Germany Fends Off Algeria

 2-1 

Germany and Algeria played the second round of 16 match today for a place in the quarter-final against France.  Nigeria were dispatched earlier in the day and Algeria would be the only African team left if they could knock out the European giants.

Algeria had a much better start to the game and had the German defense scrambling to cover their counter-attacks.  Germany did not look sound in the back, but did enough to stop the Algerians.  The German offense eventually settled into the match late in the first-half, but could not break through.

André Shürrle was introduced after half-time in place of Mario Götze who started the match.  Shürrle was more effective offensively and more willing to help defend.  Germany as a whole played better in second-half with Shürrle on the field and his influence was crucial later in the game.

Algeria's offense started to look less and less threatening as Germany started to build momentum.  Neither scored in regulation though, and extra-time was required for the third time in six matches.  The first two extra-time matches did not produce a winning goal and were settled by penalties.

However Germany were quick to score in extra-time when Müller linked up with Shürrle.  Müller rolled into the path of Shürrle inside the box that was played just a bit behind the substitute.  Shürrle was able to drag his back leg and get his back heel on the ball to beat the keeper (92').

Mesut Özil added another goal near the end of extra-time to reinforce Germany's victory.  Algeria could not afford to keep numbers in defense and Shürrle pushed forward with Özil to get behind that weakened defense.  First Shürrle fired a shot on goal that was blocked.  The rebound fell to Özil who smashed the shot in from close range (119').

That second goal proved to be huge for Germany as Algeria surprisingly had a late goal in them.  With their last effort Algeria pushed forward and a cross to the far post was played right into the path of Abdelmoumene Djabou who scored (120 +1').  There simply wasn't enough time to even try to get a second goal and Algeria will follow Nigeria out of the World Cup.

Germany will face France in the quarter-finals and will need to sort out some defensive problems.  Mertesacker is getting beaten offen by faster players and keeper Neuer was forced off his line time and time again to snuff out attacks.  It is likely the Hummels will return to the line up for the next match after missing today's game which will be an improvement.  But will Klose be involved is another question that remains uncertain.

France Score Late to Top Nigeria

 2-0 

France have certainly responded to their previous World Cup performance where they did not make it out of group play.  This time around France won Group E with wins over Honduras and Switzerland plus a draw to Ecuador.  Nigeria finish second in Group F to Argentina with only one win over Bosnia-Herzegovina.  Nigeria are the champions of Africa though and came out confident against France in their meeting in the round of 16.

Both teams were close to scoring in the first-half with Emmanuel Emenike actually putting the ball in the net.  Emenike attacked a cross and got the shot past French keeper Lloris, but he was offside and the goal did not count.  Paul Pogba also came close to scoring for France when he connected with a volley.  The shot went straight to keeper Enyeama who made the save and the first-half ended with no score.

Not long after half-time Nigeria were forced to make a change when Ogenyi Onazi was fouled by Matuidi.  Onazi got his ankle stepped on hard and had to come out on a stretcher.  France on the other hand made a tactical change and removed an ineffective Giroud for Antoine Griezmann.  This allowed Benzema to play as the lone striker and late in the match France took the lead.

A corner-kick was sent into the box by Valbuena and Nigerian keeper Enyeama came off his line to claim it.  He misjudged the cross though and could only get a finger tip on the ball.  The tipped ball went right to Pogba at the far-post and he scored with a free header on an open net (79').

Nigeria did not have much of a response to the late goal and a bit of bad luck gave France a second goal in stoppage-time.  Valbuena fired a cross towards the near-post in the direction of Griezmann.  Defender Yobo and keeper Enyeama tried to intervene on the attack, but the ball took an unlikely deflection off Yobo and ended up an Own-goal for Nigeria (90 +1').

France were the better team and definitely have more depth in their bench than the African side.  Nigeria played solid for nearly eighty minutes, but could not get on the scoreboard today.  France will have to wait until later today to find out if it will be Germany or the other African team Algeria that they will play in the quarter-finals.

Costa Rica Win Shoot-Out Over Greece

(5-3 pen.)1-1 

Costa Rica and Greece are two of the more surprising teams to reach the knock-out round in the World Cup.  Today the two face each other looking to advance to the quarter-finals.  Both teams play with an emphasis on defense and quality scoring chances were rare.  The first-half ended with neither side pulling ahead.

