World Cup 2014 Day 7 Preview : Australia vs Netherlands – Spain vs Chile and Cameroon vs Croatia

Wednesday sees three world cup matches as usual. There are two games in Group B and one game in Group A. Lets start by looking at Group B.

 

Australia vs Netherlands:

The Netherlands shocked the world last Friday  when they demolished the reigning champions Spain 5-1 in the group opener expectations are high as to how far the Dutch can go.Australia’s campaign began with a 3-1 loss to a strong Chile squad but they could provide a challenge to a rampant Dutch squad. Having said that any squad that can prevent Spain scoring from open play will always be a formidable opponent for any team. I have to favor Holland in this tie and a 4-0 win could easily happen.

                                                   Star players for the Dutch against Chile were Arjen Robben and Man Of The Match Robin Van Persie.

Spain vs Chile

Vincente del Bosque’s men have a point to prove in this fixture tonight. The demoralizing loss has caused a media frenzy with many claiming it could be the end of Spain’s reign as champions. A tricky fixture lies ahead for the Spaniards this evening Chile are a strong team with stars such as Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal leading the line. Vidal is an injury doubt and his loss could be a massive blow. Spain will need to bounce back with a vengeance and they must win. The Spanish defense was shaky and  slow at best against the Dutch. Alexis Sanchez will look to exploit this and Eduardo Vargas could get on the end of Sanchez’s crosses. All in all I expect a difficult game for Spain but a close win 2-1 is my prediction.

                                             Spanish keeper Iker Casillas looks on as the Dutch duo run wild.

Group A:

Cameroon vs Croatia

Tonight’s late kickoff sees a decisive game in Group A. Cameroon sit above Croatia at the bottom of Group A on just Goal Difference. With both Brazil and Mexico ahead of both sides each side needs the 3 points. A loss for either side would spell game over for either nation’s World Cup dreams. Croatia proved to be a test for Brazil in the opener and the scoreline certainly did not reflect the Croatian’s strong showing. Cameroon faced Mexico in their first game. The conditions last Friday in Natal were far from idea with heavy rain through out the match. Cameroon were very poor at the back and Mexico had two goals disallowed for offside which seemed to be onside in many eyes. The Cameroonians failed to impress and star striker Samuel Eto’o was far from good. As this is a crucial match for both teams expect the players to put their hearts on the line to stop the other squads from reaching the next round. Croatia impressed me more than Cameroon and that is why I see a narrow 1-0 win for the Croatian’s.

                                                  

Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o in action against Mexico in rainy Natal.

 I hope these games will provide goals and entertainment and I will see you tomorrow morning for full match reports on each game. Enjoy the beautiful game!

 

World Cup 2014 – Russia and South Korea inseparable

The late game last night saw the other two teams in Group H along with Belgium and Algeria begin their World Cup journeys. The match was never expected to be extremely action packed but it was quite physical. Fabio Capello’s Russian squad were favorites to pick up a hard fought win. The first half contained very little except the odd bone crunching tackle from the Korean’s.

                                   Russia’s Alexander Samedov collides with Ki Sung-Yueng of South Korea.

A shock came in the second half as experienced Russian keeper Akinfee let the shot of substitute Lee Keunho slip through his hands and into the Russian net. Korea were then under a constant barrage of Russian attacks and a equalizer looked likely. Russian striker Alexander Kerzhakov who came on for Yury Zhirkov got Russia the goal they needed in the 74th minute.

                                         Akinfeev tries his best to recover Lee’s shot.

The game ended one all which was a fair result but Fabio Capello will not be happy with his sides performance. Improvements will have to be made by both sides if they want to qualify as their other opponents need to prove a point in upcoming games.

Match Details:

GOALS: 

South Korea – Lee Keunho 68 minutes

Russia  –  Alexander Kerzhakov 74 minutes

Bookings –

 Yellow- South Korea – Son Heung Min 13 minutes, Ki Sungyueng 30 minutes and Koo Jacheol 90 minutes

 

Yellow- Russia – Oleg Shantov 49 minute.

Substitutions: South Korea – Lee Keunho for Park Chuyoung 56 minutes, Hwang Seokho for Hong Jeong Ho 73 minutes and Kim Bokyung for Son Heung Min 84 minutes.

Russia- Alan Dzagoev for Oleg Shatov 59 minutes, Alexander Kerzhakov for Yuri Zhirkov 59 minutes and Igor Denisov for Denis Glushakov 72 minutes.

World Cup 2014 – Brazil disappoint yet again.

