. Costa Rica though they were in control but then Oscar Duarte received his 2nd yellow and Costa Rica were reduced to 10 men for what they thought would be 25 minutes or so but eventually became 55 thanks to Sokratis Papastathopoulos's equalizer in the dying minutes of the game. In extra time, Costa Rica, especially Joel Campbell, appeared to be running on near empty, possibly because they played at a higher tempo for longer than Greece or the numbers disadvantage was taking its toll. As always for Greece, slow and steady wins the race. If it wasn't for Keylor Navas having a fantastic game, Greece would've been the word and the Greeks would've won before a penalty shootout was necessary. But alas it was, and Theofanis Gekas was the unlucky person to blow it as Costa Rica moved on to the quarterfinals for the first time ever for them, and Greece were knocked out, probably not soon enough for the millions of neutrals who criticize their defensive approach to playing soccer. Mexico (1970 and 1986), USA (2002), and, I kid you not, Cuba (1938, their only World Cup appearance) are the only other CONCACAF teams to get this far.
Elimination Analysis: Greece
Greece made their World Cup debut in 1994 but were seen as the sand bags of their group which contained Argentina, Bulgaria, and Nigeria. And then incredibly they managed to win the 2004 UEFA Euro tournament (Giorgos Karagounis and Kostas Katsouranis were a part of that Greek squad), which remains one of the biggest shocks in football/soccer in the 21st century. That tournament, since then, has given Greece the belief that on their day they can stand up to any opponent. Well they haven't been winning any trophies since then but at least they managed to qualify for every major tournament available to them since then, excluding the 2006 World Cup. This tournament will definitely be a success for Greece even though they didn't replicate their 2004 feat (which would've been asking for a whole lot). They made it to the top 16 for the first time at a World Cup, they got out of a group that not too many people predicted them getting out of since Colombia and Cote D'Ivoire/Japan were considered the more likely scenario. Some of Greece's biggest names like Karagounis (37), Salpingidis (32), Katsouranis (34), and Gekas (34) are likely playing on borrowed time for this national team, which means the younger players like Kostas Mitroglou, Andreas Samaris, and Sokratis Papastathopoulos will need to continue to step up and grow stronger to keep Greece as one of the better teams in Europe, though not quite a giant. It would be nice if they could emphasize more attacking play, but every nation has their own style and whichever way gets you results, that's what counts.
Up next
1E France vs. 2F Nigeria
1G Germany vs. 2H Algeria
Europe's battles shift from North American opponents to African ones. France and Germany are undoubtedly favorites in these matchups but can Nigeria or Algeria pull off an upset?
France have been in good form this whole tournament, they have a deep squad, they've scored eight goals in three games, and they're looking to make a deep run in this tournament. Nigeria's coach Stephen Keshi continues to show his faith in his side, whom he once said have the potential to be the first African team to reach the semifinal. It'll take much more than Vincent Enyeama's impressive goal keeping to keep that dream alive though.
Germany look like a powerful team as well. A lot of people foresee this side winning the World Cup even when knowing a European team has only once one a World Cup outside of Europe, and that was Spain 4 years ago in South Africa. For Algeria though, this matchup brings back both great and horrible memories of the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Algeria beat Germany 2-1, an incredible shock at the time and the first time an African nation had beaten a European nation at the World Cup. However, in the final group game, Germany and Austria notoriously played to a 1-0 Germany win (allegedly a case of match fixing), knowing that's what they needed for both teams to advance and eliminate Algeria. 32 years later, Algeria still has kept note of that match and even though they are heavy underdogs in this match, a win against Germany would be as sweet as winning the World Cup.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
2014 FIFA World Cup Day 16 Review Day 17 Preview
No turning back now. On to the knockout phase we go. Only the winners can survive, for the losers the dream ends right then and there.
Round of 16: 1A Brazil vs. 2B Chile
Result: 1-1 after extra time; Brazil advanced 3-2 on penalties
Goalscorers: 18' David Luiz (Chelsea), 32' Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona)
Penalty Shootout
Brazil 1: David Luiz (Chelsea) successful
Chile 1: Mauricio Pinilla (Cagliari) unsuccessful
1-0 Brazil
Brazil 2: Willian (Chelsea) unsuccessful
Chile 2: Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona) unsuccessful
1-0 Brazil
Brazil 3: Marcelo (Real Madrid) successful
Chile 3: Charles Aranguiz (Internacional) successful
2-1 Brazil
Brazil 4: Hulk (Zenit) unsuccessful
Chile 4: Marcelo Diaz (Basel) successful
2-2
Brazil 5: Neymar (Barcelona) successful
Chile 5: Gonzalo Jara (Nottingham Forest) unsuccessful
Brazil advance upon winning the shootout 3-2
Bookings: 17' Eugenio Mena (Santos), 40' Francisco Silva (Osasuna), 55' Hulk (Zenit), 60' Luis Gustavo (Wolfsburg), 93' Jo (Atletico Mineiro), 102' Mauricio Pinilla (Cagliari), 105+1' Dani Alves (Barcelona)
Significance of bookings: Luis Gustavo will miss Brazil's quarterfinal match. Mena and Silva would've missed the quarterfinal if Chile advanced
Lineups
Brazil (4-2-3-1)
Julio Cesar (Toronto FC); Dani Alves (Barcelona), Thiago Silva (PSG, captain), David Luiz (Chelsea), Marcelo (Real Madrid); Fernandinho (Manchester City), Luis Gustavo (Wolfsburg); Hulk (Zenit), Oscar (Chelsea), Neymar (Barcelona); Fred (Fluminense)
Changes from last match
Change from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 formation. Fernandinho replaces Paulinho in the starting lineup
Subs:
Jo (Atletico Mineiro) 64' for Fred
Ramires (Chelsea) 72' for Fernandinho
Willian (Chelsea) 106' for Oscar
Chile (5-3-2)
Claudio Bravo (Real Sociedad, captain); Mauricio Isla (Juventus), Francisco Silva (Osasuna), Gary Medel (Cardiff City), Gonzalo Jara (Nottingham Forest), Eugenio Mena (Santos); Charles Aranguiz (Internacional), Arturo Vidal (Juventus), Marcelo Diaz (Basel); Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona), Eduardo Vargas (Valencia)
Changes from last match
With Vidal fit enough to return to action, Felipe Gutierrez makes way and goes to the bench
Subs
Felipe Gutierrez (Twente) 57' for Eduardo Vargas
Mauricio Pinilla (Cagliari) 87' for Arturo Vidal
Jose Rojas (Universidad de Chile) 108' for Gary Medel
Chile have been knocked out by Brazil in the World Cup a few times and were hoping to snap that streak in this encounter. Chile already had blood on their hands from eliminating one 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup finalist and this team definitely looked like a team that if Brazil were not careful could end their World Cup in a split second. And Brazil just barely hung in there. They started out strong, quickly getting a goal, but after a bad pass from Hulk from Marcelo's throw in, Alexis Sanchez scored a goal that changed the direction of the game. Suddenly Brazil were vulnerable and Chile were confident. Both teams and coaches did what they could to get their second goal but it never came and as the 90 minute mark grew closer, the more and more Chile seemed happy with extra time and maybe penalties. I mean, first world cup knockout match in the tournament and with the host nation involved no less, let's take things to penalty and see how many Brazilians faint or nearly faint. That's an interesting idea of fun. The closest either team came to winning the match in the 90 minutes was Hulk, who looked like he redeemed himself from gifting Sanchez a goal. PSYCHE! He touched the ball with his arm right before he took a shot, so obviously the goal didn't count and Hulk got booked (Ireland were left wishing Howard Webb was referee in their game against France in 2010 World Cup qualifying playoffs, where Thierry Henry handled the ball twice leading up to the decisive French goal and prevented Ireland from reaching the World Cup that year). If it wasn't for Neymar switching his boots at halftime not many non-Brazilian fans would've noticed him through much of the 2nd half. In extra time Brazil had most of the possession but the best chance was Chile's when Mauricio Pinilla's shot at the last minute of extra time hit the crossbar to Julio Cesar's relief. Chile could've won the match right there, but unfortunately it was not to be and penalties loomed. Julio Cesar saved two spot kicks and Bravo saved one: Hulk's (fair to say this was not Hulk's best game). Neymar converted what proved to be the decisive penalty after Gonzalo Jara's shot hit the left post. How crazy was that? Chile were so close to stunning the host nation but once again Brazil gets the better of Chile. Despite this though, many questions surround this Brazilian team, knowing they needed a bit of luck in the end to avoid elimination. In Brazil's defense though, their luck didn't go entirely undeserved IMO. Both Brazil and Chile fought hard and either way it was going to be tough to say goodbye to the losing team.
Elimination Analysis: Chile
This Chilean team was certainly a joy to watch in this tournament and Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli has done a great job at turning Chile into nearly a South American giant just like Brazil or Argentina, or even Colombia maybe. They definitely exceeded expectations, especially since they looked like the 3rd wheel in a group that Spain and Netherlands look set to advance from, but they sucker punched Spain and they got through instead! Their defense was expected to be shaky with only Mauricio Isla playing for a very well known club, but the defense was not bad, and their attacking play was phenomenal. They were a real live wire in this tournament Chile but there were always a lot of doubts in the Round of 16 because it seemed like Brazil definitely had their number and with Brazil being hosts, it seemed impossible for Chile to stop them, but they nearly did it. A fantastic effort but close just couldn't cut it. I definitely hope Sampaoli stays with Chile for at least one more cycle, and if things keep going well for them (and Arturo Vidal, who will be 31 in the next World Cup, stays healthy), then a quarterfinal appearance for this team is certainly not far fetched, and from there the possibilities are abundant. A great performance especially by Alexis Sanchez and his new Barcelona teammate Claudio Bravo, who made a strong case as to why he should start over Marc-Andre ter Stegen with this World Cup run.
Round of 16: 1C Colombia vs. 2D Uruguay
Result: 2-0 win for Colombia
Goalscorers: 28', 50' James Rodriguez (Monaco)
Bookings: 55' Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), 77' Diego Lugano (West Bromwich Albion)*, 78' Pablo Armero (West Ham United)
*Diego Lugano did not play in the match (injury) but received a yellow card after some banter with the referee from the bench
Significance of bookings: Lugano would miss the next match if Uruguay qualified for the quarterfinals and even if he was fit to play
Lineups
Colombia (4-4-2)
David Ospina (Nice); Juan Zuniga (Napoli), Cristian Zapata (AC Milan), Mario Yepes (Atalanta, captain), Pablo Armero (West Ham United); Juan Cuadrado (Fiorentina), Abel Aguilar (Toulouse), Carlos Sanchez (Elche), James Rodriguez (Monaco); Teofilo Gutierrez (River Plate), Jackson Martinez (Porto)
Changes from last match
Santiago Arias, Carlos Valdes, Eder Balanta, Alexander Mejia, Fredy Guarin, Juan Quintero, and Adrian Ramos move to the bench, being replaced by Zuniga, Zapata, Yepes, Aguilar, Sanchez, Rodriguez, and Gutierrez. (Rodriguez appeared as a sub in the last match). Change from 4-2-2-2 to 4-4-2 formation.
Subs:
Alexander Mejia (Atletico Nacional) 68' for Teofilo Gutierrez
Fredy Guarin (Inter) 81' for Juan Cuadrado
Adrian Ramos (Hertha BSC) 85' for James Rodriguez
Uruguay (4-4-2)
Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray); Martin Caceres (Juventus), Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid, captain), Alvaro Pereira (Sao Paulo); Maxi Pereira (Benfica), Alvaro Gonzalez (Lazio), Egidio Arevalo Rios (Morelia), Cristian Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid); Edinson Cavani (PSG), Diego Forlan (Cerezo Osaka)
Changes from last match
Change from 4-3-1-2 to 4-4-2 formation. Luis Suarez (banned for rest of the tournament and more due to the biting incident) and Nicolas Lodeiro left off the starting lineup, making room for Maxi Pereira and Dieog Forlan
Subs:
Cristian Stuani (Espanyol) 53' for Diego Forlan
Gaston Ramirez (Southampton) 53' for Alvaro Pereira
Abel Hernandez (Palermo) 67' for Alvaro Gonzalez
You know it sucks to be Uruguay when your best striker and player does something STUPID like biting Giorgio Chiellini like he's auditioning for Edward in the Twilight movies (newflash, all the movies have been filmed and released, you're like 6 or 7 years too late Suarez!) and is banned for the tournament and you have to start a 35 year old as striker. Nothing against Diego Forlan, who had an impressive World Cup last time in South Africa and in the 2011 Copa America he was ok too, but it's been downhill from there. The only time they played without Suarez in this World Cup, they lost to Costa Rica. By now Colombia are used to their best player, Ramadel Falcao, not being around, and after this match looks like his wingman James Rodriguez has happily taken over as Colombia's star, even borrowing Lebron James's nickname "King James". And the Colombian King James continued his reign with two goals to put Colombia past Uruguay and into the quarterfinals for the first time in Colombia's World Cup history. This put James Rodriguez's total at 5 goals, the current leading scorer of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Aside from those goals, Colombia were free to play their brand of soccer/football most of the match and David Ospina came up with decent saves when he was needed. Ultimately there was very little Uruguay could do to turn things around. And now Colombia has to face Brazil in the Quarterfinals. Will their amazing run continue or will the hosts stop them in their tracks?