Captain Bryan Ruiz scored for Costa Rica early in the second-half to take the lead.  Finding space in front of goal, Ruiz directed a rather weak shot to the far-post.  The ball was placed just far enough to avoid the hands of keeper Keylor Navas (52').

Greece are used to playing from behind and a missed tackle by Óscar Duarte left Costa Rica with ten men.  Duarte received a yellow card in the first-half for a foul and saw another in the second-half when he missed a tackle on José Cholevas (R.C. 66').

Playing with one more man than Costa Rica allowed Greece to push numbers forward and found the equalizer in the time added to regulation.  Substitute Theofanis Gekas got a shot on goal that was blocked by keeper Navas.  Sokratis Papastathopoulos was in the right place and knocked the rebound into the net (90 +1').

The match went to extra-time and for Greece it was more of the same.  Despite playing almost entirely in Costa Rica's half, neither team could score the winning goal.  For the second time in the round of 16 a penalty shootout was required to determine the winner.

Costa Rica shot first and scored the first four shots from the spot.  Greece matched Costa Rica for their first three shots, but keeper Navas made a big save to deny the fourth shot by Gekas.  Costa Rica could then end the shootout with a successful shot by the fifth shooter.  That task fell to defender Michael Umaña and he finished from the spot to win the match.

More than once Greece scored late to keep their dreams alive, but it will be Costa Rica who advance and play the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

Sneijder Saves The Netherlands, Mexico Out

 2-1 

The Netherlands were perfect in the group stage winning all three matches against Spain, Australia, and Chile.  Mexico finished second in their group with wins over Cameroon and Croatia as well as a draw to Brazil.  The two met for the first knock-out match of the day in the very hot Estádio Castelão in Fortaleza.

Mexico fielded the same line up as they showed in the group stage with one exception, Carlos Salcido replace the suspended Vásquez in the midfield.  The Netherlands made a few alterations to their line up with Wijnaldum, Verhaegh, and the veteran Dirk Kuyt stating for the Orange.

The first-half ended scoreless with Mexico creating the better chances.  The Netherlands had some problems early on with an injury to Nigel De Jong less than ten minutes into the match.  Bruno Martins Indi replaced De Jong and caused the Netherlands to reorganize their shape.  They were not getting much offensively with change to the line up, but late in the half the Dutch felt they should have been given a penalty.  Robben was fouled twice inside the box, but no call was made and the first-half ended level.

At the start of the second-half Mexico were forced to make a change for the injured centerback Héctor Moreno who was replaced by Diego Reyes.  Soon after Mexico took the lead thanks to a wonderful individual effort by Giovani Dos Santos.  The striker did well to hold off defender Daley Blind and hit a perfect half-volley from distance to beat the keeper (48').

Mexico enjoyed the lead for about forty minutes and as time ticked away the Netherlands started to get more desperate.  Van Persie was running on empty and came out for Huntelaar who became the target for hopeful long balls.  Then just as time was running out, Wesley Sneijder came up with a huge goal.  A corner was headed back in front of goal by Huntelaar and Sneijder ran onto the ball and crushed the shot giving keeper Ochoa absolutely no chance to make a save (88').

In stoppage-time Mexico were dealt the death blow when Robben was again fouled inside the box.  Rafa Márquez caught Robben on the ball and this time the ref made the signal for a penalty.  The foul was not as bad as the first that went unseen, but nonetheless the Dutch took full advantage.  Hunterlaar stepped up to take the shot and scored the winning goal from the spot (90 +4').

No doubt Mexico feel that Robben dove to earn that penalty kick.  The Dutch might look at the call as a make-up for the no-call in the first-half.  To be certain, the match was close throughout and Mexico played well enough beat many of the teams that are still alive in the World Cup.  However it was the Dutch that did enough to get the win and stay in the tournament.

Columbia Defeat Toothless Uruguay

 2-0 

The all South American Saturday continued with Columbia taking on Uruguay.  Obviously with a four month suspension to Luis Suárez Uruguay would have to look elsewhere for goals and the veteran Diego Forlán was called on to fill in the gap.  Forlán started the first match for Uruguay against Costa Rica that ended in a three-one defeat.  Today Uruguay were not much better with Forlán up top and fell to Columbia.

A poor clearance by Uruguayan defender Álvaro Pereira gave the ball to Abel Aguilar.  With a first-touch header pass, Aguilar played the ball forward to James Rodríguez.  The Columbian number 10 surprised keeper Muslera when he took the pass from Aguilar down off his chest then hit the shot on the volley.  Rodríguez hit the volley just right and scored the only goal of the first-half (28').

