|
GypsyKing
Restricted User
Registered: Jun 2014
Posts: 250
|
Let's have a blast tonight.
|
06-21-14 12:59 PM |
|
|
| |
|
bawlmer
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Apr 2006
Posts: 2919
|
From the blog...Match-Day 9 Recap:
Do you believe in miracles? In our World Cup team previews, we likened the chances of Costa Rica advancing to the knockout rounds similar to that of the USA hockey team beating the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics. Drawn against three teams near the top of the FIFA rankings and with seven World Cup titles between them, just picking up a point seemed unlikely. But after defeating Uruguay 3-1 in their opening group game, Los Ticos reminded us that miracles do happen as they upset Italy 1-0 to secure their place in the final sixteen for the first time since 1990, and officially eliminated England from the tournament with one game still to play.
A Bryan Ruiz header in the 44th minute gave the Costa Ricans the lead, providing a moment of justice for a sure penalty that the referee had missed just minutes before when Joel Campbell was taken down in the box. Despite his second half substitutions, Cesare Prandelli’s men were unable to muster a significant attack to get them back in the game, thanks mainly to Jorge Luis Pinto decision to employ a high defensive line and an offside trap that caught the Azzuri eleven times. After entering Fridays encounter with a stranglehold on Group D, Italy will now be forced to battle it out with Uruguay on Tuesday for the last qualification spot.
Friday’s results from Group E means that the final day of group play will leave it all to play for. France steamrolled Switzerland in a 5-2 rout that saw Les Blues jump out to a quick 2-0 lead, with Olivier Giroud and Blaise Matuidi scoring within sixty seconds of each other. Mathieu Valbuena added another first half goal and second half strikes by Karim Benzema and Moussa Sissoko put the French atop the group, while Ecuador used two goals from Enner Valencia to down Honduras.
Although currently holding the top spot in the group, the win by Ecuador means France still has work to do in their final group game against the Yellows. A win or a draw will see them through to the knockout rounds, while Ecuador will need all three points to have any hopes of advancing. Switzerland find themselves in a similar spot, knowing that they will need all three points to have any chance of going through while a draw will leave them needing help.
|
06-21-14 03:56 PM |
|
|
| |
|
bawlmer
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Apr 2006
Posts: 2919
|
LMAO wildcat!!
From the blog...Match-Day 10 Recap:
World Cup 2014 in Brazil has already produced its fair share of intrigue, and Match-Day 10 was no different. Iran took Argentina to the brink with an injury time strike by Lionel Messi the difference, Ghana kept their hopes for advancement alive by earning a 2-2 draw with Germany, and Nigeria’s 1-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina effectively ended the tournament for the debutantes.
After choosing to start their first game of the tournament with five at the back, Argentina manager Alejandro Sabella deployed his star studded lineup in their traditional 4-3-3. The Portugal born Carlos Queiroz countered by having his team park the bus with eleven behind the ball, content to allow Argentina the majority of possession while trying to hit their pressing lineup on the counter attack.
It almost worked. The Iranians took La Albiceleste to the brink, denying anything they could muster on offense while threatening to go ahead on several occasions, with Reza Ghoochannejhad’s header needing a top class save from goal-keeper Sergio Romero to keep the score even and a possible penalty earned by Ashkan Dejagah waved off. The Argentinians finally broke through in the 91st minute, when Lionel Messi rescued all three points with a curling effort from just outside the eighteen that settled in to the corner to guarantee their safe passage to the round of sixteen.
Ghana kept their hopes of advancement alive by drawing 2-2 with Germany. In an evenly matched game, both teams had chances to go ahead in the first half, but the breakthrough did not come until the 51st minute when Mario Gotze headed home from a Thomas Muller chip. Playing for their World Cup lives, the Black Stars answered just three minutes later with a header of their own from Andre Ayew and then in the 63rd minute with Asamoah Gyan getting behind the German defense and beating Manuel Neuer one on one.