Elimination Analysis: Uruguay
Luis Suarez is very talented but very volatile and risky, sort of like playing with fire. And when you play with fire, you get burned. Sometimes. They didn't in 2010. Luckily Luis Suarez's hand ball went unpunished by Asamoah Gyan's penalty miss and then Ghana's subsequent failure in the following penalty shootout. What a crazy ride it's been since then. 4th place in 2010 South Africa, 2011 Copa America winners, but then a complicated qualification journey forced them to qualify for the World Cup after defeating Asian minnows Jordan in playoff games. Uruguay also seemed like a contender in 2013 Confederations Cup. They held their own but ultimately lost to all the difficult competition, the likes of Spain, Brazil, and Italy in that order. Uruguay did manage to avenge their defeat to Italy that summer by beating them 1-0 this time around but Luis Suarez couldn't hold out any longer without biting someone and that left Uruguay up a creek without a piranha, I mean paddle. Uruguay's not short on talent without Suarez, with decent plays like Edinson Cavani, Diego Godin, and Fernando Muslera, but we definitely saw how much they depended on him to be a top team, and his absence is greatly felt. So a lot of thinking and wondering left for Uruguay to do as they hope to impress the next chance they get. I'm sure Brazil is relieved Uruguay can't beat them in this World Cup like they did in 1950.
Up next
1B Netherlands vs. 2A Mexico
1D Costa Rica vs. 2C Greece
Two North America vs. Europe showdowns! Both Netherlands and Mexico have been in good form so far in this World Cup. Both have a lot of offensive fire power and skill in pretty much every position, and this has a look of an exciting and high scoring game. For Netherlands, it's another tough task they must pass if this is the year they finally win their first World Cup. For Mexico, it's a difficult task they must pass to make their first ever quarterfinals appearance on foreign soil. And it's the surprise packages duking it out between Los Ticos and the Pirate Ship. Either Costa Rica or Greece will make their first ever run to the quarterfinals. They've already made history for their respective nations but whose style of play will carry them farther?
Round of 16: 1A Brazil vs. 2B Chile
Result: 1-1 after extra time; Brazil advanced 3-2 on penalties
Goalscorers: 18' David Luiz (Chelsea), 32' Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona)
Penalty Shootout
Brazil 1: David Luiz (Chelsea) successful
Chile 1: Mauricio Pinilla (Cagliari) unsuccessful
1-0 Brazil
Brazil 2: Willian (Chelsea) unsuccessful
Chile 2: Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona) unsuccessful
1-0 Brazil
Brazil 3: Marcelo (Real Madrid) successful
Chile 3: Charles Aranguiz (Internacional) successful
2-1 Brazil
Brazil 4: Hulk (Zenit) unsuccessful
Chile 4: Marcelo Diaz (Basel) successful
2-2
Brazil 5: Neymar (Barcelona) successful
Chile 5: Gonzalo Jara (Nottingham Forest) unsuccessful
Brazil advance upon winning the shootout 3-2
Bookings: 17' Eugenio Mena (Santos), 40' Francisco Silva (Osasuna), 55' Hulk (Zenit), 60' Luis Gustavo (Wolfsburg), 93' Jo (Atletico Mineiro), 102' Mauricio Pinilla (Cagliari), 105+1' Dani Alves (Barcelona)
Significance of bookings: Luis Gustavo will miss Brazil's quarterfinal match. Mena and Silva would've missed the quarterfinal if Chile advanced
Lineups
Brazil (4-2-3-1)
Julio Cesar (Toronto FC); Dani Alves (Barcelona), Thiago Silva (PSG, captain), David Luiz (Chelsea), Marcelo (Real Madrid); Fernandinho (Manchester City), Luis Gustavo (Wolfsburg); Hulk (Zenit), Oscar (Chelsea), Neymar (Barcelona); Fred (Fluminense)
Changes from last match
Change from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 formation. Fernandinho replaces Paulinho in the starting lineup
Subs:
Jo (Atletico Mineiro) 64' for Fred
Ramires (Chelsea) 72' for Fernandinho
Willian (Chelsea) 106' for Oscar
Chile (5-3-2)
Claudio Bravo (Real Sociedad, captain); Mauricio Isla (Juventus), Francisco Silva (Osasuna), Gary Medel (Cardiff City), Gonzalo Jara (Nottingham Forest), Eugenio Mena (Santos); Charles Aranguiz (Internacional), Arturo Vidal (Juventus), Marcelo Diaz (Basel); Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona), Eduardo Vargas (Valencia)
Changes from last match
With Vidal fit enough to return to action, Felipe Gutierrez makes way and goes to the bench
Subs
Felipe Gutierrez (Twente) 57' for Eduardo Vargas
Mauricio Pinilla (Cagliari) 87' for Arturo Vidal
Jose Rojas (Universidad de Chile) 108' for Gary Medel
Chile have been knocked out by Brazil in the World Cup a few times and were hoping to snap that streak in this encounter. Chile already had blood on their hands from eliminating one 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup finalist and this team definitely looked like a team that if Brazil were not careful could end their World Cup in a split second. And Brazil just barely hung in there. They started out strong, quickly getting a goal, but after a bad pass from Hulk from Marcelo's throw in, Alexis Sanchez scored a goal that changed the direction of the game. Suddenly Brazil were vulnerable and Chile were confident. Both teams and coaches did what they could to get their second goal but it never came and as the 90 minute mark grew closer, the more and more Chile seemed happy with extra time and maybe penalties. I mean, first world cup knockout match in the tournament and with the host nation involved no less, let's take things to penalty and see how many Brazilians faint or nearly faint. That's an interesting idea of fun. The closest either team came to winning the match in the 90 minutes was Hulk, who looked like he redeemed himself from gifting Sanchez a goal. PSYCHE! He touched the ball with his arm right before he took a shot, so obviously the goal didn't count and Hulk got booked (Ireland were left wishing Howard Webb was referee in their game against France in 2010 World Cup qualifying playoffs, where Thierry Henry handled the ball twice leading up to the decisive French goal and prevented Ireland from reaching the World Cup that year). If it wasn't for Neymar switching his boots at halftime not many non-Brazilian fans would've noticed him through much of the 2nd half. In extra time Brazil had most of the possession but the best chance was Chile's when Mauricio Pinilla's shot at the last minute of extra time hit the crossbar to Julio Cesar's relief. Chile could've won the match right there, but unfortunately it was not to be and penalties loomed. Julio Cesar saved two spot kicks and Bravo saved one: Hulk's (fair to say this was not Hulk's best game). Neymar converted what proved to be the decisive penalty after Gonzalo Jara's shot hit the left post. How crazy was that? Chile were so close to stunning the host nation but once again Brazil gets the better of Chile. Despite this though, many questions surround this Brazilian team, knowing they needed a bit of luck in the end to avoid elimination. In Brazil's defense though, their luck didn't go entirely undeserved IMO. Both Brazil and Chile fought hard and either way it was going to be tough to say goodbye to the losing team.
Elimination Analysis: Chile
This Chilean team was certainly a joy to watch in this tournament and Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli has done a great job at turning Chile into nearly a South American giant just like Brazil or Argentina, or even Colombia maybe. They definitely exceeded expectations, especially since they looked like the 3rd wheel in a group that Spain and Netherlands look set to advance from, but they sucker punched Spain and they got through instead! Their defense was expected to be shaky with only Mauricio Isla playing for a very well known club, but the defense was not bad, and their attacking play was phenomenal. They were a real live wire in this tournament Chile but there were always a lot of doubts in the Round of 16 because it seemed like Brazil definitely had their number and with Brazil being hosts, it seemed impossible for Chile to stop them, but they nearly did it. A fantastic effort but close just couldn't cut it. I definitely hope Sampaoli stays with Chile for at least one more cycle, and if things keep going well for them (and Arturo Vidal, who will be 31 in the next World Cup, stays healthy), then a quarterfinal appearance for this team is certainly not far fetched, and from there the possibilities are abundant. A great performance especially by Alexis Sanchez and his new Barcelona teammate Claudio Bravo, who made a strong case as to why he should start over Marc-Andre ter Stegen with this World Cup run.
Round of 16: 1C Colombia vs. 2D Uruguay
Result: 2-0 win for Colombia
Goalscorers: 28', 50' James Rodriguez (Monaco)
Bookings: 55' Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), 77' Diego Lugano (West Bromwich Albion)*, 78' Pablo Armero (West Ham United)
*Diego Lugano did not play in the match (injury) but received a yellow card after some banter with the referee from the bench
Significance of bookings: Lugano would miss the next match if Uruguay qualified for the quarterfinals and even if he was fit to play
Lineups
Colombia (4-4-2)
David Ospina (Nice); Juan Zuniga (Napoli), Cristian Zapata (AC Milan), Mario Yepes (Atalanta, captain), Pablo Armero (West Ham United); Juan Cuadrado (Fiorentina), Abel Aguilar (Toulouse), Carlos Sanchez (Elche), James Rodriguez (Monaco); Teofilo Gutierrez (River Plate), Jackson Martinez (Porto)
Changes from last match
Santiago Arias, Carlos Valdes, Eder Balanta, Alexander Mejia, Fredy Guarin, Juan Quintero, and Adrian Ramos move to the bench, being replaced by Zuniga, Zapata, Yepes, Aguilar, Sanchez, Rodriguez, and Gutierrez. (Rodriguez appeared as a sub in the last match). Change from 4-2-2-2 to 4-4-2 formation.
Subs:
Alexander Mejia (Atletico Nacional) 68' for Teofilo Gutierrez
Fredy Guarin (Inter) 81' for Juan Cuadrado
Adrian Ramos (Hertha BSC) 85' for James Rodriguez
Uruguay (4-4-2)
Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray); Martin Caceres (Juventus), Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid, captain), Alvaro Pereira (Sao Paulo); Maxi Pereira (Benfica), Alvaro Gonzalez (Lazio), Egidio Arevalo Rios (Morelia), Cristian Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid); Edinson Cavani (PSG), Diego Forlan (Cerezo Osaka)
Changes from last match
Change from 4-3-1-2 to 4-4-2 formation. Luis Suarez (banned for rest of the tournament and more due to the biting incident) and Nicolas Lodeiro left off the starting lineup, making room for Maxi Pereira and Dieog Forlan
Subs:
Cristian Stuani (Espanyol) 53' for Diego Forlan
Gaston Ramirez (Southampton) 53' for Alvaro Pereira
Abel Hernandez (Palermo) 67' for Alvaro Gonzalez
You know it sucks to be Uruguay when your best striker and player does something STUPID like biting Giorgio Chiellini like he's auditioning for Edward in the Twilight movies (newflash, all the movies have been filmed and released, you're like 6 or 7 years too late Suarez!) and is banned for the tournament and you have to start a 35 year old as striker. Nothing against Diego Forlan, who had an impressive World Cup last time in South Africa and in the 2011 Copa America he was ok too, but it's been downhill from there. The only time they played without Suarez in this World Cup, they lost to Costa Rica. By now Colombia are used to their best player, Ramadel Falcao, not being around, and after this match looks like his wingman James Rodriguez has happily taken over as Colombia's star, even borrowing Lebron James's nickname "King James". And the Colombian King James continued his reign with two goals to put Colombia past Uruguay and into the quarterfinals for the first time in Colombia's World Cup history. This put James Rodriguez's total at 5 goals, the current leading scorer of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Aside from those goals, Colombia were free to play their brand of soccer/football most of the match and David Ospina came up with decent saves when he was needed. Ultimately there was very little Uruguay could do to turn things around. And now Colombia has to face Brazil in the Quarterfinals. Will their amazing run continue or will the hosts stop them in their tracks?
Elimination Analysis: Uruguay
Luis Suarez is very talented but very volatile and risky, sort of like playing with fire. And when you play with fire, you get burned. Sometimes. They didn't in 2010. Luckily Luis Suarez's hand ball went unpunished by Asamoah Gyan's penalty miss and then Ghana's subsequent failure in the following penalty shootout. What a crazy ride it's been since then. 4th place in 2010 South Africa, 2011 Copa America winners, but then a complicated qualification journey forced them to qualify for the World Cup after defeating Asian minnows Jordan in playoff games. Uruguay also seemed like a contender in 2013 Confederations Cup. They held their own but ultimately lost to all the difficult competition, the likes of Spain, Brazil, and Italy in that order. Uruguay did manage to avenge their defeat to Italy that summer by beating them 1-0 this time around but Luis Suarez couldn't hold out any longer without biting someone and that left Uruguay up a creek without a piranha, I mean paddle. Uruguay's not short on talent without Suarez, with decent plays like Edinson Cavani, Diego Godin, and Fernando Muslera, but we definitely saw how much they depended on him to be a top team, and his absence is greatly felt. So a lot of thinking and wondering left for Uruguay to do as they hope to impress the next chance they get. I'm sure Brazil is relieved Uruguay can't beat them in this World Cup like they did in 1950.