Uruguay were not getting anything out of their forwards in the first-half.  Diego Forlán did not get a single shot off and Edinson Cavani's best chance was a free-kick over the bar.  Uruguay were not able to fix their problems over the break and Columbia added a second goal early in the second-half.

A cross from the left side into the box was met by Juan Cuadrado at the back post.  Cuadrado headed the ball back across the face of goal and James Rodríguez was in position to turn the ball into the net (50').

Uruguay could not muster much of an offensive response; their best chance to score coming with about ten minutes left in the match.  Maxi Pereira found himself in behind the Columbia defense, but could only manage a toe-poke shot that went straight to keeper Ospina.

Clearly Uruguay are not as dangerous without Luis Suárez.  Cavani and Forlán were not good enough to make up for his absence and Uruguay could not capitalize on set-pieces.  Columbia on the other hand have been fantastic on the attack and James Rodríguez now leads the tournament scoring with five goals in four matches.

Brazil Barely Escape Clash With Chile

(3-2pen.)1-1

The group stage is over and in the knock-out rounds it's win or go home.  Host nation Brazil were in action for the first elimination match against Chile today.  Brazil beat Croatia and Cameroon and tied Mexico to win Group A, while Chile beat Spain and Australia and lost to the Netherlands to finish second in Group B.

Brazil took the lead in the first-half off a set-piece.  Neymar played a corner-kick into the box and Thiago Silva got a head on the ball to flick it on to the far-post.  David Luiz was waiting at the far-post and was guarded by Chile's Gonzalo Jara.  After the ball was flicked-on to the far-post it ended up in the back of the net.  David Luiz claimed the goal and gets credit in the official scoresheet, but in reality the final touch came off Jara and should be ruled an own-goal (18').

Chile responded and scored the equalizer on a Brazil turn-over.  Marcelo threw the ball into Hulk whose bad first touch gave the ball to Eduardo Vargas.  The Chilean forward quickly played Alexi Sanchez in-on-goal and he beat the keeper with a shot to the far-post (32').

The first-half ended even and at the start of the second-half Brazil created a very promising attack.  A ball into the box found Hulk and the forward was able to bring the ball down and put it in the net.  However the goal was disallowed as Hulk used his arm to trap the ball before the shot.

After that close chance for Brazil the momentum completely shifted in Chile's favor.  The crowd noticed the change as well and tension began to build for the Brazilian fans and players.  They weathered the storm though and regulation ended tied at one goal apiece.

Brazil were more authoritative in extra-time and kept Chile pinned back in their defensive third for the majority of the additional time.  They could not score though and nearly gave up the losing goal on the last effort from Chile.  Mauricio Pinilla came into the match late and found himself in space inside the Brazilian box.  His shot was just inches too high and rattled the crossbar to end the extra-time still level.

The penalty shootout could have gone either way, but keeper Julio César saved the first two shots from Chile to give Brazil a huge advantage.  David Luiz, Marcelo, and Neymar scored penalties for Brazil putting all the pressure on Gonzalo Jara taking the last shot for Chile.  Jara's shot caught the inside of the post but ricocheted out to give Brazil the win.  It was a nervous finish for the host nation, but now they can take a deep breath and relax until their next match.

Messi Scores Two, Argentina Sweep Group F

 2-3 

Argentina were already guaranteed to advance out of group play having won their first two matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iran.  Nigeria had a good chance to advance as well, needing a draw or some help by Bosnia-Herzegovina in the other match.

Messi was quick out of the gate today and scored in the opening minutes of the match.  A shot on goal by Angel Di Maria forced Nigerian keeper Enyeama to make a save and he got just enough on the ball to send the shot off the post.  The rebound off the post bounced in front of the net and Messi blasted the loose ball into the net (3').

Nigeria wasted no time in finding the equalizer and scored on the following kick-off.  Ahmed Musa found space in the Argentina box and curled a shot around defender Zabaleta and keeper Romero to pull even (4').

Just before half-time Argentina retook the lead on a free-kick by Messi.  Messi had one free-kick attempt earlier that was saved by the keeper, but he got a second chance from nearly the same spot.  With his second attempt, Messi successfully lifted the shot over the wall and got the dip on the shot to bring the ball back down under the crossbar (45 +1').

A goal right before half-time is often a morale killer, but Nigeria were not discouraged and quickly got another equalizer after the break.  Playing a give-and-go with Emmanuel Emenike, Musa again got in behind the Argentina defense and fired a shot to beat the keeper near-post (47').

