World Cup Days 16, 17 & 18
[Monday 30th June 2014]
If you think it's been a thrilling World Cup, remember that we weren't even at the knock out stage yet. Well now we are. And it's had an outstanding start, with Brazil's dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Chile. Friday was the tournament's first 'day off' and was highlighted by even more Suarez fallout, plus the news that Chris Kamara had chased and caught a Brazilian street robber - as you do! A criminal nicked a necklace from Kammy's friend and the Sky Sports pundit ran after him, before handing him over to police and tweeting various photos of his heroic chase.
He added: ‘Not lost me pace!!! I just caught this street robber. Done in now though’. Apparently, whilst giving a statement to local police, Kammy was politely told off for trying to be the hero - these robbers are often armed with dangerous weapons. It was the feel-good story to counter Giorgio Chiellini's baffling decision to offer support to the man who bit him in front of the world. The Italy defender commented that he hoped Suarez's ban is reduced on appeal, as the Uruguayan FA continued to deny the bite existed - along with the moon landings. But anyway, Suarez has now pulicly apologised for the bite, possibly under orders from Barcelona, who are set to make a move for the Liverpool hitman.
Saturday was a showcase for South American supremacy, as hosts Brazil overcame Chile in a tantalising match. Played at an extraordinary pace in the first half, it slowed down slightly by extra time but still found ways to thrill viewers. Howard Webb had a good game and made a huge call in disallowing Hulk's goal for handball - replays showed it was the right decision. As much as I love Chile, this World Cup needs Brazil to go far and the social impact of a Chilean victory would be huge. Has any other football team ever played under so much pressure?
This tournament is played under a cloud of public protests that have quietened whilst a Neymar-inspired selecao continue to progress, but are set to explode if Scolari's men dare to get eliminated. And it so nearly happened in the last minute of extra time, as Mauricio Pinilla's shot pinged off the crossbar - reducing a shellshocked Belo Horizonte crowd to silence. The game went to penalties, where the combination of Neymar's cool fifth penalty and Gonzalo Jara's agonising miss gave Brazil their win. Apparently, the moment after Jara missed is now the most tweeted-about moment in history - eclipsing Barack Obama and other global icons.
Colombia beat Uruguay 2-0 thanks to - you guessed it - Hamessssh Rodriguez. His opening wondergoal will likely be voted the tournament's best, as his long-range turn and volley cannoned in off the crossbar, gaving Muslera no chance. He doubled the lead with a tap-in and, despite Uruguay domination from then on, the Colombians held on to win and set up a mouth-watering quarterfinal tie with Brazil.
In the sizzling Fortalezan heat, Holland finally defeated the conditions - and more specifically Mexico - at the game's climax. Giovani dos Santos put Miguel Herrera's men 1-0 up, as Arjen Robben's clear dive went unpunished by the referee. Eventually the winger's tormenting paid off, as his corner led to Wesley Sneijder's net-busting equaliser. In injury time, Robben was fouled by veteran Rafa Marquez and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar sent a sensational Guillermo Ochoa the wrong way from the penalty spot. Mexico still haven't reached a quarterfinal - six consecutive World Cups have ended in the round of 16.
Both teams followed the latest tactical trend of using a 5-3-2, something which has been out of fashion for a while but has often been deployed this summer. It's a formation that fascinates me, one that relies completely on the wing backs. It enables teams to put two men up front and increase attacking threat, whilst three centre backs and three midfielders enables a solid defensive base. The weakness is the lack of width, where opponents can double up on the wing backs, torture them and constantly put crosses into the box. Whilst attacking, it limits variety and can become predictable. But, with Dani Alves-like men at either side, 5-3-2 is a great formation. It virtually gives you five defenders, five midfielders and two strikers. I love that it's being brought back into prominence.
Holland vs Mexico was also significant due to the introduction of official cooling breaks. Louis van Gaal's pre-match press conference promoted the health benefits of not having players dehydrate in the searing heat - he estimated that they'd lose four litres of water per game. So, in the 31st and 75th minute, the referee signalled for a water break, complete with drinks and cold towels. At one point, the pitchside temperature reached 38.8 degrees Celsius. Perhaps these breaks were a huge factor in the Dutch victory.
The other game was a letdown for me, personally. I had to watch the Costa Rica vs Greece match the next morning, so stayed away from anything that could potentially spoil the result. However, my girlfriend showed me something on Twitter and - forgetting that Twitter shows latest results - I saw that the game finished 5-3. Yet this excited me! A dull game was made even more exciting by the prospect of a dramatic goal-rush. As time ticked, the situation became clear - Greece would equalise in injury time, then a crazy extra time would see six goals scored. Sokratis Papastathopoulos did indeed score at the death, as my excitment escalated to unseen levels.
With 20 minutes of extra time gone, I became concerned and fascinated in equal measures. 6 goals in 10 minutes? Wow. 6 goals in 9 minutes? This sounds incredible. 6 goals in 7 minutes? Ok....I've figured it out. And it hurts so much. 5-3 was the penalty score, right? Right. And as the shoot-out reached it's conclusion of Costa Rican glory, I was distraught at my mis-assumption. But that can't take away from the magnificent achievements of the CONCACAF minnows - to not only get out of Group D, unbeaten, and then get to the World Cup quarterfinals, is one of the great modern underdog stories. A tie with Holland awaits and you wouldn't dare bet against them!