Up next
1B Netherlands vs. 2A Mexico
1D Costa Rica vs. 2C Greece
Two North America vs. Europe showdowns! Both Netherlands and Mexico have been in good form so far in this World Cup. Both have a lot of offensive fire power and skill in pretty much every position, and this has a look of an exciting and high scoring game. For Netherlands, it's another tough task they must pass if this is the year they finally win their first World Cup. For Mexico, it's a difficult task they must pass to make their first ever quarterfinals appearance on foreign soil. And it's the surprise packages duking it out between Los Ticos and the Pirate Ship. Either Costa Rica or Greece will make their first ever run to the quarterfinals. They've already made history for their respective nations but whose style of play will carry them farther?
Saturday, June 28, 2014
2014 FIFA World Cup Day 15 Review Day 16 and KO stage Preview
Do or die time for Groups G and H as we complete the Knockout Stage picture and find out who the top 16 at this World Cup are.
Group G: United States vs. Germany
Result: 1-0 victory for Germany
Goalscorers: 55' Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Bookings: 11' Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), 37' Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), 62' Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake)
Lineups
United States (4-2-3-1)
Tim Howard (Everton); Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla); Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas); Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo); Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders, captain)
Changes from last match
Geoff Cameron (who had a less than stellar game against Portugal) and Alejandro Bedoya left on the bench for Gonzalez and Davis to start
Subs:
Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes) 59' for Brad Davis
DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders) 84' for Graham Zusi
Germany (4-5-1)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich); Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke); Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich, captain), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal); Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Changes from last match
Mario Gotze and Sami Khedira left on the bench for Schweinsteiger and Podolski to start
Subs:
Miroslav Klose (Lazio) 46' for Lukas Podolski
Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich) 76' for Bastian Schweinsteiger
Andre Schurrle (Chelsea) 89' for Mesut Ozil
USA's last stop in this crazy Group G ride saved the toughest for last. Ghana is a decent team. Portugal is a great team. But Germany could possibly be the strongest team in the world. There was a lot of wondering if former coaching partners and alleged BFFs Klinsmann and Low had a secret agreement that they would play for a draw, but considering the strength in the lineups and their offensively inclined substitutions, that myth was busted. It was a rainy day and USA know they needed to get a decent result against the Germans to get through to the KO stage, and they did lose but a 1-0 loss to a team who usually scores at least 2 or 3 goals in most matches isn't the most bitter of pills to swallow. FYI, it's not parking the bus if a team spends a legitimate amount of time outside their penalty box. USA looked decent on and off the ball everywhere on the pitch but Germany were still one step ahead for the majority of the match, and Thomas Muller's goal was a fantastic one. It's Muller's 4th goal of the World Cup (tying him with Neymar and Messi), his 9th in all World Cups (5 from 2010 South Africa), and he's just been one of the guys doing great in a Germany shirt. One of them, Bastian Schweinsteiger (who had a slow start to the tournament due to injury concerns) took a couple of fouls in this match. USA had a couple of chances to threaten but either a bad touch from Michael Bradley or a less than perfect finish from Clint Dempsey kept Manuel Neuer's clean sheet in tact. Ultimately there's still much work that needs to be done. USA needs to be more threatening with possession, and Germany needs to reconsider using Philipp Lahm as a full back since Benedikt Howedes didn't look too comfortable (4 CBs in a back 4 is not really a great idea), but both Jurgen Klinsmann and Joachim Low will be happy with their teams performances and getting out of this group that people just couldn't stop thinking about ever since the draw.
Group G: Portugal vs. Ghana
Result: 2-1 win for Portugal
Goalscorers: 31' own goal John Boye (Rennes), 57' Asamoah Gyan (Al-Ain), 80' Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Bookings: 39' Harrison Afful (Esperance), 55' Majeed Waris (Valenciennes), 78' Jordan Ayew (Sochaux), 90+4' Joao Moutinho (Monaco)
Lineups
Portugal (4-5-1)
Beto (Sevilla); Joao Pereira (Valencia), Pepe (Real Madrid), Bruno Alves (Fenerbahce), Miguel Veloso (Dynamo Kyiv); William Carvalho (Sporting CP), Joao Moutinho (Monaco), Ruben Amorim (Benfica), Nani (Manchester United), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, captain); Eder (Braga)
Changes from last match
Pepe returns from suspension from the red card he received against Germany and returns to the starting line up in Ricardo Costa's place. Andre Almeida, Raul Meireles, and Helder Postiga (possible injury concerns for the latter two) left off the starting lineup, making way for William, Amorim, and Eder to start.
Subs:
Silvestre Varela (Porto) 61' for Joao Pereira
Vieirinha (Wolfsburg) 69' for Eder
Eduardo (Braga) 89' for Beto
Ghana (4-2-2-2)
Fatau Dauda (Orlando Pirates); Harrison Afful (Esperance), John Boye (Rennes), Jonathan Mensah (Evian), Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus); Mohammed Rabiu (Kuban Krasnodar), Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese); Christian Atsu (Vitesse), Andre Ayew (Marseille); Majeed Waris (Valenciennes), Asamoah Gyan (Al-Ain, captain)
Changes from last match
Sulley Muntari and Kevin Prince-Boateng were not available for this match (will explain below) so Agyemang-Badu and Majeed Waris filled those vacancies. Change in formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-2-2-2
Subs:
Jordan Ayew (Sochaux) 71' for Majeed Waris
Afriyie Acquah (Parma) 76' for Mohammed Rabiu
Wakaso Mubarak (Rubin Kazan) 81' for Andre Ayew
Ghana and Portugal managed to get a point from their first two games thanks to some thrilling 2-2 draws against Germany and USA respectively, but they needed to get things to go their way in this match to advance, but both faced vital set backs. Portugal's 4-0 loss to Germany put them in a huge hole in terms of goal difference, and two of Ghana's best players were sent home early for being dumb. Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari got in a fight during training, Boateng insulted the coach, Akwasi Appiah, and Muntari assaulted a member of the Ghana management. And things only went from bad to worse for Ghana in this game despite causing USA and Germany so many problems in their matches against Ghana. First, John Boye scored an own goal. Then, a poor clearance by Fatau Dauda sent the ball perfectly to Cristiano Ronaldo. You do not give the best player in the world a free goal, and that's exactly what they did to made sure Ronaldo kept his streak of scoring exactly 1 goal in every World Cup he's been in. Yeah, Ronaldo's got 3 World Cup goals total. That's less than Messi has scored in this World Cup alone. Those costly Ghanian errors cancelled out Asamoah Gyan's stunner he put past Beto. However, this result didn't do either of them any good. For Portugal, once against USA and Germany end their dreams earlier than they hoped for. And for Ghana, Germany nearly got another victory against them and USA finally got theirs. It's the group of death, and Portugal and Ghana are the victims with the German coaches successfully navigating through these rough waters.
Elimination Analysis: Ghana
For a nation who is only in their 3rd World Cup and whose first World Cup was 8 years ago, they made an immediate impact. They beat Czech Republic and USA in the Group Stage before hitting a brick wall against the Brazilians in the Round of 16, the only African nation to get that far in Germany 2006. Once again Ghana was Africa's only representative in the KO Stages after beating Serbia, narrowly losing to Germany, and tying with an Australian team that, like Portugal this year, were battered by Germany 4-0. They beat USA once again and looked like they found a 2-1 victory against Uruguay until Luis f-ing Suarez stuck his hand out and you know the rest of the story, and if Asamoah Gyan was reading this he'd thank me for not reminding you guys. Anyway this made Ghana the 3rd African nation to reach the quarterfinals following 1990 Cameroon and 2002 Senegal. Going into this World Cup, it was no secret they were a decent team and they made themselves truly a part of this group of death, but at the end of the day maybe it just came down to wanting it more. They thought they had USA at their knees no matter what and players were talking smack and got their payback courtesy of John Brooks. They played a great game against Germany but they couldn't replicate it against Portugal. If they did, they might've gone through instead of USA. But why did they crumble? Well it certainly didn't help that Boateng and Muntari got themselves exiled. But not much will change. There's still lots of Ghanians playing for decent clubs in European, especially in the French (Andre Ayew) and Italian (Kwadwo Asamoah) leagues. The days of the world underestimating Ghana are over, and they'll be one of the stronger teams from Africa and favorites to represent at Africa in World Cups for a while.
Elimination Analysis: Portugal
Not every great player even gets to the World Cup (George Best and George Weah), and even if you go there it doesn't mean you'll have a good one or you'll win it. After 3 World Cups, it seems like Cristiano Ronaldo's window of opportunity is all done. He'll be 33 for 2018 Russia and he'll likely still be able to make the World Cup squad but will he make as much of a positive impact? Seems unlikely. A lot of people believe Portugal is a one man show. I'm not one of those people. I know that Portugal has several good players like Joao Moutinho, Fabio Coentrao, and Nani. But when Ronaldo's not doing well, Portugal does so much worse. Ronaldo wasn't 100% heading in this World Cup and all it did was make it obvious that Portugal needs him dearly and no one else could quite step it up. Portugal, like Italy, were considered outside favorites to win this World Cup and will be hugely disappointed they couldn't get out of the group stage, just like in 2002 in the height of the Luis Figo days. I guess expectations should've been lower considering Portugal made it here through the playoffs, but then you have teams like Mexico and France, playing like they surely qualified automatically for this World Cup (but they didn't).
Group H: South Korea vs. Belgium
Result: Belgium won 1-0
Goalscorers: 78' Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham)
Bookings: 35' Hong Jeong-Ho (Augsburg), 45' red card Steven Defour (Porto), 50' Mousa Dembele (Tottenham)
Significance of Bookings: Defour will be suspended in Belgium's Round of 16 match
Lineups
South Korea (4-4-2)
Jung Sung-Ryong (Suwon Bluewings); Lee Yong (Ulsan Hyundai), Kim Young-Gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande), Hong Jeong-Ho (Augsburg), Yun Suk-Young (Queens Park Rangers); Lee Chung-Yong (Bolton Wanderers), Ki Sung-Yueng (Sunderland), Han Kook-Young (Kashiwa Reysol), Son Heung-Min (Bayer Leverkusen); Koo Ja-Cheol (Mainz 05, captain), Kim Shin-Wook (Ulsan Hyundai)
Changes from last match
Change from 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-2 formation, and Wook replaces Park Chu-Young in the starting lineup. Son moves to midfield
Subs:
Lee Keun-Ho (Sangju Sangmu) 46' for Han Kook-Young
Kim Bo-Kyung (Cardiff City) 66' for Kim Shin-Wook
Ji Dong-Won (Augsburg) 73' for Son Heung-Min
Belgium (4-2-3-1)
Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid); Anthony Vanden Borre (Anderlecht), Daniel van Buyten (Bayern Munich), Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham, captain); Steven Defour (Porto), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham); Dries Mertens (Napoli), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United); Kevin Mirallas (Everton)
Changes from last match
Toby Alderweireld, Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen, Axel Witsel, Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Romelu Lukaku do not start. Only Courtois, van Buyten, Mertens, and Fellaini started the game against Russia but Vertonghen and Mirallas came on as substitutes. Vertonghen fills in for Kompany as captain, and Mirallas plays as a central forward, different from his usual position.
Subs:
Nacer Chadli (Tottenham) 60' for Adnan Januzaj
Divock Origi (Lille) 60' for Dries Mertens
Eden Hazard (Chelsea) 88' for Kevin Mirallas
In a world where Algeria more easily beats South Korea than Belgium did at the World Cup, it seems like a great world for USA fans as they size up their round of 16 opponents. But you're missing the bigger picture. Belgium were already through to the next round, played a lot of their players lower in the pecking order, and were comfortable with a draw against the Taejeuk Warriors. But South Korea knew if they had any shot of advancing, nothing less than victory over the Belgians would be sufficient. Asia's last hope to qualify for the group stage became the 4th of 4 AFC teams not to win a single game at this World Cup (just like Iran, Japan, and Australia; yes Australia is part of Oceania but in football/soccer Australia is part of the Asian Football Confederation). Steven Defour certainly didn't help his case to find more playing time by earning a red card, but the substitute captain Jan Vertonghen earned Belgium a perfect 9 out of 9 points in the Group of Life, I mean Group H. This win confirmed what was nearly certain that Belgium would finish the Group, and on the flip side South Korea finishes on the bottom.
