Category: WORLD CUP

  • DI MARIA’S EXTRA-TIME GOAL PROPELS ARGENTINA TO QUARTERFINALS

    DI MARIA’S EXTRA-TIME GOAL PROPELS ARGENTINA TO QUARTERFINALS

    Argentina barely advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup after Angel Di Maria hit a game-winning goal in extra-time to advance at São Paulo. A PK shootout looked inevitable but Di Maria slid Messi’s cross into the back of the net for the winner. Switzerland had a chance to equalize but Blerim Džemaili’s shot bounced off the post and the 2nd chance missed altogether, securing advancement for The Cowboys and setting up a clash with Belgium in the round of 8.

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  • GERMANY BEATS ALGERIA IN EXTRATIME

    GERMANY BEATS ALGERIA IN EXTRATIME

    Germany advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals by the skin of their teeth with a 2-1 win over Algeria in extra-time at Porto Alegre. Andre Schurrle and Mesut Ozil scored as Germany won 2-1.

    For most of the game it looked like we were heading for an upset but everything changed 2 minutes into extra-time when Thomas Muller pick-pocketed Algeria fullback Aissa Mandi and passed it to Schürrle who sent it past keeper Raïs M’Bohli to give “The Team” a 1 goal lead. The Algerians pressed for an equalizer but Mehdi Mostefa’s chance went just wide. Ozil added a second in the final minute of play to give Germany a 2-goal advantage but less than 1 minute later Abdelmoumene Djabou rocketed home a cross from Sofiane Feghouli to give the Algerians a glimmer of hope but they couldn’t find a 2nd goal to send it to PK’s and Germany advances to play France in the quarterfinals.

     

  • FRANCE ADVANCES TO QUARTERFINALS

    FRANCE ADVANCES TO QUARTERFINALS

    France advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2-0 win over Nigeria at Brasilia. It was a back-and-forth game that was great to watch. The French took the lead in the 79th minute with a header from midfielder Paul Pogba and added insurance when Joseph Yobo committed an own-goal in stoppage time. Nigeria keeper Vincent Enyeama was great for most of the game but his mistake in the 79th cost the “Super Falcons” the match. Enyema came out to try and catch Mathieu Valbuena’s header which left the goal open, and Pogba slammed home a header to give “Les Bleus” a one-nil lead. Enyema tried to make up for it when he made an incredible save off of a strike from Antoine Griezmann but Griezmann would not be denied and his 2nd chance hit off of Yobo’s back leg and bounced into the back of the net, securing the French advancement. 

  • COSTA RICA ADVANCES IN PK’S

    COSTA RICA ADVANCES IN PK’S

    Keeper Keylor Navas was the hero for 10-man Costa Rica as Los Ticos advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time EVER in the history of the country with a 5-3 win on penalties and will face the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. Costa Rica got on the board first but Bryan Ruiz’s 50th minute goal was cancelled out by an injury-time goal from Sokratis Papastathopoulos to send the game to extra time. But there was no seperation between the two teams in those 30 minutes so we went to PK’s. Costa Rica shot first and put Celso Borges on the spot, Borges netted it into the upper corner. Both teams made their next 3 penalties to make it 4-3 Costa Rica with Greece’s 4th shot upcoming and Theofanis Gekas’s penalty was blocked by Navas setting up a shot that could win the match for Deportivo Saprissa defender Michael Umana. Umana took the opportunity and finished the game with a strike into the top right corner.

     

  • NETHERLANDS STUN MEXICO

    NETHERLANDS STUN MEXICO

    Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Wesley Sneijder scored goals for the Netherlands in the last 3 minutes of play to break the hearts of El Tri and advance to the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Mexico. Huntelaar scored the game-winner on a PK in stoppage time after Rafael Marquez  made a poor tackle on Arjen Robben on what some Mexican fans are calling a flop. “Today it was the man with the whistle who eliminated us from the World Cup,” Mexico cosch Miguel Herrera said.”If a referee invents a penalty, you’re out of the World Cup,” Herrera added. “I hope they have a look at what happened and that this gentleman goes home just like we are. “If the referee is fair, then their second goal doesn’t exist and Robben would have been expelled or suspended with a second yellow card,” he said. “But if you do nothing the first time, then the player knows that the referee won’t kick you out, he won’t caution you, won’t say anything.” 

    Mexico took a lead 3 minutes into the 2nd half when Giovani dos Santos powered a left-footed shot from outside of the box for a GOAL! The Netherlands pushed for a equalizer but couldn’t until the 88th minute when Sneijder thumped home a shot off an assist from Huntelaar. The comeback was completed after the PK was good. We didn’t keep the ball, we weren’t calm and we didn’t hold the ball,” Herrera said. “We gave away our initiatives.” This is the first time ever that a team losing in the 88th minute won in regulation.

     

  • JAMES RODRIGUEZ POWERS COLOMBIA TO 2-0 WIN

    JAMES RODRIGUEZ POWERS COLOMBIA TO 2-0 WIN

    James Rodriguez scored both goals for Colombia as “The Coffee Growers” advanced to the quarterfinals and set up a date against hosts Brazil with a 2-0 win over Uruguay who was without star Luis Suarez who was banned for biting in a 1-0 win over Italy.