Nigeria fell behind once more though during a set-piece for Argentina.  A corner-kick was sent into the box, but no one for Nigeria could clear the cross off the line.  This gave leftback Marcos Rojo the opportunity to attack the cross and he scored with a shot off his knee (50').

Nigeria could not come up with a third equalizer and Argentina claim their third win in three matches.  Fortunately for Nigeria today's loss does not hurt them.  Bosnia-Herzegovina beat Iran in the other Group F match meaning Nigeria still have enough points to reach the knock-out round.

Uruguay Eliminate Italy From World Cup

 0-1 

Uruguay and Italy both beat England and lost to Costa Rica in the two previous matches in group play. Today the two nations played each other for their final group match with Italy slightly ahead with a better goal-differential.  A tie would have put Italy through to the knock-out round while Uruguay needed to win in order to stay in the World Cup.

The first-half was rather timid for both teams with neither wanting to slip up and play from behind.  Italian forwards Mario Balotelli and Ciro Immobile saw very little of the ball and did not produce a single shot on target between them.  Both were taken out in the second-half as previously mentioned, Italy only needed a tie.  

Uruguayan forwards Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani similarly had a slow start to the match and did not test keeper Buffon in the first-half either.  Since Uruguay's situation was different the two had to stay in the game as the best scoring options for the South Americans.

Italy's defense is always stout and with Uruguay's offense not playing particularly sharp, the match seemed to be heading towards a favorable result for the Italians.  However a clumsy foul by Claudio Marchisio resulted in a red card and Italy had to play the last half-hour with ten men.  The foul was not especially malicious, but the midfielder did leave his studs up and had to watch the rest of the match from the sideline.

Italy did not have much to complain about with Marchisio's red card, but later in the game an incident with Suárez gave them just cause for protests.  Anyone who follows European football knows the good come with the bad for Suárez.  He started this past Premier League season suspended for a second incident of bitting a player (Chelsea's Ivanovic).  Today for a third time Suárez was caught on camera, but not by the ref, biting the shoulder of Italy's Chiellini.  No action was taken on the field, but you can bet FIFA will step in and give Suárez a substantial punishment for his repetitive misconduct.

Moments after the assault by Suárez, Uruguay scored a late goal to pull ahead.  On a corner-kick, captain Diego Godín was in the box and won the header to beat keeper Buffon (81').  With only ten men and a few minutes left, Italy could not respond.

Italy had a good start to the tournament, but the loss to Costa Rica was unexpected and put added pressure going forward.  Uruguay did well to bounce back from a first game loss to win the next two.  Suárez was outstanding against England, reckless against Italy, and likely banned for the rest of the World Cup.

Mexico Finish Off Croatia, Brazil Handle Cameroon

 1-3 

Croatia and Mexico met for the last match in group play, simultaniously kicking-off at the same time as Brazil and Cameroon.  Predictably Brazil took care of Cameroon who lost their first two matches and were therefore mathematically eliminated.  At the start of the match Mexico had four points to Croatia's three meaning a tie would put Mexico through to the knock-out round.

The first-half ended without a goal for either side which favored Mexico.  The pressure was on Croatia to score, needing to win in order to escape the group stage.  Croatian coach Niko Kovač made two changes in the second-half trying to get that necessary goal.  The first change was for the left-back Vrsaljko getting replaced by the midfielder Kovačić.  Later Olić was taken out for the younger forward Rebić.

The goals did not come for Croatia however, as Mexico scored three in the last twenty minutes.  Captain Rafa Marquez rose up to out-jump Croatian defender Corluka to win a header on a corner-kick (72').  Marquez had caused a few turn-overs earlier, but more than made up for himself by scoring the crucial go-ahead goal.

Moments later Mexico stretched the lead on a counter-attack led by substitute Chicharito Hernández.  With Croatia pressed high up the pitch, Hernández had acres of space to push forward and picked out the run of Peralta along the right flank.  Peralta then played the ball across the box for Guardado making a late run.  Guardado kept his head down and hit the shot first-time to beat keeper Pletikosa (75').

Hernández scored a final goal for Mexico on another corner-kick.  Rafe Marquez was again in the box for the set-piece and again won the header.  This time however, he flicked the ball on to the far post where Hernández had a free header and an easy score (82').