Elimination Analysis: South Korea
Like 2004 Euro Champions Greece, every South Korean team since their 4th place finish in the 2002 World Cup has been compared too and existed in the shadow of that group of players who gifted their nation their greatest moment in their soccer history. South Korea is a team moving in the right direction but still has a long way ahead of it if they want to be the first Asian team to win the World Cup as some rather optimistic Asian soccer legends like Park Ji Sung hope for/predict. They're a skilled and talented team but while USA's domestic players have risen about their league's standards, South Korea's K-League and J-League players don't quite look too impressive. If it wasn't for Igor Akinfeev's horrid mistake South Korea wouldn't have gotten a single point in this World Cup. This team will no longer be content with just qualifying for the World Cup; they've done that since Mexico 1986. But some changes will have to be made otherwise the realistic expectations of this team will rarely exceed an occasional top 16 finish.
Group H: Algeria vs. Russia
Result: 1-1 draw that the Algerians will be much more happy with than the Russians
Goalscorers: 6' Aleksandr Kokorin (Dynamo Moscow), 60' Islam Slimani (Sporting CP)
Bookings: 39' Djamel Mesbah (Livorno), 57' Dmitri Kombarov (Spartak Moscow), 59' Aleksei Kozlov (Dynamo Moscow), 87' Nabil Ghilas (Porto)
Also, Algeria's Liassine Cadamuro-Bentaiba (Mallorca) got booked at 90+2' for time wasting for refusing to give the ball to the Russians who had possession at the time
Lineups
Algeria (4-2-3-1)
Rais M'Bohli (CSKA Sofia); Aissa Mandi (Reims), Essaid Belkalem (Watford), Rafik Halliche (Academica, captain), Djamel Mesbah (Livorno); Carl Medjani (Valenciennes), Nabil Bentaleb (Tottenham); Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia), Yacine Brahimi (Granada), Abdelmoumene Djabou (Club Africain); Islam Slimani (Sporting CP)
Changes from last match
Change from 5-2-2-1 to 4-2-3-1 formation. Medjani moves from defense to midfield. Madjid Bougherra (on a yellow card) left on the bench for this match and was replaced by Belkalem.
Subs:
Hassan Yebda (Udinese) 71' for Yacine Brahimi
Nabil Ghilas (Porto) 77' for Abdelmoumene Djabou
El Arbi Hillel Soudani (Dinamo Zagreb) 90+2' for Islam Slimani
Russia (4-2-3-1)
Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow); Aleksei Kozlov (Dynamo Moscow), Vasili Berezutski (CSKA Moscow, captain), Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Dmitri Kombarov (Spartak Moscow); Denis Glushakov (Spartak Moscow), Viktor Fayzulin (Zenit); Aleksandr Samedov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Aleksandr Kokorin (Dynamo Moscow), Oleg Shatov (Zenit); Aleksandr Kerzhakov (Zenit)
Changes from last match
Change from 4-1-1-3-1 to 4-2-3-1 formation (so the two central midfielders now playing side by side). Kokorin moves to central attacking midfielder. Maksim Kanunnikov on the bench, allowing Kerzhakov to start (sub appearance against Belgium)
Subs:
Igor Denisov (Dynamo Moscow) 46' for Denis Glushakov
Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow) 67' for Oleg Shatov
Maksim Kanunnikov (Rubin Kazan) 81' for Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Everything on the line for these two countries large in area and more promising in talent in this sport than in previous recent years. Russia got off to a great start with a goal from Aleksandr Kokorin, but Algeria were breathing down their neck in set pieces. Russia had most of the possession but failure to score a 2nd goal meant they were dangerously balancing on a tight rope, knowing just one Algerian goal crushes Russian hopes of advancing past the group stage. And that one Algerian goal came from an Algerian free kick which Islam Slimani scored and will be considered Algeria's hero from that match. But really given Algeria's chances of getting out of the group, everyone on that team deserves a medal of honor for playing with such heart, especially Rais M'Bohli. If you watched this game you wouldn't believe me when I told you he was a 2nd choice goal keeper for a freaking Bulgarian club. Russia blew a lot of their best chances and the match ended in a draw, sending Algeria through to the knockout round of the World cup for the first time ever, while the Russians were sent home. Fabio Capello wasn't happy one bit, blaming the referees at this World Cup (who in fairness, shouldn't all be getting A's in their report cards) and the laser pointed at Igor Akinfeev. Yeah that excuse is render invalid when Akinfeev can make mistakes without lasers point at him (remember the South Korea game? Besides Akinfeev admitted it wasn't the laser's fault). The celebrations for the Desert Foxes and their supporters were pure and great as they wrapped up the 16 team lineup for the KO Stage in Brazil 2014.
Elimination Analysis: Russia
If Russia don't sort things through and the draw comes to bite them in the ass, maybe South Africa won't be the only host nation to get eliminated in the group stage (but they'll be followed by Qatar, no doubt). And a lot will be rethaught after this. Will Fabio Capello keep his job or was getting Russia to this World Cup enough to keep the Russian Federation happy? Will the Russian players be urged to leave their domestic league and play elsewhere in Europe? Will Igor Akinfeev get the Robert Green treatment? Well considering Robert Green wasn't played again after his mistake while Akinfeev remained Capello's 1st choice keeper, at least all is not lost for them. Where was the Russian team that looked like a forced to be reckoned with in qualifying and shoved Portugal into the playoff route and a date with Sweden to qualify for the World Cup? That's what everyone in Russia is wondering and hoping they'll see again soon.
Na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye
Australia 4th Group B
Bosnia and Herzergovina 3rd Group F
Cameroon 4th Group A
Cote D'Ivoire 3rd Group C
Croatia 3rd Group A
Ecuador 3rd Group E
England 3rd Group D
Ghana 4th Group G
Honduras 4th Group E
Iran 4th Group F
Italy 3rd Group D
Japan 3rd Group C
Portugal 4th Group G
Russia 3rd Group H
South Korea 3rd Group H
Spain 3rd Group B
Even though you guys didn't survive the group stage, you still provided a lot of fascinating moments in the World Cup, and aside from a few exceptions, your fans will still be proud of you.
Congratulations Knockout Class of 2014!
Algeria 2nd Group H
Argentina 1st Group F
Belgium 1st Group H
Brazil 1st Group A
Chile 2nd Group B
Colombia 1st Group C
Costa Rica 1st Group D
France 1st Group E
Germany 1st Group C
Greece 2nd Group D
Mexico 2nd Group A
Netherlands 2nd Group B
Nigeria 2nd Group F
Switzerland 2nd Group E
United States 2nd Group G
Uruguay 2nd Group D
6 European teams, 5 South American teams, 3 North American teams (a first), and 2 African teams (another first) are in the knockout stage. No Asian teams made the cut. This is what the World Cup is all about: the knockout stage. No second chances. Do or die. 15 games (not counting the 3rd place match), 15 dreams of World Cup glory out the door. Some may be disappointed that their team didn't get this far and maybe bitter that one of their less favorite teams did. But not me. I look at this lineup, remember the games they've participated in so far, and I'm looking forward to the rest of this tournament. Even the David and Goliath matchups like Argentina vs. Switzerland or Germany vs. Algeria, judging by the way this tournament has gone so far, have the potential to be entertaining games. So get ready for what hopefully will be a great World Cup ride.
Up Next
1A Brazil vs. 2B Chile
1A Colombia vs. 2B Uruguay
Another 2010 rematch! Here we go again! Brazilian fans at a minimum expect them to keep their quarterfinals streak that's been kept alive since their victory in 1994 USA going, especially against the likes of Chile. However, as Spain found out the hard way, Chile have the potential to give favorites a sucker punch or two. How many Chilean punches will Scolari and his Brazilians be able to take, and will Neymar be able to deliver another knockout blow?
Colombia have been one of the most fun teams to watch so far, while the same isn't exactly true for Uruguay, whose chances of lasting much longer in this World Cup took potentially a fatal blow with Pacman, I mean Luis Suarez's, ban. But like Colombia, Uruguay are still a talented team without their main man. However, the last match Suarez didn't appear in, they lost....to Costa Rica. Anywho, this looks like one of the closest matchups in the Round of 16.
These matchups assure at least one South American team will make it to the semifinals. It's the 2nd World Cup in a row where 5 South American teams made it to the knockout stage (Brazil Argentina Uruguay Paraguay and Chile in 2010, the above 4 plus Argentina in 2014). The winners of these two matches will face each other in the quarterfinals. The losers will be out. The stakes have been raised, who will keep their dreams alive one day more?
Oh and the other matchups are France vs. Nigeria, Germany vs. Algeria, Netherlands vs. Mexico, Costa Rica vs. Greece, Argentina vs. Switzerland, and Belgium vs. USA, but more on those matchups later.
Group G: United States vs. Germany
Result: 1-0 victory for Germany
Goalscorers: 55' Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Bookings: 11' Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), 37' Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), 62' Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake)
Lineups
United States (4-2-3-1)
Tim Howard (Everton); Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla); Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas); Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo); Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders, captain)
Changes from last match
Geoff Cameron (who had a less than stellar game against Portugal) and Alejandro Bedoya left on the bench for Gonzalez and Davis to start
Subs:
Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes) 59' for Brad Davis
DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders) 84' for Graham Zusi
Germany (4-5-1)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich); Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke); Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich, captain), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal); Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Changes from last match
Mario Gotze and Sami Khedira left on the bench for Schweinsteiger and Podolski to start
Subs:
Miroslav Klose (Lazio) 46' for Lukas Podolski
Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich) 76' for Bastian Schweinsteiger
Andre Schurrle (Chelsea) 89' for Mesut Ozil
USA's last stop in this crazy Group G ride saved the toughest for last. Ghana is a decent team. Portugal is a great team. But Germany could possibly be the strongest team in the world. There was a lot of wondering if former coaching partners and alleged BFFs Klinsmann and Low had a secret agreement that they would play for a draw, but considering the strength in the lineups and their offensively inclined substitutions, that myth was busted. It was a rainy day and USA know they needed to get a decent result against the Germans to get through to the KO stage, and they did lose but a 1-0 loss to a team who usually scores at least 2 or 3 goals in most matches isn't the most bitter of pills to swallow. FYI, it's not parking the bus if a team spends a legitimate amount of time outside their penalty box. USA looked decent on and off the ball everywhere on the pitch but Germany were still one step ahead for the majority of the match, and Thomas Muller's goal was a fantastic one. It's Muller's 4th goal of the World Cup (tying him with Neymar and Messi), his 9th in all World Cups (5 from 2010 South Africa), and he's just been one of the guys doing great in a Germany shirt. One of them, Bastian Schweinsteiger (who had a slow start to the tournament due to injury concerns) took a couple of fouls in this match. USA had a couple of chances to threaten but either a bad touch from Michael Bradley or a less than perfect finish from Clint Dempsey kept Manuel Neuer's clean sheet in tact. Ultimately there's still much work that needs to be done. USA needs to be more threatening with possession, and Germany needs to reconsider using Philipp Lahm as a full back since Benedikt Howedes didn't look too comfortable (4 CBs in a back 4 is not really a great idea), but both Jurgen Klinsmann and Joachim Low will be happy with their teams performances and getting out of this group that people just couldn't stop thinking about ever since the draw.
Group G: Portugal vs. Ghana
Result: 2-1 win for Portugal
Goalscorers: 31' own goal John Boye (Rennes), 57' Asamoah Gyan (Al-Ain), 80' Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Bookings: 39' Harrison Afful (Esperance), 55' Majeed Waris (Valenciennes), 78' Jordan Ayew (Sochaux), 90+4' Joao Moutinho (Monaco)
Lineups
Portugal (4-5-1)
Beto (Sevilla); Joao Pereira (Valencia), Pepe (Real Madrid), Bruno Alves (Fenerbahce), Miguel Veloso (Dynamo Kyiv); William Carvalho (Sporting CP), Joao Moutinho (Monaco), Ruben Amorim (Benfica), Nani (Manchester United), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, captain); Eder (Braga)
Changes from last match
Pepe returns from suspension from the red card he received against Germany and returns to the starting line up in Ricardo Costa's place. Andre Almeida, Raul Meireles, and Helder Postiga (possible injury concerns for the latter two) left off the starting lineup, making way for William, Amorim, and Eder to start.