    Rodriguez’s first goal came in the 28th minute when Abel Aguilar hit a header to the AS Monaco midfielder and Rodriguez struck it right under the crossbar for his 4th goal of the tournament. But Uruguay fought back, Edinson Cavini crossed it to Carlos Sanchez but the Sanchez’s strike soared over the top bar. Cristian Rodriguez had a chance just before the break but his strike was parried away by Colombia keeper David Ospina. In the 50th minute Rodriguez added his 2nd goal of the game after Juan Cuadrado drew the goalkeeper out, passed it to Rodriguez and he slid in his 5th goal of the tournament to become the leader in the golden boot standings. Uruguay couldn’t answer and the Colombians advance to face the hosts at  Fortaleza.

  • BRAZIL ADVANCES ON PK’S

    BRAZIL ADVANCES ON PK’S

    Brazil advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals after a 3-2 win in penalties following a 1-1 draw against Chile in Belo Horizonte. Neymar’s penalty put they Brazilians up 3-2 and Chilean defender Gonzalo Jara’s PK bounced off the left post to keep dreams of Brazil winning a World Cup on home soil alive.

    The Gold and Green broke the deadlock on what was a beautiful day at Estádio Mineirão in the 18th minute when Neymar’s corner was headed in by Thiago Silva  and then was deflected into the back of the net. David Luiz was credited with the goal but replays seem to show it was an own goal. Brazil should have pounced but the Chilean’s saw an opening and took  it in the 32nd minute. Hulk screwed up a return to Marcelo after the latter’s throw-in and Eduardo Vargas intercepted the weak pass and passed it upfield to Alexis Sanchez, Sanchez slid it into the back of the net to tie the game at 1, but late in the second half it looked as if the hosts regained their composure, a long pass from Marcelo was caught by Hulk and the Zenit Saint Petersburg striker netted it. BUT an assistant official, Howard Webb called the goal off, booking Hulk for a handball on what was a very questionable call. After a 30-minute extra time period after which it was still tied we found ourselves going to penalties. David Luiz shot first,aimed for the center of the net and scored after the keeper dived too far to the left, Brazil missed their next shot and Chile missed their next 2 giving a 1-0 lead to the Brazilians which Marcelo extended when his strike found the upper right corner despite the keeper getting a hand on it. Charles Aranguiz cut the lead in half with what was the best PK of the night, right into the far upper corner, Julio Cesar had no chance. Hulk missed his next one and Chile’s Marcelo Diaz leveled it at 2 going into the final round, and you know the rest.

  • BELGIUM BEATS SOUTH KOREA TO WIN GROUP, WILL FACE U.S.

    BELGIUM BEATS SOUTH KOREA TO WIN GROUP, WILL FACE U.S.

    Belgium advanced as champions of Group H with a 1-0 win over South Korea on Thursday and will play the United States in the Round of 16.  Belgium beat the “Taegeuk Warriors” despite having only 10-men, losing Steven Defour at 45′ after an ill-advised tackle on Kim Shin-Wook. The lone goal  of the game came after a Divock Origi shot was kept out by the keeper but a rebound shot from Jan Vertonghen in the 78th minute found its way in to give Belgium the win and a date with the United States on Tuesday at Salvador. 

  • ALGERIA TIES RUSSIA, ADVANCES TO KNOCKOUT STAGE

    ALGERIA TIES RUSSIA, ADVANCES TO KNOCKOUT STAGE

    A 1-1 draw was enough for Algeria to advance to the knockout stage on Thursday for the first time in the history of the country. Dmitri Kombarov crossed it to Aleksandr Kokorin who netted it into the top corner for the Russians in the 6th minute, if that result would have held Russia would have advanced to face Germany on Monday, but Islam Slimani had other plans, with a strike that found the back of the net right on the hour he secured advancement for The Desert Foxes and it is Algeria who will face Germany at 4 pm at Porto Alegre.

  • US LOSES TO GERMANY BUT ADVANCES TO KNOCKOUT STAGE

    US LOSES TO GERMANY BUT ADVANCES TO KNOCKOUT STAGE

    For the first time ever the United States has advanced to the knockout stage in back-to-back years just no exactly the way you would have hoped for. The US advanced despite losing to Germany 1-0 on Thursday on goal differential against Portugal mainly because Germany put them to the sword in the opener 4-0. Thomas Muller’s goal in the 55th minute was the difference in a wet game at Arena Pernambuco in Recife. Germany finishes the group stage in first with 7 points, the US advances from the group of death as runners-up with 4 points. “This is a huge huge step and now we can’t wait until round of 16,” U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said after the match. “Everyone said we had no chance, we took the chance and move on. And now we really want to prove a point.” With the goal Muller moves into a tie with Messi and Neymar for most goals in this World Cup (4). The goal came after US keeper Tim Howard made a incredible save off a header from  Per Mertesacker  but his deflection went straight to Thomas Muller who netted it for the deciding goal.”I’m proud of the group and we still got a lot left in us,” said Howard, who had five saves. “Today was a tough game, tough conditions.Hats off to Germany. I think they have a chance to win the World Cup that’s how good they are. We had a chance there at the end. We get to the round of 16 it shows how far we’ve come, that we’re not happy just getting there, that we want to progress and we still got a little bit left in us.”

    The US played well in the group stage but will need to do better if they expect to beat Belgium. “Well, we got through the group,” Klinsmann said. “But we have to do better in the round of 16, and we will do better.” With the US, Mexico, and Costa Rica through it is the first time CONCACAF has three teams in the knockout stage.