Croatia managed to score one goal in the closing minutes of the match.  Rakatić played Perišić in-on-goal with a nice back-heel flick and Perišić was able to place his shot inside the far post (87').  The goal simply came too late for Croatia and if there was to be a comeback, Rebić made sure that did not happen when he was sent off.  Rebić was late with a challenge on Peña and the ref immediately showed him a red card.

Mexico finished second to Brazil in Group A while Croatia will follow Cameroon out of the tournament.  Brazil will face Chile for the first game in the knock-out round and Mexico will take on the Netherlands who won Group B.

Belgium Top Russia With Late Goal

 1-0 

Two late goals saved Belgium from defeat in their first match against Algeria.  Marouane Fellaini and Dries Mertens came in off the bench and each scored in the last twenty minutes to take the win away from Algeria.  Today against Russia, Fellaini and Mertens were in the starting line-up for Belgium.

Russia ended their first match in a 1-1 draw against South Korea.  Alexander Kerzhakov scored the equalizer for Russia, but started today's match on the bench.  Aleksandr Kokorin was the starting forward for Russia who struggled to impact the game.  Kokorin only had one real chance to score coming late in the first-half.  A header right in front of the Belgium goal was sent wide of the post and Kokorin did not see much of the ball after that.

Romelu Lukaku was again the starting forward for Belgium and again he was less than impressive.  Shortly after half-time he was replaced by Divock Origi and Belgium benefited from the change for a second straight match.  On a counter-attack Origi played Eden Hazard behind the Russian back line.  Hazard was able to turn the corner and played a return pass to Origi who scored with a first-time shot (88').

Some criticism must be made of the Russian coach Fabio Capello after today's match.  Russia was getting nothing out of forward Kokorin but he played the entire match.  Capello did make three changes in the match, but two of them were bringing in forwards Dzagoev and Kerzhakov with less then ten minutes left in the match.  With almost no time to get into the game it is not surprising Russia could not produce an equalizer.

Winning the first two games, Belgium have earned enough points to reach the knock-out round.  Belgium has a ton of talent, but so far they have no been able to really play as a team.  They have been able to get away with it so far, though the competition will only get better outside the group stage.

Five Goals for France in Win Over Switzerland

 2-5 

European neighbors Switzerland and France met today in Group E showdown with both teams coming off a win in the first round.  France rather easily handled Honduras who finished the match with ten men, while Switzerland edged Ecuador in a stoppage-time comeback.  Today the Swiss again scored late, but not before France took a sizable lead.

Very early in the match Switzerland were forced to make a change when defender Steve Von Bergen was caught in the face by the boot of Olivier Giroud.  The foul seemed accidental, but Von Bergen was bleeding to much to continue.  Philippe Senderos came in to take up the defensive role and the game only got worse from there for the Swiss.

France scored two successive goals, the first coming from a set-piece.  Mathieu Valbuena played a corner to the back-post for Giroud.  With a header, Giroud scored and gave France the lead (17').  Swiss keeper Diego Benaglio got a hand to the shot and nearly made the save, but could not reject the shot.

On the ensuing kick-off Valon Behrami made a terrible error that doubled the lead for France.  Behrami  did not look where he was passing and gave the ball right to Benzema.  Making a run up the left side, Matuidi was played in-on-goal by Benzema and finished with a driven shot to near-post (18').

Before half-time France added another goal on a counter-attack following a Swiss corner-kick.  Giroud cleared the corner delivery off the line and stormed forward.  Varane picked out the run from Giroud and played the ball for him into space.  Valbuena made a run up the opposite side and Giroud found him at the far-post for a tap-in finish (40').

At the end of the first-half the Swiss had virtually nothing going for them and could have down more had keeper Benaglio not stopped the penalty kick from Benzema.  He was fouled in the box by Djourou, but failed to score from the spot.  Benzema did score in the second-half though to increase the lead.  Paul Pogba chipped a ball into the box that defender Senderos whiffed while trying to clear.  Because of the whiff Benzema had a free shot and scored through the legs of the keeper (67').

Moussa Sissoko added a final goal for France shortly after.  Benzema played him into space and Sissoko hit the shot first-time to back-post (73').

The game was clearly decided at that point, but the Swiss continued to play and scored a pair of late goals.  The first was a free-kick by Blerim Dzemaili.  Keeping the shot low, Dzemaili's shot slipped through the wall and inside the post to break up the clean-sheet (81').  Granit Xhaka then scored what was probably the most impressive goal of the match.  Captain Inler played a ball over the top of the defense and Xhaka hit the shot on the volley out of the air for a second Swiss goal (87').