Subs:
Silvestre Varela (Porto) 61' for Joao Pereira
Vieirinha (Wolfsburg) 69' for Eder
Eduardo (Braga) 89' for Beto
Ghana (4-2-2-2)
Fatau Dauda (Orlando Pirates); Harrison Afful (Esperance), John Boye (Rennes), Jonathan Mensah (Evian), Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus); Mohammed Rabiu (Kuban Krasnodar), Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese); Christian Atsu (Vitesse), Andre Ayew (Marseille); Majeed Waris (Valenciennes), Asamoah Gyan (Al-Ain, captain)
Changes from last match
Sulley Muntari and Kevin Prince-Boateng were not available for this match (will explain below) so Agyemang-Badu and Majeed Waris filled those vacancies. Change in formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-2-2-2
Subs:
Jordan Ayew (Sochaux) 71' for Majeed Waris
Afriyie Acquah (Parma) 76' for Mohammed Rabiu
Wakaso Mubarak (Rubin Kazan) 81' for Andre Ayew
Ghana and Portugal managed to get a point from their first two games thanks to some thrilling 2-2 draws against Germany and USA respectively, but they needed to get things to go their way in this match to advance, but both faced vital set backs. Portugal's 4-0 loss to Germany put them in a huge hole in terms of goal difference, and two of Ghana's best players were sent home early for being dumb. Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari got in a fight during training, Boateng insulted the coach, Akwasi Appiah, and Muntari assaulted a member of the Ghana management. And things only went from bad to worse for Ghana in this game despite causing USA and Germany so many problems in their matches against Ghana. First, John Boye scored an own goal. Then, a poor clearance by Fatau Dauda sent the ball perfectly to Cristiano Ronaldo. You do not give the best player in the world a free goal, and that's exactly what they did to made sure Ronaldo kept his streak of scoring exactly 1 goal in every World Cup he's been in. Yeah, Ronaldo's got 3 World Cup goals total. That's less than Messi has scored in this World Cup alone. Those costly Ghanian errors cancelled out Asamoah Gyan's stunner he put past Beto. However, this result didn't do either of them any good. For Portugal, once against USA and Germany end their dreams earlier than they hoped for. And for Ghana, Germany nearly got another victory against them and USA finally got theirs. It's the group of death, and Portugal and Ghana are the victims with the German coaches successfully navigating through these rough waters.
Elimination Analysis: Ghana
For a nation who is only in their 3rd World Cup and whose first World Cup was 8 years ago, they made an immediate impact. They beat Czech Republic and USA in the Group Stage before hitting a brick wall against the Brazilians in the Round of 16, the only African nation to get that far in Germany 2006. Once again Ghana was Africa's only representative in the KO Stages after beating Serbia, narrowly losing to Germany, and tying with an Australian team that, like Portugal this year, were battered by Germany 4-0. They beat USA once again and looked like they found a 2-1 victory against Uruguay until Luis f-ing Suarez stuck his hand out and you know the rest of the story, and if Asamoah Gyan was reading this he'd thank me for not reminding you guys. Anyway this made Ghana the 3rd African nation to reach the quarterfinals following 1990 Cameroon and 2002 Senegal. Going into this World Cup, it was no secret they were a decent team and they made themselves truly a part of this group of death, but at the end of the day maybe it just came down to wanting it more. They thought they had USA at their knees no matter what and players were talking smack and got their payback courtesy of John Brooks. They played a great game against Germany but they couldn't replicate it against Portugal. If they did, they might've gone through instead of USA. But why did they crumble? Well it certainly didn't help that Boateng and Muntari got themselves exiled. But not much will change. There's still lots of Ghanians playing for decent clubs in European, especially in the French (Andre Ayew) and Italian (Kwadwo Asamoah) leagues. The days of the world underestimating Ghana are over, and they'll be one of the stronger teams from Africa and favorites to represent at Africa in World Cups for a while.
Elimination Analysis: Portugal
Not every great player even gets to the World Cup (George Best and George Weah), and even if you go there it doesn't mean you'll have a good one or you'll win it. After 3 World Cups, it seems like Cristiano Ronaldo's window of opportunity is all done. He'll be 33 for 2018 Russia and he'll likely still be able to make the World Cup squad but will he make as much of a positive impact? Seems unlikely. A lot of people believe Portugal is a one man show. I'm not one of those people. I know that Portugal has several good players like Joao Moutinho, Fabio Coentrao, and Nani. But when Ronaldo's not doing well, Portugal does so much worse. Ronaldo wasn't 100% heading in this World Cup and all it did was make it obvious that Portugal needs him dearly and no one else could quite step it up. Portugal, like Italy, were considered outside favorites to win this World Cup and will be hugely disappointed they couldn't get out of the group stage, just like in 2002 in the height of the Luis Figo days. I guess expectations should've been lower considering Portugal made it here through the playoffs, but then you have teams like Mexico and France, playing like they surely qualified automatically for this World Cup (but they didn't).
Group H: South Korea vs. Belgium
Result: Belgium won 1-0
Goalscorers: 78' Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham)
Bookings: 35' Hong Jeong-Ho (Augsburg), 45' red card Steven Defour (Porto), 50' Mousa Dembele (Tottenham)
Significance of Bookings: Defour will be suspended in Belgium's Round of 16 match
Lineups
South Korea (4-4-2)
Jung Sung-Ryong (Suwon Bluewings); Lee Yong (Ulsan Hyundai), Kim Young-Gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande), Hong Jeong-Ho (Augsburg), Yun Suk-Young (Queens Park Rangers); Lee Chung-Yong (Bolton Wanderers), Ki Sung-Yueng (Sunderland), Han Kook-Young (Kashiwa Reysol), Son Heung-Min (Bayer Leverkusen); Koo Ja-Cheol (Mainz 05, captain), Kim Shin-Wook (Ulsan Hyundai)
Changes from last match
Change from 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-2 formation, and Wook replaces Park Chu-Young in the starting lineup. Son moves to midfield
Subs:
Lee Keun-Ho (Sangju Sangmu) 46' for Han Kook-Young
Kim Bo-Kyung (Cardiff City) 66' for Kim Shin-Wook
Ji Dong-Won (Augsburg) 73' for Son Heung-Min
Belgium (4-2-3-1)
Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid); Anthony Vanden Borre (Anderlecht), Daniel van Buyten (Bayern Munich), Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham, captain); Steven Defour (Porto), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham); Dries Mertens (Napoli), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United); Kevin Mirallas (Everton)
Changes from last match
Toby Alderweireld, Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen, Axel Witsel, Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Romelu Lukaku do not start. Only Courtois, van Buyten, Mertens, and Fellaini started the game against Russia but Vertonghen and Mirallas came on as substitutes. Vertonghen fills in for Kompany as captain, and Mirallas plays as a central forward, different from his usual position.
Subs:
Nacer Chadli (Tottenham) 60' for Adnan Januzaj
Divock Origi (Lille) 60' for Dries Mertens
Eden Hazard (Chelsea) 88' for Kevin Mirallas
In a world where Algeria more easily beats South Korea than Belgium did at the World Cup, it seems like a great world for USA fans as they size up their round of 16 opponents. But you're missing the bigger picture. Belgium were already through to the next round, played a lot of their players lower in the pecking order, and were comfortable with a draw against the Taejeuk Warriors. But South Korea knew if they had any shot of advancing, nothing less than victory over the Belgians would be sufficient. Asia's last hope to qualify for the group stage became the 4th of 4 AFC teams not to win a single game at this World Cup (just like Iran, Japan, and Australia; yes Australia is part of Oceania but in football/soccer Australia is part of the Asian Football Confederation). Steven Defour certainly didn't help his case to find more playing time by earning a red card, but the substitute captain Jan Vertonghen earned Belgium a perfect 9 out of 9 points in the Group of Life, I mean Group H. This win confirmed what was nearly certain that Belgium would finish the Group, and on the flip side South Korea finishes on the bottom.
Elimination Analysis: South Korea
Like 2004 Euro Champions Greece, every South Korean team since their 4th place finish in the 2002 World Cup has been compared too and existed in the shadow of that group of players who gifted their nation their greatest moment in their soccer history. South Korea is a team moving in the right direction but still has a long way ahead of it if they want to be the first Asian team to win the World Cup as some rather optimistic Asian soccer legends like Park Ji Sung hope for/predict. They're a skilled and talented team but while USA's domestic players have risen about their league's standards, South Korea's K-League and J-League players don't quite look too impressive. If it wasn't for Igor Akinfeev's horrid mistake South Korea wouldn't have gotten a single point in this World Cup. This team will no longer be content with just qualifying for the World Cup; they've done that since Mexico 1986. But some changes will have to be made otherwise the realistic expectations of this team will rarely exceed an occasional top 16 finish.
Group H: Algeria vs. Russia
Result: 1-1 draw that the Algerians will be much more happy with than the Russians
Goalscorers: 6' Aleksandr Kokorin (Dynamo Moscow), 60' Islam Slimani (Sporting CP)
Bookings: 39' Djamel Mesbah (Livorno), 57' Dmitri Kombarov (Spartak Moscow), 59' Aleksei Kozlov (Dynamo Moscow), 87' Nabil Ghilas (Porto)
Also, Algeria's Liassine Cadamuro-Bentaiba (Mallorca) got booked at 90+2' for time wasting for refusing to give the ball to the Russians who had possession at the time
Lineups
Algeria (4-2-3-1)
Rais M'Bohli (CSKA Sofia); Aissa Mandi (Reims), Essaid Belkalem (Watford), Rafik Halliche (Academica, captain), Djamel Mesbah (Livorno); Carl Medjani (Valenciennes), Nabil Bentaleb (Tottenham); Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia), Yacine Brahimi (Granada), Abdelmoumene Djabou (Club Africain); Islam Slimani (Sporting CP)
Changes from last match
Change from 5-2-2-1 to 4-2-3-1 formation. Medjani moves from defense to midfield. Madjid Bougherra (on a yellow card) left on the bench for this match and was replaced by Belkalem.
Subs:
Hassan Yebda (Udinese) 71' for Yacine Brahimi
Nabil Ghilas (Porto) 77' for Abdelmoumene Djabou
El Arbi Hillel Soudani (Dinamo Zagreb) 90+2' for Islam Slimani
Russia (4-2-3-1)
Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow); Aleksei Kozlov (Dynamo Moscow), Vasili Berezutski (CSKA Moscow, captain), Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Dmitri Kombarov (Spartak Moscow); Denis Glushakov (Spartak Moscow), Viktor Fayzulin (Zenit); Aleksandr Samedov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Aleksandr Kokorin (Dynamo Moscow), Oleg Shatov (Zenit); Aleksandr Kerzhakov (Zenit)
Changes from last match
Change from 4-1-1-3-1 to 4-2-3-1 formation (so the two central midfielders now playing side by side). Kokorin moves to central attacking midfielder. Maksim Kanunnikov on the bench, allowing Kerzhakov to start (sub appearance against Belgium)
Subs:
Igor Denisov (Dynamo Moscow) 46' for Denis Glushakov
Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow) 67' for Oleg Shatov
Maksim Kanunnikov (Rubin Kazan) 81' for Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Everything on the line for these two countries large in area and more promising in talent in this sport than in previous recent years. Russia got off to a great start with a goal from Aleksandr Kokorin, but Algeria were breathing down their neck in set pieces. Russia had most of the possession but failure to score a 2nd goal meant they were dangerously balancing on a tight rope, knowing just one Algerian goal crushes Russian hopes of advancing past the group stage. And that one Algerian goal came from an Algerian free kick which Islam Slimani scored and will be considered Algeria's hero from that match. But really given Algeria's chances of getting out of the group, everyone on that team deserves a medal of honor for playing with such heart, especially Rais M'Bohli. If you watched this game you wouldn't believe me when I told you he was a 2nd choice goal keeper for a freaking Bulgarian club. Russia blew a lot of their best chances and the match ended in a draw, sending Algeria through to the knockout round of the World cup for the first time ever, while the Russians were sent home. Fabio Capello wasn't happy one bit, blaming the referees at this World Cup (who in fairness, shouldn't all be getting A's in their report cards) and the laser pointed at Igor Akinfeev. Yeah that excuse is render invalid when Akinfeev can make mistakes without lasers point at him (remember the South Korea game? Besides Akinfeev admitted it wasn't the laser's fault). The celebrations for the Desert Foxes and their supporters were pure and great as they wrapped up the 16 team lineup for the KO Stage in Brazil 2014.
Elimination Analysis: Russia
If Russia don't sort things through and the draw comes to bite them in the ass, maybe South Africa won't be the only host nation to get eliminated in the group stage (but they'll be followed by Qatar, no doubt). And a lot will be rethaught after this. Will Fabio Capello keep his job or was getting Russia to this World Cup enough to keep the Russian Federation happy? Will the Russian players be urged to leave their domestic league and play elsewhere in Europe? Will Igor Akinfeev get the Robert Green treatment? Well considering Robert Green wasn't played again after his mistake while Akinfeev remained Capello's 1st choice keeper, at least all is not lost for them. Where was the Russian team that looked like a forced to be reckoned with in qualifying and shoved Portugal into the playoff route and a date with Sweden to qualify for the World Cup? That's what everyone in Russia is wondering and hoping they'll see again soon.
Na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye
Australia 4th Group B
Bosnia and Herzergovina 3rd Group F
Cameroon 4th Group A
Cote D'Ivoire 3rd Group C
Croatia 3rd Group A
Ecuador 3rd Group E
England 3rd Group D
Ghana 4th Group G
Honduras 4th Group E
Iran 4th Group F
Italy 3rd Group D
Japan 3rd Group C
Portugal 4th Group G
Russia 3rd Group H
South Korea 3rd Group H
Spain 3rd Group B
Even though you guys didn't survive the group stage, you still provided a lot of fascinating moments in the World Cup, and aside from a few exceptions, your fans will still be proud of you.
Congratulations Knockout Class of 2014!