Many fans and pundits around the world waited in anticipation yesterday evening to see if Brazil could improve on and better their lackluster performance in their opener against Croatia. We were yet again let down by a Brazilian team that contains stars that should be preforming better then they currently are. Mexico were never going to give the hosts an easy game and they showed their resilience and determination that could see them progress from the group. Brazil were overly dependent on star player Neymar through out the game and Fred’s lack of pace and energy makes me question his place in the starting eleven. Both sides had chances in the first half but failed to break the deadlock. Ramires who started in the place of the injured Hulk picked up a yellow card on the stroke of half time. Scolari clearly was not happy with Ramires’s performance and brought on the youngster Bernard at half time.

 

Neymar in action vs Mexico

Brazil were the stronger of the two side and good efforts from Neymar were stopped excellently by Ochoa in goal. Neymars effort and commitment cannot be questioned as he worked the hardest on the Brazilian team. Paulinho failed to preform and overall Brazil failed to impress in front of a home crowd. Thiago Silva’s strong header towards the end of the match was saved by the wall that was Ochoa. The Mexican’s had some close chances that tested Julio Cesar in the Brazilian net.

 

Defender Thiago Silva looks on in despair as Ochoa stops his powerful header.

A draw was a fair result in the end. Both teams are level on top of Group A with four points, Brazil lead on goal difference. Brazil’s lack of support and strikers is proving costly and currently it looks as if the hosts will not win the World Cup if they keep up with these lackluster performances. The Mexican’s can be very happy with a draw against the favorites and look to be in a good position to reach the last sixteen. Goalkeeper Ochoa kept them in the game and deserved the man of the match award.

 

                                           Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa with his Man Of The Match award.

Match Details:

Bookings: Brazil- Ramires 45 minutes, Thiago Silva 79 minutes.

Mexico- Paul Aguilar 59 minutes, Jose Juan Vazquez 62 minutes

Substitutions: Brazil – Bernard on for Ramires 46 minutes. Jo on for Fred 68 minutes and Willian on for Oscar 84 minutes.

Mexico- Javier Hernandez on for Oirbe Peralta 74 minutes and Raul Jimenez on for Giovani dos Santos 84 minutes.

World Cup 2014 – Belgium’s Golden Generation get off to a shaky start

Belgium began their World Cup campaign yesterday evening as they faced Algeria in the first Group H match. Conditions were idea in a dry Belo Horizonte with the sun shining down on the stadium. Belgium fans were expecting an easy game but little did they know that Algeria would make life very difficult for their team. Belgium controlled much of the early play but failed to make any real chances. A moment of madness from defender Jan Vertonghen saw him receive a yellow card and a penalty for Algeria. Sofiane Feghouli slotted home the spot kick past the inform Courtois.

Feghouli slots home Algeria’s penalty in the 25th minute.

Belgium now pressed hard to find an equalizer and apart from a poor shot from Chadli they had very little actual goal attempts. Algeria defended well for the remainder of the first half and Nabil Bentaleb picked up a yellow card in the 34th minute.

Wilmots sent out an inspired side in the second half who were determined to win. He took off Chadli at half time for Napoli starlet Dries Mertens. The Belgians passed well but lacked a finishing touch for much of the match. Striker Romelu Lukaku was substituted for Divock Origi. Lukaku struggled on his own up front and was clearly missing the support that was available when Christain Benteke was playing injury prevented him from traveling to the world cup. Moussa Dembele was switched from Maroulane Fellaini on the 65th minute. Five minutes later Fellaini headed home Belgium’s equalizer from a cross supplied by brilliantly by Kevin De Bruyne.

 

 Algeria’s Mbolhi looks on as Fellaini’s header beats him in goals.

Just ten minutes later the comeback was complete. A strong Belgian counter attack saw Mertens fire home a storng shot into the top corner.Belgium then defended their lead and ran down the clock for some time.

 

 Dries Metens celebrates his winning goal with Romelu Lukaku.

Overall a team tipped to be dark horses for this tournament were pushed hard by a surprisingly strong Algerian side. The Golden Generation will have to show more class and improve their finishing touches in attack. Kevin De Bryune was awarded man of the match for his superb passing and effort across the field.

 

Match Details :

GOALS: Sofiane Feghouli penalty 25 minutes Algeria

                Marouane Fellaini 70 minutes  Belgium

                 Dries Mertens     80 minutes   Belgium

Bookings: Jan Vertonghen Belgium 24 minutes – Yellow

                  Nabil Bentaleb Algeria   34 minutes  – Yellow

Substitutions: Dries Mertens on for Nacer Chadli 46 minutes Belgium

                        Divock Origi on for Romelu Lukaku 58 minutes Belgium

                        Marouane Fellaini on for Moussa Dembele 65 minutes Belgium

                        Islam Slimani on for  El Arabi Soudani 66 minutes Algeria

                        Medhi Lacen on for Riyad Soudani 71 minutes   Algeria

                        Nabil Ghilas on for Carl Medjani 84 minutes Algeria.