With two wins in two matches, France earn six points and sit at the top of Group E.  This loss for the Swiss is not necessarily detrimental to their advancement.  With one win in hand and the next match against the weakest of the group, Honduras, Switzerland still have a good chance of reaching the knock-out round.  The two late goals also improves their chances if goal-differential is a deciding factor.

Uruguay Beat The Brits

 2-1 

England and Uruguay lost their first matches to Italy and Costa Rica respectively.  Today both teams tried to bounce back and earn some points as the two met in a Group D match.  England had five players from the Liverpool club in the starting line-up including captain Gerrard, Sturridge, Henderson, Johnson, and Sterling.  However it was the Liverpool player on the Uruguay team that stole the spotlight.

Late in the first-half Luis Suarez scored for Uruguay to take the lead.  Edinson Cavani played a chipped ball to Suarez near the back-post.  Suarez headed the ball back across the face of goal to beat keeper Joe Hart (39').

With their backs against the wall in the second-half England inserted two more attacking players, Ross Barkley and Adam Lallana, to try and get on the scoreboard.  England did manage to level the score, though it did not come from the bench.  Sturridge released Johnson down the right flank and Johnson rolled the ball into the path of Rooney.  Crashing the net with a well timed run, Rooney scored with a simple tap in for his first ever World Cup goal (75').

Following the equalizer the momentum started to shift in England's favor briefly.  But before they could turn the tables Uruguay dealt the crushing blow that decided the game.  A goal-kick by the Uruguay keeper was sent way down field and Cavani flicked the ball on with a header.  The England defense was caught napping and that flicked header actually put Suarez in-on-goal.  With a free shot Suarez put all his power into the shot and buried it in England's net (85').

With only minimal time left England could not produce a second equalizer.  Their chances of making it out the group stage is unlikely though not impossible; it will partly rely on the match between Italy and Costa Rica tomorrow.  Likewise Uruguay are not in the clear and will need a result against Italy in their final match.  Nothing is certain yet in Group D.

Spain Eliminated From World Cup, Lose to Chile

 0-2 

Coming off a harsh loss to the Netherlands, Spain looked to rebound in their second match in group play against Chile.  Chile beat Australia in their first match and earlier in the day the Netherlands also beat Australia.  Two losses to Australia means they cannot advance to the knock-out stage and the two wins for the Dutch guarantees they will make it out of Group B.  Today Spain hoped they would not end up in the same boat as Australia, needing at least a draw to stay in contention.

Xabi Alonso had the best chance for Spain early in the match, but a big stop by keeper Claudio Bravo from point-blank denied the goal scoring opportunity.  Moments later Chile managed to break through the Spanish defense and the defending champions again found themselves in the hole.

Alexis Sánchez helped create the goal when he played a through-ball to Charles Aránguiz behind the Spanish back line.  Aránguiz then squared the ball across the face of goal for Eduardo Vargas.  The Chilean striker made a cutback to avoid keeper Casillas before firing a shot into the back of the net (20').

Chile then doubled the lead when Casillas did a poor job clearing a free-kick.  Alexis Sánchez drilled a free-kick at the goal keeper who got his fists behind the shot.  The ball was not sent out of the box though, and came right to Aránguiz.  With one touch to control and another to shoot, Aranguiz put Chile ahead by two (43').

Nothing seemed to work today for Spain and the second-half did not show improvement.  Koke, Torres, and Santi Cazorla were subbed in over the second-half, but nobody could find a spark and get back into the match.

As it stands The Netherlands and Chile both earned a place in the knock-out round and will play to determine who will win the group.  Spain however will play one final match in Brazil against Australia though the game will have no importance.  All Spain will get out of it is a chance to let some other players get the opportunity to play in a World Cup match.

Brazil-Mexico Tie, Ochoa Outstanding

 0-0 

Group A returned to action today with host nation Brazil taking on Mexico.  Both teams won their first matches, Brazil beating Croatia and Mexico beating Cameroon.  Today in Fontaleza Mexico came out with the exact same line-up as the previous match that ended in success.  Brazil too fielded nearly the same line-up as before with the exception of Ramires starting in place of the injured Hulk.

Not having Hulk in the line-up seemed to hurt the host nation.  Together Neymar and Fred had several close chances to score, but failed to find the net.  Nor could Jo, who replaced Fred in the second-half.  Thiago Silva had one of the best chances late in the match on a corner-kick for Brazil.  The captain was left unmarked in the box and won a free header.  He was denied by the Mexico keeper though, who came away with a clean sheet.