Algeria 2nd Group H
Argentina 1st Group F
Belgium 1st Group H
Brazil 1st Group A
Chile 2nd Group B
Colombia 1st Group C
Costa Rica 1st Group D
France 1st Group E
Germany 1st Group C
Greece 2nd Group D
Mexico 2nd Group A
Netherlands 2nd Group B
Nigeria 2nd Group F
Switzerland 2nd Group E
United States 2nd Group G
Uruguay 2nd Group D
6 European teams, 5 South American teams, 3 North American teams (a first), and 2 African teams (another first) are in the knockout stage. No Asian teams made the cut. This is what the World Cup is all about: the knockout stage. No second chances. Do or die. 15 games (not counting the 3rd place match), 15 dreams of World Cup glory out the door. Some may be disappointed that their team didn't get this far and maybe bitter that one of their less favorite teams did. But not me. I look at this lineup, remember the games they've participated in so far, and I'm looking forward to the rest of this tournament. Even the David and Goliath matchups like Argentina vs. Switzerland or Germany vs. Algeria, judging by the way this tournament has gone so far, have the potential to be entertaining games. So get ready for what hopefully will be a great World Cup ride.
Up Next
1A Brazil vs. 2B Chile
1A Colombia vs. 2B Uruguay
Another 2010 rematch! Here we go again! Brazilian fans at a minimum expect them to keep their quarterfinals streak that's been kept alive since their victory in 1994 USA going, especially against the likes of Chile. However, as Spain found out the hard way, Chile have the potential to give favorites a sucker punch or two. How many Chilean punches will Scolari and his Brazilians be able to take, and will Neymar be able to deliver another knockout blow?
Colombia have been one of the most fun teams to watch so far, while the same isn't exactly true for Uruguay, whose chances of lasting much longer in this World Cup took potentially a fatal blow with Pacman, I mean Luis Suarez's, ban. But like Colombia, Uruguay are still a talented team without their main man. However, the last match Suarez didn't appear in, they lost....to Costa Rica. Anywho, this looks like one of the closest matchups in the Round of 16.
These matchups assure at least one South American team will make it to the semifinals. It's the 2nd World Cup in a row where 5 South American teams made it to the knockout stage (Brazil Argentina Uruguay Paraguay and Chile in 2010, the above 4 plus Argentina in 2014). The winners of these two matches will face each other in the quarterfinals. The losers will be out. The stakes have been raised, who will keep their dreams alive one day more?
Oh and the other matchups are France vs. Nigeria, Germany vs. Algeria, Netherlands vs. Mexico, Costa Rica vs. Greece, Argentina vs. Switzerland, and Belgium vs. USA, but more on those matchups later.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
2014 FIFA World Cup Day 14 Review Day 15 Preview
Groups E and F would wrap it up today. With Argentina already qualified and France nearly there, it was a matter of who would join them and what the matchups would be.
Group F: Nigeria vs. Argentina
Result: Argentina won 3-2
Goalscorers: 3', 45+1' Lionel Messi (Barcelona), 4', 47' Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow), 50' Marcos Rojo (Sporting CP)
Bookings: 49' Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough), 51' Juwon Oshaniwa (Ashdod)
Lineups
Nigeria (4-4-2)
Vincent Enyeama (Lille); Efe Ambrose (Celtic), Joseph Yobo (Norwich City, captain), Juwon Oshaniwa (Ashdod), Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough); Ogenyi Onazi (Lazio), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea), Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow), Michel Babatunde (Volyn Lutsk); Peter Odemwingie (Stoke City), Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce)
Changes from last match
Same starting 11 from the game against Bosnia-Herzegovina, but change from 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-2 formation
Subs:
Michael Uchebo (Cercle Brugge) 66' for Michel Babatunde
Uche Nwofor (Heerenveen) 80' for Peter Odemwingie
Argentina (4-3-3)
Sergio Romero (Monaco); Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Federico Fernandez (Napoli), Ezequiel Garay (Benfica), Marcos Rojo (Sporting CP); Fernando Gago (Boca Juniors), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Angel di Maria (Real Madrid); Lionel Messi (Barcelona, captain), Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Changes from last match
Same starters and formation used against Iran
Subs:
Ezequiel Lavezzi (PSG) 38' for Sergio Aguero
Ricardo Alvarez (Inter) 63' for Lionel Messi
Lucas Biglia (Lazio) 90' for Gonzalo Higuain
These teams have quite a repetitive history in the World Cup, with Argentina beating Nigeria every time they met in the Group Stage. It was especially a rematch for Lionel Messi against a goal keeper who prevented him from scoring against Nigeria in 2010 South Africa: Vincent Enyeama. It only took 3 minutes for Messi to score this time around but a minute later, Musa drew Nigeria level. Then Messi scored again, then Musa. And then Rojo scored off a set piece to give Argentina a slim lead but by then Nigeria were out of responses. It was another nerve wracking win for Argentina and once again Messi saves the day and earns them another 3 points to finish the group stage perfectly. Lionel Messi is now tied with Neymar for leading scorer with 4 goals. However due to the result of the Iran-Bosnia match, Nigeria would follow Argentina out of this group in 2nd place.
Group F: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Iran
Result: 3-1 win for Bosnia and Herzegovina
Goalscorers: 23' Eden Dzeko (Manchester City), 59' Miralem Pjanic (Roma), 82' Reza Ghoochannejhad (Charlton Athletic), 83' Avdija Vrsajevic (Hajduk Split)
Bookings: 78' Muhamed Besic (Ferencvaros), 88' Karim Ansarifard (Tractor Sazi)
Lineups
Bosnia and Herzegovina (4-4-2)
Asmir Begovic (Stoke City); Avdija Vrsajevic (Hajduk Split), Toni Sunjic (Zorya Luhansk), Emir Spahic (Bayer Leverkusen, captain), Sead Kolasinac (Schalke); Miralem Pjanic (Roma), Muhamed Besic (Ferencvaros), Anel Hadzic (Sturm Graz), Tino-Sven Susic (Hajduk Split); Edin Dzeko (Manchester City), Vedad Ibisevic (Stuttgart)
Changes from last match
Mensur Mujdza, Haris Medunjanin, Izet Hajrovic, Zvjezdan Misimovic, and Senad Lulic left off the starting lineup, allowing Vrsajevic, Kolasinac, Hadzic, Susic, and Ibisevic to start (Susic and Ibisevic appeared as subs against Nigeria)
Subs:
Ognjen Vranjes (Elazigspor) 61' for Anel Hadzic
Sejad Salihovic (Hoffenheim) 79' for Tino-Sven Susic
Edin Visca (Istanbul Basaksehir) 85' for Edin Dzeko
Iran (4-2-3-1)
Alireza Haghighi (Sporting Covilha); Jalal Hosseini (Persepolis), Amir Sadeghi (Esteghlal), Pejman Montazeri (Umm Salal), Mehrdad Pooladi (Persepolis); Javad Nekounam (Al-Kuwait, captain), Andranik Teymourian (Esteghlal); Ashkan Dejagah (Fulham), Masoud Shojaei (Las Palmas), Ehsan Hajsafi (Sephana); Reza Ghoochannejhad (Charlton Athletic)
Changes from last match
Same formation and players that faced Argentina
Subs:
Khosro Heydari (Esteghlal) 46' for Masoud Shojaei
Alireza Jahanbakhsh (NEC) 63' for Ehsan Hajsafi
Karim Ansarifard (Tractor Sazi) 82' for Ashkan Dejagah
Bosnia and Herzegovina were heading out of the World Cup no matter what happened in this match but they made sure they didn't go out without a fight. Iran needed to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina to have a shot at advancing to the next round but even though the Dragons have been slayed already, they are still a decent team especially compared to the Iranians. Led by the Roma star Miralem Pjanic who had 1 goal and 1 assist, Bosnia and Herzegovina earned their first world cup win ever. As for Iran, at least Reza Ghoochannejad made sure Iran didn't go home without scoring a single goal. And this meant that every team at this World Cup scored at least 1 goal.
Elimination Analysis: Bosnia and Herzegovina
A nation that gained independence in a war-torn area of Europe in the 1990s, and fast forward 20 years and a poor nation dealing with floods would get to cheer on their team going to their first ever World Cup. In a difficult period, the 23 Dragons representing this young and growing nation were hoping to put a smile of the faces of the people rooting for them back home. Now they'll be wondering what went wrong and how they could be going out this early, and upon reflection they won't be happy. Edin Dzeko's goal against Nigeria was unjustly disallowed and if it stood, Bosnia and Herzegovina would be going through to the next round. Even though this journey ended sooner than they would've liked, their journey to Brazil was quite impressive and now there's another decent European team in the mix to qualify for future competitions.
Elimination Analysis: Iran
Well they ended with 1 point and dead last in this group but they far from embarrassed themselves at this World Cup. Finishing the tournament with the same amount of points as England is nothing for Carlos Quieroz and Iran to be ashamed of. They put in decent performances against their opposition in this group. The fact that some people believed they outplayed Argentina in Argentina's narrow 1-0 victory over Iran is a huge compliment. If Iran qualify for the next World Cup, the world will be a lot less shocked to see them truly go toe to toe with some of the best teams out there. Hopefully they can get a few more players playing in Europe (preferably top divisions in Europe) in the next few years and then perhaps Iran will become even more threatening.
Group E: Honduras vs. Switzerland
Result: 3-0 victory for the Swiss
Goalscorers: 6', 31', 71' Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich)
Bookings: 66' Jerry Palacios (Alajuelense)
Lineups
Honduras (4-4-2)
Noel Valladares (Olimpia, captain); Brayan Beckeles (Olimpia), Victor Bernardez (San Jose Earthquakes), Maynor Figueroa (Hull City), Juan Carlos Garcia (Wigan Athletic); Jorge Claros (Motagua), Wilson Palacios (Stoke City), Oscar Boniek Garcia (Houston Dynamo), Roger Espinoza (Wigan Athletic); Carlo Costly (Real Espana), Jerry Bengtson (New England Revolution)
Changes from last match
Emilio Izaguirre and Luis Garrido replaced by J.Garcia and W.Palacios (the latter who returned from suspension after receiving a red card against France) respectively.
Subs:
Jerry Palacios (Alajuelense) 40' for Carlo Costly
Martin Chavez (Chivas USA) 46' for Roger Espinoza
Andy Najar (Anderlecht) 77' for Oscar Boniek Garcia
Switzerland (4-2-3-1)
Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg); Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Johan Djourou (Hamburger), Fabian Schar (Basel), Ricardo Rodriguez (Wolfsburg); Valon Behrami (Napoli), Gokhan Inler (Napoli, captain); Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich), Granit Xhaka (Monchengladbach), Admir Mehmedi (Freiburg); Josip Drmic (Nurnberg)
Changes from last match
Steve von Bergen (injury) and Haris Seferovic left off the starting lineup for Schar and Drmic to start.
Subs:
Haris Seferovic (Real Sociedad) 74' for Josip Drmic
Michael Lang (Grasshopper) 77' for Granit Xhaka
Blerim Dzemaili (Napoli) 87' for Xherdan Shaqiri
Honduras mathematically weren't eliminated going into this match but they were just about. Considering the wealth of talent the Swiss have, things looked like they would be different than the 0-0 draw that happened in South Africa. Perhaps Ottmar Hitzfeld will remember that match and would be especially careful to avoid history repeating itself, and thankfully Xherdan Shaqiri and Josip Drmic stepped up and led Switzerland to another 3-0 defeat for Honduras to deal with. Drmic did a good job setting up opportunities, most of which Shaqiri made good use of to score the 50th hat trick at the FIFA World Cup. This win allowed Switzerland to finish in 2nd in this group and will face Argentina in the Round of 16. Switzerland don't look like the most threatening team in the tournament but Argentina haven't been coasting through this World Cup so far so anything is possible. For Honduras though, it's another group stage exit.
Elimination Analysis: Honduras
Mexico advanced from Group A, Costa Rica won Group C, USA are in a good position to advance from Group G, but Honduras couldn't do as well as their CONCACAF rivals and leave the World Cup without a single point just like Cameroon and Australia. Honduras gave teams like USA and Mexico a tough time in the final round of qualifying for CONCACAF (the Hexagonal), but once again they failed to compete in the group stage. At the very least, at least Carlo Costly ended their goal scoring drought at the World Cup. It'll be another four years before Honduras can have another chance to prove they belong at the World Cup after another less than impressive performance.
Group E: Ecuador vs. France
Result: 0-0 draw
Bookings: 50' red card Antonio Valencia (Manchester United), 83' Frickson Erazo (Flamengo)
Significance of Bookings: Antonio Valencia would've missed the next match, but since Ecuador lost in the group stage, it was everyone's last match for Ecuador at this tournament.
