Hummels Returns, Scores For Germany

 0-1 

The first quarter-final of the 2014 World Cup was a meeting between European neighbors France and Germany.  France took care of Nigeria in the round of 16 to reach the quarter-finals, while Germany had a tougher match against Algeria that was decided in extra-time.

Mats Hummels returned to the line-up for Germany after missing the match against Algeria due to illness.  His presence was quite influential as the centerback kept Benzeman quiet in the first-half and scored an early goal to give Germany the lead.  Toni Kroos played a free-kick into the box and Hummels won the header at the far-post for the goal (13').

Miroslav Klose was also in the starting line-up for Germany with Özil and Müller as the two other attacking players.  Müller was active in the offense as always, but Klose was less impressive.  The veteran striker scored an important goal against Ghana in the group stage, but has not been as effective in the knock-out rounds.

Benzema was the lone striker for France with Valbuena and Griezmann on the outside.  Benzema had a pretty good game and was on the ball often in the German box.  However Hummels and keeper Neuer had his number and kept Benzema off the score-sheet.  Giroud came into the match late for France as a goal was the only way to stay alive in the World Cup.  He was not given much time though, and he was also unable to score.

Germany were much better today against France than they were against Algeria.  The return of Hummels was a big part of that, but today we also saw for the first time in the tournament Philipp Lahm  starting at rightback.  Previously he has been playing defensive midfield with Boateng in the rightback position.  We will have to wait and see where he plays in the semi-final match against either Brazil or Columbia.

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.

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.

Podolski Powers Arsenal Over West Ham

 3-1 

Arsenal came into today's Premier League match against West Ham in fifth place, just two points behind Everton.  That fourth place position of course crucial for Champions League qualification and the Gunners hoped to replace Everton with a win today.  West Ham have not been great as of late, but as they showed in their last match against Liverpool, they do not go down without a fight.

West Ham took the lead late in the first-half when Antonio Nocerino got in behind the Arsenal defense.  Nocerino fired a shot from a tight angle and keeper Szczesny made the save, but the ball stayed in front of the goal.  Matthew Jarvis came in late and finished the loose ball with a header to put the visitors ahead (40').

Arsenal managed to respond in the few minutes left in the first-half thanks to a poor clearance by Stewart Downing.  The winger's clearance was left short and fell right for Santi Cazorla at the edge of the box.  Cazorla quickly played a through-ball for Podolski who made a good turn and shot to find the net and level the score (44').

After half-tim West Ham were rather deflated and Arsenal were able to take control of the match.  Oliver Giroud scored a go-ahead goal shortly after the break with a spectacular trap inside the box.  Vermaelen played a lofted ball into the box and the striker perfectly controlled the ball before shooting to put the Gunners in front (55').

Later in the half Aaron Ramsey came into the match and got an assist for the final goal of the day.  Ramsey played Podolski in behind defender Tomkins with a header and Podolski scored with a well struck first-touch shot (78').

Podolski is not always prefered by manager Arsene Wenger, but today he made the most of his inclusion in the line-up.  With this win Arsenal claim three points and pull ahead of Everton in the table.  Everton will have a chance to jump back ahead of Arsenal when they play Crystal Palace tomorrow at Goodison Park.

Bayern Munich Eliminate Arsenal From UCL

 3-1agg. 

Arenal were always going to have a tough task overcoming a two goal deficit against Bayern Munich.  Today the second leg of the Champions League fixture was played in Germany as the Gunners hoped to avoid elimination.

The Allianz Arena was indeed rocking as Bayern Munich hosted the English club, and as expected featured the always dangerous tandem of Robben and Ribery in the winger positions.  Because the two wingers are so effective, the fullbacks of Arsenal were given almost no chances to push forward and provide support in the attack.  This inability to pressure to Bayern's defense allowed the German club to dominate possession and dictate the tempo of the match.

By the end of the first-half neither club scored which played into the hands of Munich.  After half-time though Bayern managed to extend their lead when Schweinsteiger was left alone in front of the Arsenal goal.  Ribery picked him out in the box and Schweinsteiger had enough time to control the pass before firing off the shot (54').

Now down by three goals on aggregate, Arsenal were in serious trouble with time running out.  Soon after the goal by Bayern, Lukas Podolski managed to get one back for the Gunners when he was able to take the ball off defender Philipp Lahm.  Once he had the ball, Podolski went for power on the shot and slipped the ball inside the near-post to beat keeper Neuer (57').