Guillermo Ochoa, the Mexico keeper, was undoubtedly the man of the match.  Four or five times Ochoa made outstanding plays to deny goals for Brazil.  The back line in front of him also played well with veteran captain Rafa Márquez keeping them organized.  Goal scoring is still a concern for Mexico who again used Chicharito Hernández off the bench.  

Brazil supporters are likely to be disappointed with the scoreless result, but should still be considered favorites to win the group with Cameroon left to play.  Mexico on the other hand should be pleased with taking one point away from the match.  Of course their next match will be against Croatia and should be approached as a must-win game.

Problems for Portugal, Hat-Trick for Müller

 4-0 

Everyone already knows Christiano Ronaldo is the best player on the Portugese team.  Many would go on to say that he is the best player in the world.  Today Portugal played their first match of the World Cup against Germany and before Ronaldo could make any kind of impact, the Protugese defense completely let them down.

First rightback João Periera pulled down Mario Götze in the box and a penalty was awarded for Germany.  Periera also saw a yellow card for the offense.  Thomas Müller elected to take the penalty kick and scored from the spot to take the lead (12').

Soon after falling behind Portugal were dealt another blow when starting center forward Hugo Almeida came out holding his hamstring and went straight to the bench.  Éder replaced him in the offense and had a few close chances to score with headers, though none found the net.

Germany then added a second goal on a set-piece.  Toni Kroos delivered the corner-kick into the box and centerback Mats Hummels won the header.  Hummels was able to jump right over defenders Pepe and Bruno Alzes to get the header, putting Germany further ahead (32').

Things only got worse for the Portugese defense when a brash move by Pepe led to his dismissal from the pitch.  Pepe caught Müller in the face with a raised hand and Müller went to the ground.  Pepe felt that Müller went down too easily and had some words for him while on the ground.  However he didn't just have words for Müller, he also head-butted the German forward and the ref sent him off with a straight red card.

Just before half-time Müller scored his second goal of the match when he took the ball off Bruno Alves in the box.  Bruno Alves was attempting to clear the ball from his box, but Müller got in the way and managed to fire a snap-shot to again beat the keeper (45 +1').

The match was essentially over at half-time with Portugal behind three goals and playing a man down.  Unfortunately for Portugal their troubles were not over.  Leftback Fabio Coentrão went down with a groin injury and had to be taken off on a stretcher.

Late in the game Müller scored a final goal to complete his hat-trick.  Substitue Andre Schurrle played a cross into the box that Portugese keeper Particio got a hand to.  Particio did not get any power on his attempted clearance though, and Müller easily scored the loose ball left in front of the net (78').

It is somewhat difficult to determine if Portugal was really that bad, or if Germany was just that good.  Portugal was already losing by two goals when Pepe was sent off, but perhaps they might have made some kind of comeback in the second-half if they still had eleven players.  Next for Portugal is the United States and I would expect one of two things to happen.  Either they use today's loss as an excuse to give up and play two more heartless matches, or come out with a chip on their shoulders and punish the United States.

Swiss Saved By Subs, Beat Ecuador

 2-1 

Group E was in action today with Switzerland and Ecuador playing in the first round.  Ecuador was led by the Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia, though it was Enner Valencia who initially put the South American team ahead.  A free-kick by fullback Walter Ayovi was placed inside the six yard box and Enner Valencia won the header to score for Ecuador (22').

Still behind at half-time, Switzerland needed more offense and brought Admir Mehmedi into the match.  Right away Mehmedi helped his country by scoring the equalizer.  Left-back Ricardo Rodriguez delivered a corner-kick into the box and Mehmedi scored with a head right in front of goal (48').

Then with about fifteen minutes left in the match Switzerland swapped strikers and replaced the ineffective Josip Drmic for a fresh Haris Seferovic.  On a counter-attack in the closing moments of the game Rodriguez again setup a substitute for a crucial goal.  Rodriguez rolled a cross to the near-post to connect with Seferovic who scored with his first touch (90 +3').

It was a tight match in the closing moments of regulation and Ecuador had their chances to retake the lead.  Unfortunately their best chance was denied and ended up leading to the counter-attack goal at the other end.  France and Honduras are the other two teams in Group E and will play later today.