Lineups
Ecuador (4-4-2)
Alexander Dominguez (LDU Quito); Juan Paredes (Barcelona, ECU), Jorge Guagua (Emelec), Frickson Erazo (Flamengo), Walter Ayovi (Pachuca); Jefferson Montero (Morelia), Christian Noboa (Dynamo Moscow), Oswaldo Minda (Chivas USA), Antonio Valencia (Manchester United, captain); Michael Arroyo (Atlante), Enner Valencia (Pachuca)
Changes from last match
Same formation and starters that faced Honduras except Felipe Caicedo moving to the bench for Arroyo
Subs:
Renato Ibarra (Vitesse) 63' for Jefferson Montero
Gabriel Achilier (Emelec) 82' for Michael Arroyo
Felipe Caicedo (Al-Jazira) 89' for Christian Noboa
France (4-5-1)
Hugo Lloris (Tottenham, captain); Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool), Lucas Digne (PSG); Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United); Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Changes from last match
Mathieu Debuchy, Raphael Varane, Patrice Evra, Yohan Cabaye (yellow card accumulation), Mathieu Valbuena, and Olivier Giroud are replaced by Sagna, Koscielny, Digne, Schneiderlin, Griezmann, and Pogba. Pogba, Griezmann, and Koscielny came on as subs against Switzerland.
Subs:
Raphael Varane (Real Madrid) 61' for Mamadou Sakho
Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) 67' for Blaise Matuidi
Loic Remy (Newcastle United) 79' for Antoine Griezmann
Ecuador's dropped point against Switzerland looked ready to come back to haunt them as they needed a result, preferably a win by a few goals, against France to advance. Even though to some it may have looked like France were taking their foot off the gas by resting a few of their starters, you're forgetting that France have a versatile and deep squad. Even the latest addition to their World Cup squad, Morgan Schneiderlin (only made it due to injuries) is an underrated talent Didier Deschamps has at his disposal, and with goals likely to come from as many of at least half the French starters, Ecuador truly faced an uphill battle. But it's one they took head on, absorbing pressure and getting a few good chances along the way. Hugo Lloris wasn't given the day off; he was put to work on a few occasions (certainly more than the game against Honduras). Alexander Dominguez's heroics kept France from scoring despite the amount of shots that came his way. And this match was certainly a physical one, with Christian Noboa suffering a head injury but was able to continue playing, and Antonio Valencia with a horrible and dangerous tackle he delivered to Lucas Digne to earn Ecuador's captain a Red Card. That should've been game over for Ecuador, with 40 minutes to go with only 10 men and it seemed like the next French goal invasion was due to take place, but Ecuador continued to fight but unfortunately despite working hard for a 0-0 draw, Switzerland taking all 3 points against Honduras meant that Ecuador would be out of the tournament. To me at times it almost seemed like France were content with a draw, and hopefully this performance against Ecuador doesn't sap too much of their momentum going into the knockout round against Nigeria. No doubt France will be favorites against Stephen Keshi's side but "Favorites" may no longer be the ideal role in the World Cup considering the upsets that have occurred thus far. Nonetheless, even though this current French team shouldn't be compared to the one Didier Deschamps, as a player, lead to glory in the 1998 World Cup, they look like one of the most formidable teams in the tournament.
Elimination Analysis: Ecuador
The only South American nation to go out in the Group Stage of this world cup. That is the disappointing reality that haunts La Tri right now. But nothing will disturb them more than Haris Seferovic's goal in the 3rd and final minute of stoppage time that gave Switzerland a last minute win in Brasilia. Had they kept their composure Ecuador could've gotten a point from that match which would've meant 5 points total compared to Switzerland's 4, and they would be the ones advancing instead of the Swiss. Talk about a missed opportunity. But what an impressive way to go out of this tournament. Antonio Valencia's red card is nothing to brag about, but Ecuador still managing to end the match in a draw against the group favorites France is not bad at all. The skill isn't there yet for Ecuador to be one of the big guns of South America just yet, but they certainly play with passion and despite a few crucial mistakes that ended their World Cup after 3 games and prevented them from at least replicating their best ever finish at the World Cup (Round of 16 in 2006), hopefully they keep their heads held high for fighting hard.
Current Round of 16 Matchups
Brazil vs. Chile
Colombia vs. Uruguay
France vs. Nigeria
1G vs. 2H
Netherlands vs. Mexico
Costa Rica vs. Greece
Argentina vs. Switzerland
1H vs. 2G
Up next
Group G Finale: United States vs. Germany, Ghana vs. Portugal
Group H Finale: South Korea vs. Belgium, Algeria vs. Russia
8 teams.....4 spots in the Round of 16.....4 more group stage losers.....all to play for
Belgium: The team that can breath the easiest. Their victory over Russia and Algeria's win over South Korea confirmed Belgium will be moving on to the Round of 16, and a point against an unimpressive South Korean team will put the Red Devils (yes, I mean Belgium, not Manchester United, although for Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj it doesn't make much of a difference) through Group H in the 1st spot. However Belgium have looked less like a seeded team than any other seeded team except Switzerland and maybe Uruguay. Fans expected more than a come from behind 2-1 victory over Algeria and a late goal winner over Russia, even if this is Belgium's first World Cup in 12 years. After all, this is their golden generation. Teams like Spain, Italy, and England will finish saying goodbye to theirs but for Belgium it's just beginning, and Belgium will be hoping for a comfortable win against South Korea to send them through to the knockout stages in good form.
Algeria: From being able to take several punches to being able to punch back as we saw from South Korea, Algeria must repeat their performance against Russia to make it out of the Group Stage for the first time ever. A draw against Russia and a Belgium win or draw would be enough for Algeria to advance. What does the fox say? Algerian fans will hope that their desert foxes can say they're going to the last 16.
Russia: Once again all eyes are on Fabio Capello, who has one last chance to deliver after disappointing performances against South Korea and Belgium that have only given Russia 1 point. No if, ands, or buts: Russia need to win this game. Will some of the Russian Premier League's finest be able to have their finest moments of the World Cup against an Algerian side you shouldn't dare to underestimate? Or will Russia crumble?
South Korea: Mathematically they're not out but like Honduras and Ecuador, they couldn't get more points where they needed to and have a difficult task ahead of them. In the match against Belgium, former Belgian player Marc Wilmots will battle former South Korean player Hong Myung-Bo. Unless some of the magic from the 2002 World Cup finds its way to inspire South Korea in this match, there's very little hope for them and they should be among the teams heading out.
Portugal: They might be in a hole not even Cristiano Ronaldo can dig Portugal out of. Their horrendous loss to Germany 4-0 is making life difficult for them as they hope to advance to the next round. Their best bet is to beat Ghana heavily and for the Germans to inflict a similar magnitude of damage towards the Americans. Their fate is not entirely in their hands, and they could be following their neighbors Spain out of the World Cup in the group stage unless a miracle happens, and it's happened before thanks to the presence of technically the best player in the world.
Ghana: They impressed in their 2-2 draw against Germany and looked threatening in their 2-1 loss to the USA. What can they do to Portugal? That is the big question. Ghana's goal difference is less ugly than Portugal's so a win of any sort could give Ghana a chance to progress. From the young talents such as Christian Atsu to the leader of the pack Asamoah Gyan, this Ghanian team is all about belief and they have done wonders as a group over the last 8 years. Will this be the first time Ghana go out of a World Cup in the Group Stage or will the Black Stars shine through to the knockout round?
Germany: Germany are still one of the teams to watch in this World Cup, you don't need me going on about how great this team is, but the Ghana matched showed they are vulnerable, and now they face the United States in what's sure to be an interesting encounter. Despite USA playing well, Germany still look like the more likely side to win, but there are no guarantees. They'll have to play at their highest level to ensure they don't just qualify to the KO Stage but finish 1st.
United States: Usually playing a team like Germany has American players and fans quaking in fear. Oh wait, this isn't the 1990s. USA have looked the part in their first two games in a group that was supposed to murder them and now just a draw against Germany guarantees they qualify to the knockout stage and like Costa Rica, teach the critics a lesson. Jurgen Klinsmann has done well to make this team as strong as it currently is. Can they finishing things off and at the very least manage a point against Klinsmann's country?
Group F: Nigeria vs. Argentina
Result: Argentina won 3-2
Goalscorers: 3', 45+1' Lionel Messi (Barcelona), 4', 47' Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow), 50' Marcos Rojo (Sporting CP)
Bookings: 49' Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough), 51' Juwon Oshaniwa (Ashdod)
Lineups
Nigeria (4-4-2)
Vincent Enyeama (Lille); Efe Ambrose (Celtic), Joseph Yobo (Norwich City, captain), Juwon Oshaniwa (Ashdod), Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough); Ogenyi Onazi (Lazio), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea), Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow), Michel Babatunde (Volyn Lutsk); Peter Odemwingie (Stoke City), Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce)
Changes from last match
Same starting 11 from the game against Bosnia-Herzegovina, but change from 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-2 formation
Subs:
Michael Uchebo (Cercle Brugge) 66' for Michel Babatunde
Uche Nwofor (Heerenveen) 80' for Peter Odemwingie
Argentina (4-3-3)
Sergio Romero (Monaco); Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Federico Fernandez (Napoli), Ezequiel Garay (Benfica), Marcos Rojo (Sporting CP); Fernando Gago (Boca Juniors), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Angel di Maria (Real Madrid); Lionel Messi (Barcelona, captain), Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Changes from last match
Same starters and formation used against Iran
Subs:
Ezequiel Lavezzi (PSG) 38' for Sergio Aguero
Ricardo Alvarez (Inter) 63' for Lionel Messi
Lucas Biglia (Lazio) 90' for Gonzalo Higuain
These teams have quite a repetitive history in the World Cup, with Argentina beating Nigeria every time they met in the Group Stage. It was especially a rematch for Lionel Messi against a goal keeper who prevented him from scoring against Nigeria in 2010 South Africa: Vincent Enyeama. It only took 3 minutes for Messi to score this time around but a minute later, Musa drew Nigeria level. Then Messi scored again, then Musa. And then Rojo scored off a set piece to give Argentina a slim lead but by then Nigeria were out of responses. It was another nerve wracking win for Argentina and once again Messi saves the day and earns them another 3 points to finish the group stage perfectly. Lionel Messi is now tied with Neymar for leading scorer with 4 goals. However due to the result of the Iran-Bosnia match, Nigeria would follow Argentina out of this group in 2nd place.
Group F: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Iran
Result: 3-1 win for Bosnia and Herzegovina
Goalscorers: 23' Eden Dzeko (Manchester City), 59' Miralem Pjanic (Roma), 82' Reza Ghoochannejhad (Charlton Athletic), 83' Avdija Vrsajevic (Hajduk Split)
Bookings: 78' Muhamed Besic (Ferencvaros), 88' Karim Ansarifard (Tractor Sazi)
Lineups
Bosnia and Herzegovina (4-4-2)
Asmir Begovic (Stoke City); Avdija Vrsajevic (Hajduk Split), Toni Sunjic (Zorya Luhansk), Emir Spahic (Bayer Leverkusen, captain), Sead Kolasinac (Schalke); Miralem Pjanic (Roma), Muhamed Besic (Ferencvaros), Anel Hadzic (Sturm Graz), Tino-Sven Susic (Hajduk Split); Edin Dzeko (Manchester City), Vedad Ibisevic (Stuttgart)
Changes from last match
Mensur Mujdza, Haris Medunjanin, Izet Hajrovic, Zvjezdan Misimovic, and Senad Lulic left off the starting lineup, allowing Vrsajevic, Kolasinac, Hadzic, Susic, and Ibisevic to start (Susic and Ibisevic appeared as subs against Nigeria)
Subs:
Ognjen Vranjes (Elazigspor) 61' for Anel Hadzic
Sejad Salihovic (Hoffenheim) 79' for Tino-Sven Susic
Edin Visca (Istanbul Basaksehir) 85' for Edin Dzeko
Iran (4-2-3-1)
Alireza Haghighi (Sporting Covilha); Jalal Hosseini (Persepolis), Amir Sadeghi (Esteghlal), Pejman Montazeri (Umm Salal), Mehrdad Pooladi (Persepolis); Javad Nekounam (Al-Kuwait, captain), Andranik Teymourian (Esteghlal); Ashkan Dejagah (Fulham), Masoud Shojaei (Las Palmas), Ehsan Hajsafi (Sephana); Reza Ghoochannejhad (Charlton Athletic)
Changes from last match
Same formation and players that faced Argentina
Subs:
Khosro Heydari (Esteghlal) 46' for Masoud Shojaei
Alireza Jahanbakhsh (NEC) 63' for Ehsan Hajsafi
Karim Ansarifard (Tractor Sazi) 82' for Ashkan Dejagah
Bosnia and Herzegovina were heading out of the World Cup no matter what happened in this match but they made sure they didn't go out without a fight. Iran needed to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina to have a shot at advancing to the next round but even though the Dragons have been slayed already, they are still a decent team especially compared to the Iranians. Led by the Roma star Miralem Pjanic who had 1 goal and 1 assist, Bosnia and Herzegovina earned their first world cup win ever. As for Iran, at least Reza Ghoochannejad made sure Iran didn't go home without scoring a single goal. And this meant that every team at this World Cup scored at least 1 goal.