If you think it's been a thrilling World Cup, remember that we weren't even at the knock out stage yet. Well now we are. And it's had an outstanding start, with Brazil's dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Chile. Friday was the tournament's first 'day off' and was highlighted by even more Suarez fallout, plus the news that Chris Kamara had chased and caught a Brazilian street robber - as you do! A criminal nicked a necklace from Kammy's friend and the Sky Sports pundit ran after him, before handing him over to police and tweeting various photos of his heroic chase.
He added: ‘Not lost me pace!!! I just caught this street robber. Done in now though’. Apparently, whilst giving a statement to local police, Kammy was politely told off for trying to be the hero - these robbers are often armed with dangerous weapons. It was the feel-good story to counter Giorgio Chiellini's baffling decision to offer support to the man who bit him in front of the world. The Italy defender commented that he hoped Suarez's ban is reduced on appeal, as the Uruguayan FA continued to deny the bite existed - along with the moon landings. But anyway, Suarez has now pulicly apologised for the bite, possibly under orders from Barcelona, who are set to make a move for the Liverpool hitman.
Saturday was a showcase for South American supremacy, as hosts Brazil overcame Chile in a tantalising match. Played at an extraordinary pace in the first half, it slowed down slightly by extra time but still found ways to thrill viewers. Howard Webb had a good game and made a huge call in disallowing Hulk's goal for handball - replays showed it was the right decision. As much as I love Chile, this World Cup needs Brazil to go far and the social impact of a Chilean victory would be huge. Has any other football team ever played under so much pressure?
This tournament is played under a cloud of public protests that have quietened whilst a Neymar-inspired selecao continue to progress, but are set to explode if Scolari's men dare to get eliminated. And it so nearly happened in the last minute of extra time, as Mauricio Pinilla's shot pinged off the crossbar - reducing a shellshocked Belo Horizonte crowd to silence. The game went to penalties, where the combination of Neymar's cool fifth penalty and Gonzalo Jara's agonising miss gave Brazil their win. Apparently, the moment after Jara missed is now the most tweeted-about moment in history - eclipsing Barack Obama and other global icons.
Colombia beat Uruguay 2-0 thanks to - you guessed it - Hamessssh Rodriguez. His opening wondergoal will likely be voted the tournament's best, as his long-range turn and volley cannoned in off the crossbar, gaving Muslera no chance. He doubled the lead with a tap-in and, despite Uruguay domination from then on, the Colombians held on to win and set up a mouth-watering quarterfinal tie with Brazil.
In the sizzling Fortalezan heat, Holland finally defeated the conditions - and more specifically Mexico - at the game's climax. Giovani dos Santos put Miguel Herrera's men 1-0 up, as Arjen Robben's clear dive went unpunished by the referee. Eventually the winger's tormenting paid off, as his corner led to Wesley Sneijder's net-busting equaliser. In injury time, Robben was fouled by veteran Rafa Marquez and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar sent a sensational Guillermo Ochoa the wrong way from the penalty spot. Mexico still haven't reached a quarterfinal - six consecutive World Cups have ended in the round of 16.
Both teams followed the latest tactical trend of using a 5-3-2, something which has been out of fashion for a while but has often been deployed this summer. It's a formation that fascinates me, one that relies completely on the wing backs. It enables teams to put two men up front and increase attacking threat, whilst three centre backs and three midfielders enables a solid defensive base. The weakness is the lack of width, where opponents can double up on the wing backs, torture them and constantly put crosses into the box. Whilst attacking, it limits variety and can become predictable. But, with Dani Alves-like men at either side, 5-3-2 is a great formation. It virtually gives you five defenders, five midfielders and two strikers. I love that it's being brought back into prominence.
Holland vs Mexico was also significant due to the introduction of official cooling breaks. Louis van Gaal's pre-match press conference promoted the health benefits of not having players dehydrate in the searing heat - he estimated that they'd lose four litres of water per game. So, in the 31st and 75th minute, the referee signalled for a water break, complete with drinks and cold towels. At one point, the pitchside temperature reached 38.8 degrees Celsius. Perhaps these breaks were a huge factor in the Dutch victory.
The other game was a letdown for me, personally. I had to watch the Costa Rica vs Greece match the next morning, so stayed away from anything that could potentially spoil the result. However, my girlfriend showed me something on Twitter and - forgetting that Twitter shows latest results - I saw that the game finished 5-3. Yet this excited me! A dull game was made even more exciting by the prospect of a dramatic goal-rush. As time ticked, the situation became clear - Greece would equalise in injury time, then a crazy extra time would see six goals scored. Sokratis Papastathopoulos did indeed score at the death, as my excitment escalated to unseen levels.
With 20 minutes of extra time gone, I became concerned and fascinated in equal measures. 6 goals in 10 minutes? Wow. 6 goals in 9 minutes? This sounds incredible. 6 goals in 7 minutes? Ok....I've figured it out. And it hurts so much. 5-3 was the penalty score, right? Right. And as the shoot-out reached it's conclusion of Costa Rican glory, I was distraught at my mis-assumption. But that can't take away from the magnificent achievements of the CONCACAF minnows - to not only get out of Group D, unbeaten, and then get to the World Cup quarterfinals, is one of the great modern underdog stories. A tie with Holland awaits and you wouldn't dare bet against them!