World Cup 2014 Day 6 Preview : Belgium vs Algeria – Brazil vs Mexico and Russia vs South Korea

Tuesday sees three World Cup matches take place as usual. The games will begin at 5pm, 8pm and 11pm. Lets start by looking at Group H.

Belgium vs Algeria:

A much anticipated game this evening will see Belgium’s young squad take on Algeria’s semi-decent side. Belgium’s side boasts players such as Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany and Romelu Lukaku among others. The game is widely seen as a formality for the Belgians but don’t be surprised if the Algerians put up a fight. Match kicks off at 5pm so make a note. I fancy a strong Belgian squad to make an impressive performance my prediction is a 3-0 win for them. The loss of Christian Benteke is substantial but I believe they can compensate.

 

 Russia vs South Korea

 

Russia take on South Korea at 11pm GMT. While it mightn’t be the most exciting game both squads seem fairly level on paper. Players such as Aleksandr Kerzhakov, Alan Dzagoev and experienced goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev all front Russia’s main team. South Korea have a team of unknowns to many but some hidden gems may cause difficulty for the Russians. I can’t help but see a hard fought win for the Russians. My prediction is a 2-1 win for Russia.

 

 Group A:

Group A sees hosts Brazil in action again. The match kicks off at 8pm and many eyes including my own will be on this interesting encounter. Brazil were underwhelming in their opener against Croatia. A controversial penalty decision saw Neymar and Brazil take the lead. Oscars late strike sealed a 3-1 win for the Brazilians.

The Brazilian team boasts strength in both defense and attack. Key players such as Thiago Silva, David Luiz and Neymar will have to bring their A games. Mexico had two goals disallowed for offside which were onside. A Peralta strike saw Mexico get a deserved win over Cameroon. Mexico impressed many and rightly feel hard done by some questionable calls. Giovani dos Santos was a key player who played very well in Mexico’s opener. Neymar will be expected to score and has a lot of pressure on him once again. I cannot help but see a win for Brazil but it will not come easy. My prediction is a 2-1 win for the Selecao. Mexico present a challenge for the hosts who will feel the pressure once again.

 

 I hope these games will provide some entertainment and a little bit of drama! I will see you again tomorrow to review each of these games! Enjoy the beautiful game.

World Cup 2014 – The American Dream comes true!

America’s long wait for World Cup victory over Ghana became a reality last night as the American’s won 2-1 in a thrilling encounter. The Black Stars were hit with the earliest goal of this world cup which came after just 29 seconds. Clint Dempsey scored an excellent goal that saw him dance around the Ghanaian defenders.

From this early setback the Black Stars worked hard to get back into the game and Asamoah Gyan missed some important chances in the first half. Poor touches and miscued shots saw frustration become prominent across the Ghanians. The first half ended with Klinsmann team in the lead. James Appiah sent out an inspired side in the second half who fought right to the end to get back into the game. Finally in the 82nd minute Ayew pegged the Americans back to one all. Poor defense saw the American center back Brookes head home a powerful header in the 86th minute to break Ghanian hearts. This was an exciting game that showed the talent in both nations. The excitement and attacking football Ghana displayed will give hope to the nation how ever it is very difficult to see either the USA or Ghana progressing from this group with Germany and Portugal still to play.

 

 

 

As regards injuries and substitutions Americans saw striker Jozy Altidore substituted and stretchered off in the 23rd minute with a suspected hamstring pull. Matt Besler was subbed off at half time for Brooks. Ghana introduced star player Kevin Prince Boating in the 59th minute for Jordan Ayew. Boating failed to make an impact and took long range efforts which were never going to trouble Tim Howard in goal. Michael Essien was introduced in the 71st minute and played relatively well in the time he was on. Graham Zuzi’s introduction in the 77th minute proved decisive as he supplied the corner which resulted in the winning goal.

 

All in all a strong American side got a curse off their back as they defeated a difficult Ghanian side. Both teams still have a lot to do to reach the last sixteen but they currently stand above Portugal in Group G.

Below you will find all the match details. I hope you will return to this site to get the latest world cup news and previews.

 

GOALS:

 

Clint Dempsey 29 seconds

 

André Ayew 82 minutes

 

John Brooks Jr 86 minutes

 

CARDS:

 

Yellow – Mohammed Rabiu ( Ghana) Sulley Muntari ( Ghana)

 

Substitutions:

 

America – Aron Johannsson for Jozy Altidore 23 minutes. John Brooks Jr for Matt Belser 46 minutes.  Graham Zuzi for Alejandro Bedoya 77 minutes.

 

Ghana – Kevin Prince Boating for Jordan Ayew 59 minutes. Michael Essien for Mohammed Rabiu 71 minutes. Christian Astu for Albert Adomah 78 minutes.