Elimination Analysis: Bosnia and Herzegovina
A nation that gained independence in a war-torn area of Europe in the 1990s, and fast forward 20 years and a poor nation dealing with floods would get to cheer on their team going to their first ever World Cup. In a difficult period, the 23 Dragons representing this young and growing nation were hoping to put a smile of the faces of the people rooting for them back home. Now they'll be wondering what went wrong and how they could be going out this early, and upon reflection they won't be happy. Edin Dzeko's goal against Nigeria was unjustly disallowed and if it stood, Bosnia and Herzegovina would be going through to the next round. Even though this journey ended sooner than they would've liked, their journey to Brazil was quite impressive and now there's another decent European team in the mix to qualify for future competitions.
Elimination Analysis: Iran
Well they ended with 1 point and dead last in this group but they far from embarrassed themselves at this World Cup. Finishing the tournament with the same amount of points as England is nothing for Carlos Quieroz and Iran to be ashamed of. They put in decent performances against their opposition in this group. The fact that some people believed they outplayed Argentina in Argentina's narrow 1-0 victory over Iran is a huge compliment. If Iran qualify for the next World Cup, the world will be a lot less shocked to see them truly go toe to toe with some of the best teams out there. Hopefully they can get a few more players playing in Europe (preferably top divisions in Europe) in the next few years and then perhaps Iran will become even more threatening.
Group E: Honduras vs. Switzerland
Result: 3-0 victory for the Swiss
Goalscorers: 6', 31', 71' Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich)
Bookings: 66' Jerry Palacios (Alajuelense)
Lineups
Honduras (4-4-2)
Noel Valladares (Olimpia, captain); Brayan Beckeles (Olimpia), Victor Bernardez (San Jose Earthquakes), Maynor Figueroa (Hull City), Juan Carlos Garcia (Wigan Athletic); Jorge Claros (Motagua), Wilson Palacios (Stoke City), Oscar Boniek Garcia (Houston Dynamo), Roger Espinoza (Wigan Athletic); Carlo Costly (Real Espana), Jerry Bengtson (New England Revolution)
Changes from last match
Emilio Izaguirre and Luis Garrido replaced by J.Garcia and W.Palacios (the latter who returned from suspension after receiving a red card against France) respectively.
Subs:
Jerry Palacios (Alajuelense) 40' for Carlo Costly
Martin Chavez (Chivas USA) 46' for Roger Espinoza
Andy Najar (Anderlecht) 77' for Oscar Boniek Garcia
Switzerland (4-2-3-1)
Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg); Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Johan Djourou (Hamburger), Fabian Schar (Basel), Ricardo Rodriguez (Wolfsburg); Valon Behrami (Napoli), Gokhan Inler (Napoli, captain); Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich), Granit Xhaka (Monchengladbach), Admir Mehmedi (Freiburg); Josip Drmic (Nurnberg)
Changes from last match
Steve von Bergen (injury) and Haris Seferovic left off the starting lineup for Schar and Drmic to start.
Subs:
Haris Seferovic (Real Sociedad) 74' for Josip Drmic
Michael Lang (Grasshopper) 77' for Granit Xhaka
Blerim Dzemaili (Napoli) 87' for Xherdan Shaqiri
Honduras mathematically weren't eliminated going into this match but they were just about. Considering the wealth of talent the Swiss have, things looked like they would be different than the 0-0 draw that happened in South Africa. Perhaps Ottmar Hitzfeld will remember that match and would be especially careful to avoid history repeating itself, and thankfully Xherdan Shaqiri and Josip Drmic stepped up and led Switzerland to another 3-0 defeat for Honduras to deal with. Drmic did a good job setting up opportunities, most of which Shaqiri made good use of to score the 50th hat trick at the FIFA World Cup. This win allowed Switzerland to finish in 2nd in this group and will face Argentina in the Round of 16. Switzerland don't look like the most threatening team in the tournament but Argentina haven't been coasting through this World Cup so far so anything is possible. For Honduras though, it's another group stage exit.
Elimination Analysis: Honduras
Mexico advanced from Group A, Costa Rica won Group C, USA are in a good position to advance from Group G, but Honduras couldn't do as well as their CONCACAF rivals and leave the World Cup without a single point just like Cameroon and Australia. Honduras gave teams like USA and Mexico a tough time in the final round of qualifying for CONCACAF (the Hexagonal), but once again they failed to compete in the group stage. At the very least, at least Carlo Costly ended their goal scoring drought at the World Cup. It'll be another four years before Honduras can have another chance to prove they belong at the World Cup after another less than impressive performance.
Group E: Ecuador vs. France
Result: 0-0 draw
Bookings: 50' red card Antonio Valencia (Manchester United), 83' Frickson Erazo (Flamengo)
Significance of Bookings: Antonio Valencia would've missed the next match, but since Ecuador lost in the group stage, it was everyone's last match for Ecuador at this tournament.
Lineups
Ecuador (4-4-2)
Alexander Dominguez (LDU Quito); Juan Paredes (Barcelona, ECU), Jorge Guagua (Emelec), Frickson Erazo (Flamengo), Walter Ayovi (Pachuca); Jefferson Montero (Morelia), Christian Noboa (Dynamo Moscow), Oswaldo Minda (Chivas USA), Antonio Valencia (Manchester United, captain); Michael Arroyo (Atlante), Enner Valencia (Pachuca)
Changes from last match
Same formation and starters that faced Honduras except Felipe Caicedo moving to the bench for Arroyo
Subs:
Renato Ibarra (Vitesse) 63' for Jefferson Montero
Gabriel Achilier (Emelec) 82' for Michael Arroyo
Felipe Caicedo (Al-Jazira) 89' for Christian Noboa
France (4-5-1)
Hugo Lloris (Tottenham, captain); Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool), Lucas Digne (PSG); Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United); Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Changes from last match
Mathieu Debuchy, Raphael Varane, Patrice Evra, Yohan Cabaye (yellow card accumulation), Mathieu Valbuena, and Olivier Giroud are replaced by Sagna, Koscielny, Digne, Schneiderlin, Griezmann, and Pogba. Pogba, Griezmann, and Koscielny came on as subs against Switzerland.
Subs:
Raphael Varane (Real Madrid) 61' for Mamadou Sakho
Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) 67' for Blaise Matuidi
Loic Remy (Newcastle United) 79' for Antoine Griezmann
Ecuador's dropped point against Switzerland looked ready to come back to haunt them as they needed a result, preferably a win by a few goals, against France to advance. Even though to some it may have looked like France were taking their foot off the gas by resting a few of their starters, you're forgetting that France have a versatile and deep squad. Even the latest addition to their World Cup squad, Morgan Schneiderlin (only made it due to injuries) is an underrated talent Didier Deschamps has at his disposal, and with goals likely to come from as many of at least half the French starters, Ecuador truly faced an uphill battle. But it's one they took head on, absorbing pressure and getting a few good chances along the way. Hugo Lloris wasn't given the day off; he was put to work on a few occasions (certainly more than the game against Honduras). Alexander Dominguez's heroics kept France from scoring despite the amount of shots that came his way. And this match was certainly a physical one, with Christian Noboa suffering a head injury but was able to continue playing, and Antonio Valencia with a horrible and dangerous tackle he delivered to Lucas Digne to earn Ecuador's captain a Red Card. That should've been game over for Ecuador, with 40 minutes to go with only 10 men and it seemed like the next French goal invasion was due to take place, but Ecuador continued to fight but unfortunately despite working hard for a 0-0 draw, Switzerland taking all 3 points against Honduras meant that Ecuador would be out of the tournament. To me at times it almost seemed like France were content with a draw, and hopefully this performance against Ecuador doesn't sap too much of their momentum going into the knockout round against Nigeria. No doubt France will be favorites against Stephen Keshi's side but "Favorites" may no longer be the ideal role in the World Cup considering the upsets that have occurred thus far. Nonetheless, even though this current French team shouldn't be compared to the one Didier Deschamps, as a player, lead to glory in the 1998 World Cup, they look like one of the most formidable teams in the tournament.
Elimination Analysis: Ecuador
The only South American nation to go out in the Group Stage of this world cup. That is the disappointing reality that haunts La Tri right now. But nothing will disturb them more than Haris Seferovic's goal in the 3rd and final minute of stoppage time that gave Switzerland a last minute win in Brasilia. Had they kept their composure Ecuador could've gotten a point from that match which would've meant 5 points total compared to Switzerland's 4, and they would be the ones advancing instead of the Swiss. Talk about a missed opportunity. But what an impressive way to go out of this tournament. Antonio Valencia's red card is nothing to brag about, but Ecuador still managing to end the match in a draw against the group favorites France is not bad at all. The skill isn't there yet for Ecuador to be one of the big guns of South America just yet, but they certainly play with passion and despite a few crucial mistakes that ended their World Cup after 3 games and prevented them from at least replicating their best ever finish at the World Cup (Round of 16 in 2006), hopefully they keep their heads held high for fighting hard.
Current Round of 16 Matchups
Brazil vs. Chile
Colombia vs. Uruguay
France vs. Nigeria
1G vs. 2H
Netherlands vs. Mexico
Costa Rica vs. Greece
Argentina vs. Switzerland
1H vs. 2G
Up next
Group G Finale: United States vs. Germany, Ghana vs. Portugal
Group H Finale: South Korea vs. Belgium, Algeria vs. Russia
8 teams.....4 spots in the Round of 16.....4 more group stage losers.....all to play for
Belgium: The team that can breath the easiest. Their victory over Russia and Algeria's win over South Korea confirmed Belgium will be moving on to the Round of 16, and a point against an unimpressive South Korean team will put the Red Devils (yes, I mean Belgium, not Manchester United, although for Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj it doesn't make much of a difference) through Group H in the 1st spot. However Belgium have looked less like a seeded team than any other seeded team except Switzerland and maybe Uruguay. Fans expected more than a come from behind 2-1 victory over Algeria and a late goal winner over Russia, even if this is Belgium's first World Cup in 12 years. After all, this is their golden generation. Teams like Spain, Italy, and England will finish saying goodbye to theirs but for Belgium it's just beginning, and Belgium will be hoping for a comfortable win against South Korea to send them through to the knockout stages in good form.
Algeria: From being able to take several punches to being able to punch back as we saw from South Korea, Algeria must repeat their performance against Russia to make it out of the Group Stage for the first time ever. A draw against Russia and a Belgium win or draw would be enough for Algeria to advance. What does the fox say? Algerian fans will hope that their desert foxes can say they're going to the last 16.
Russia: Once again all eyes are on Fabio Capello, who has one last chance to deliver after disappointing performances against South Korea and Belgium that have only given Russia 1 point. No if, ands, or buts: Russia need to win this game. Will some of the Russian Premier League's finest be able to have their finest moments of the World Cup against an Algerian side you shouldn't dare to underestimate? Or will Russia crumble?
South Korea: Mathematically they're not out but like Honduras and Ecuador, they couldn't get more points where they needed to and have a difficult task ahead of them. In the match against Belgium, former Belgian player Marc Wilmots will battle former South Korean player Hong Myung-Bo. Unless some of the magic from the 2002 World Cup finds its way to inspire South Korea in this match, there's very little hope for them and they should be among the teams heading out.
Portugal: They might be in a hole not even Cristiano Ronaldo can dig Portugal out of. Their horrendous loss to Germany 4-0 is making life difficult for them as they hope to advance to the next round. Their best bet is to beat Ghana heavily and for the Germans to inflict a similar magnitude of damage towards the Americans. Their fate is not entirely in their hands, and they could be following their neighbors Spain out of the World Cup in the group stage unless a miracle happens, and it's happened before thanks to the presence of technically the best player in the world.
Ghana: They impressed in their 2-2 draw against Germany and looked threatening in their 2-1 loss to the USA. What can they do to Portugal? That is the big question. Ghana's goal difference is less ugly than Portugal's so a win of any sort could give Ghana a chance to progress. From the young talents such as Christian Atsu to the leader of the pack Asamoah Gyan, this Ghanian team is all about belief and they have done wonders as a group over the last 8 years. Will this be the first time Ghana go out of a World Cup in the Group Stage or will the Black Stars shine through to the knockout round?
Germany: Germany are still one of the teams to watch in this World Cup, you don't need me going on about how great this team is, but the Ghana matched showed they are vulnerable, and now they face the United States in what's sure to be an interesting encounter. Despite USA playing well, Germany still look like the more likely side to win, but there are no guarantees. They'll have to play at their highest level to ensure they don't just qualify to the KO Stage but finish 1st.
United States: Usually playing a team like Germany has American players and fans quaking in fear. Oh wait, this isn't the 1990s. USA have looked the part in their first two games in a group that was supposed to murder them and now just a draw against Germany guarantees they qualify to the knockout stage and like Costa Rica, teach the critics a lesson. Jurgen Klinsmann has done well to make this team as strong as it currently is. Can they finishing things off and at the very least manage a point against Klinsmann's country?
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