Netherlands Take Revenge, Stun Spain

 1-5 

Defending World Cup champions Spain were in action today in a first round match against the Netherlands.  In the 2010 World Cup final Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-nil in overtime to lift the Cup.  Today the result was quite different as the Dutch punished Spain for their previous heart-break.

Spain fielded a similar line-up to that during the Euros and the Confederations Cup with one major exception.  Diego Costa got the start for Spain at striker after choosing not to play for Brazil.  The striker helped Spain take the lead when he won a penalty kick in the first-half.  Dutch defender Stefan De Vrij missed his slide tackle on Diego Costa in the box and the spot-kick was given for Spain.  Xabi Alonso took the shot and scored the penalty with a well placed drive to the corner (27').

Not shaken by the deficit, the Netherlands responded just before half-time to level the score.  Daley Blind played an early cross into the box to pick out Robin Van Persie.  The Dutch captain timed his run well to stay on-sides and with his first touch struck a perfect header that beat Spanish keeper Iker Casillas (44').

In the second-half Spain's defense fell apart and captain Casillas was a complete mess between the posts.  Arjen Robben scored shortly after the break to give the Dutch the lead.  A great first touch to trap the ball inside the box set him up for a second touch around defender Pique before beating the keeper (53').

Not long after falling behind Spain elected to make a pair of changes removing Diego Costa and Xabi Alonso for Torres and Pedro.  However as soon as the two came into the match, the Netherlands extended the lead on a set-piece.  Sneijder delivered the free-kick into the box and Dutch centerback De Vrij scored at the back-post (64').

Later Van Persie scored another goal when Casillas coughed up the ball after mishandeling a back-pass.  Van Persie was quick to snatch the ball away from the keeper and fire off a shot on an empty net (72').  Then Robben scored a second goal when a long ball played forward gave him room to out-run Sergio Ramos.  Casillas attempted to stop Robben's run by coming off his line, but the Dutch forward confidently dribbled around the keeper and scored the final goal of the match (80').

The Dutch successfully got revenge on the team that kept them from lifting the trophy four years ago and will be favored to win the group.  Australia and Chile make up the rest of the group, but do not have much of a chance to reach the knock-out rounds.  Spain do not need to panic just yet and should be able to advance out of the group stage despite today's poor performance.  Once they do get out though, they will have to play much better against the next level of competition.

Obvious Dive Gives Brazil Go-Ahead Goal

 3-1 

Host nation Brazil were featured in the 2014 World Cup kick-off match today against a tenacious Croatian team.  A lot of pressure is on Brazil to perform well, especially following the successful campaign last year in the Confederations Cup.

Despite the overwhelming support for the home team from the sea of yellow in the stands, Brazil fell behind in the opening moments of the match.  Croatian forward Ivica Olić made a long run up the left side and rolled a cross in front of Brazil's goal.  Striker Jelavić could only get a partial touch on the cross, sending the ball into defender Marcelo.  Unfortunately for the rightback the ball deflected off his foot into Brazil's net for an own-goal (11').

Brazil did not panic and as the first-half rolled along they started to test the Croatian keeper.  Stipe Pletikosa blocked the first shots from Paulinho and Oscar, but could not turn away the shot from Neymar.  From outside the box Neymar sent a rather weak shot towards goal that was just out of reach for Pletikosa, leveling the score (29').

The first-half ended without further incident and after the half-time break Croatia came out with a more physical approach.  The change in tactics was effective at slowing down the flow of the Brazilian offense until the referee made a terrible mistake that drastically impacted the match.  Brazilian striker Fred made an obvious dive inside the box, but the referee bought it.

Instead of a yellow card to Fred for simulation, defender Lovren was shown a card and Brazil were awarded a penalty.  Neymar took the shot from the spot and scored the go-ahead goal (71').  Keeper Pletikosa actually got both hands on the shot, but could not keep the ball out of the net.

In the final moments of the match Brazil added an insurance goal when Oscar made a break following a turnover in midfield.  Oscar managed to fire off a shot with a toe-poke to beat the keeper for the last goal of the match (90 +1').  Again Croatian keeper Pletikosa had a chance to make the stop on the play, only to come up empty due to slow reactions.

Brazil escape their first round match with an unconvincing win.  Forwards Fred and Hulk were both rather subdued throughout the match and keeper Julio César did not look very confident in front of goal.  Croatia on the other hand were quite fluid through the midfield and will have Mario Mandzukić back for the next match.  Their biggest concern right now will be whether or not to make a change at keeper going forward.