A team that many have tipped to be the eventual champions in Brazil, this was the first test of adversity for the Germans, and they responded with Miroslav Klose, the veteran attacker and the only true forward name in the squad who came on as a substitute in the 68th minute and found the equalizer at the back post just three minutes later, tying the game and former Brazilian legend Ronaldo for the most World Cup goals of all time with fifteen.
In the final game of the day, Nigeria made sure that Bosnia-Herzegovina’s first ever World Cup appearance woud be a short one, with a Peter Odemwingie goal enough to take away any hope of getting past the group stage in their first World Cup appearance. The Golden Lillies will feel as if they deserved better, as a Edin Dzeko goal was wrongly overturned by the linesman who had ruled Dzeko incorrectly offside, and many feeling that Odemwingie had fouled Bosnian defender Emir Spahic before finishing past goal-keeper Asmir Begovic for the deciding goal.
With the win, the Super Eagles have kept their hopes alive to finish behind Argentina in the group and who they face in their final group stage game. Germany currently sits atop Group G, pending the result of today’s USA v. Portugal encounter. With every team seemingly alive in the group, they will need to take something from their final group game against the USA to ensure that they go through without issue.
|
06-22-14 03:56 PM |
|
|
| |
|
bawlmer
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Apr 2006
Posts: 2919
|
From the blog...Match-Day 11 Recap:
The drama keeps building at World Cup 2014! After falling behind in the 5th minute when defender Geoff Cameron made a mess of a clearance and watched as the ball fell to the foot of Nani, who fired home past a helpless Tim Howard, the USA battled back to equalize in the 64th minute with a Jermaine Jones curling effort from just outside the eighteen and then took the lead shortly thereafter in the 81st minute when Clint Dempsey chested in from a Graham Zusi chip.
With their World Cup future fading and offering little in the attack, Portugal was saved in the final seconds of stoppage time when Cristiano Ronaldo delivered an absolute perfect ball in to the box that Varela headed home to salvage the draw for the Selecção das Quinas and keep their hopes of making it to the knockout rounds alive. They will now face Ghana in their final match of the group stage knowing that they will need to take all three points to have any hopes of advancement, while the Black Stars will need a similar result to keep their dreams alive.
Tied atop of the group at four points apiece the USA, who will need to put last night’s bitter sweet outcome and the fact that they were just seconds away from securing their place in the knockout rounds behind them, will now square off with Germany, a draw putting both teams through while anything less for either side will mean their future would rest on the result of the Portugal v. Ghana outcome.
There will be plenty of build up to this encounter as Jurgen Klinsmann will be facing his home country and the team he guided to World Cup glory in 1990, as well as his former first lieutenant and current Germany manager Joachim Low. In addition, there are several players on the USA roster who hold dual citizenship between Germany and the USA who may have something to prove including the likes of Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson, and Julian Green.
The intrigue does not stop there, as over in Group G Belgium defeated Russia in a sleeper of a game 1-0, that will guarantee a spot in the next round for the Rode Duivels. After a lively start, the game quickly turned stale with the best chance of the first half coming just before the break when Alexander Kokorin missed a point blank header that would have put the Sbornaya ahead. It is a miss that they might soon regret as Divock Origi 88th minute goal gave the Belgiums all three points, a spot in the next round, and could very well possibly be the end of the tournament for Fabio Capello’s men.
That is because Algeria, who had failed to score in the 2010 World Cup, scored three first half goals with Islam Slimani, Rafik Halliche, and Abdelmoumene Djabou all finding the back of the net before the break, and Yacine Brahimi adding another early in the second half to remove any doubt of a Korea Republic comeback in a thrilling 4-2 victory. The win puts the Desert Foxes in second place in the group, with the final group game again Russia leaving it all to play for. Three points will see them guarantee their spot in the next round while a draw will leave the decision on who advances down to goal differential. A loss would put Russia through and save Capello and his team from a lackluster effort against Belgium, where they looked content to play for a draw thinking that their final group game would be a breeze.
|
06-23-14 03:26 PM |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|