Unfortunately for Arsenal the goal by Podolski was the only goal they could produce.  Munich even had a chance to add another goal when a penalty was awarded following a soft foul on Robben in the box.  Several times over the course of the match Robben went down quite easily and late in the match he finally fooled the referee.  The football Gods were not fooled however, and Arsenal keeper Fabianski blocked the penalty.

This is the second year in a row Arsenal have been eliminated from the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich.  The German giants have been nearly unbeatable in the Champions League as well as the Bundesliga.  Bayern Munich have all but secure a league title and are in good shape to win the Champions League for a second straight year.

Liverpool Crush Arsenal; Sturridge, Streling, Skrtel Score

 5-1 

Liverpool hosted Arsenal today for a wild Premier League match-up.  Arsenal came into the match at the top of the table with Liverpool eight points behind.  Playing at Anfield, Liverpool had a very danger attack and had the Gunners on their heels all day.

Liverpool could not have gotten off to a better start and scored in the first minute of the game.  An early set-piece allowed centerback Martin Skrtel to get forward.  Gerrard delivered the free-kick into the box and Skrtel was able to score with a volley off his shin (1').  The centerback scored again off a set-piece just minutes later.  This time from a corner-kick, Gerrard delivered the cross and Skrtel scored a well placed header floated to the back-post (10').

Liverpool then scored two more quick goals to stretch the lead.  Jordan Henderson tackled the ball off Özil in midfield and got the ball to Suarez pushing forward.  Suarez then played the ball across the face of goal for Raheem Sterling crashing the far-post.  Sterling finished with an easy tap-in to put Liverpool up three goals (17').

Daniel Sturridge scored the final goal of the first-half shortly after when Coutinho played him in-on-goal.  Coutinho's through-ball was weighted perfectly to allow Sturridge to split two defenders and beat the keeper with a first-touch finish (20').

Liverpool added one more goal in the second-half when Sterling scored his second of the match.  A long ball from the back by Cissokho put Sterling behind the Arsenal defense.  His first shot was stopped by keeper Szczesny, but the rebound came right back to him and Sterling finished with the extra chance (52').

After an hour of play, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger made all three substitutions at once, likely to save some players for the midweek match against United coming up.  The five goal deficit was obviously too much to overcome, but Arsenal did manage to get one back.  Gerrard missed his tackle on Oxlade-Chamberlain in the box to give Arsenal a penalty.  Mikel Arteta scored from the spot for the last goal of the match (69').  Aside from winning the penalty, Oxlade-Chamberlain was essentially non-existant though.  Fellow winger Santi Cazorla was also not a factor today in one of Arsenal's worst performances all year.

Today's win could be the most important match all season for Liverpool who still have a chance at the league title.  If they can continue to score goals at the current rate, very few teams will be able to keep up.  Arsenal are starting to show signs of slowing down and will look to bounce back against Manchester United on Wednesday.  Liverpool travel to Fulham next as the battle at the top of the table heats up.

Arsenal Edge Aston Villa, Back in First

 1-2 

Arsenal and Aston Villa were the last two Premier League clubs to play the round of 21, getting the lone Monday night fixture.  Right now the team to beat, Arsenal have been superb this season.  However, Aston Villa is one of the few teams that has beaten Arsenal this season, winning 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium on opening day.

Aston Villa initially had only three defenders in the starting line-up today with Clark, Baker, and Vlaar in front of keeper Guzan.  Before the defense was really tested though, Baker was knocked unconscious  by a shot from Arsenal's Gnabry.  The shot struck Baker in the head and the medical staff administered an oxygen mask before carrying him off on a stretcher.  When play resumed Leandro Bacuna replaced Baker and Aston Villa shifted to a four-man defense.

The extra man in defense did not help Aston Villa slow down Arsenal's attack and the Gunners scored two goals in a minute.  First fullback Monreal rolled a cross into the box for Jack Wilshere.  With his first touch, Wilshere controlled the ball before rolling the shot to the far corner of the net (34').  Immediately after Wilshere setup Giroud with a well placed early cross.  Giroud's first touch was perfect and gave him just enough space around defender Lowton to get a shot on goal (35').

Aston Villa saw very little of the ball in the first-half and only held possession 30% of the time.  The second-half was better for Villa as they managed to surpass Arsenal in attempts on target.  One of those attempts was successful in fact, closing the lead to one goal.  Lowton played a cross into the box and Benteke scored with a diving header at the far-post (76').  Unfortunately for the home side an equalizer was not produced and Arsenal claim another road win.

Today's win puts Arsenal back in first place in the league table.  Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool also won their matches keeping the points difference the same as it was last week.  Arsenal get Fulham at home over this coming weekend while Aston Villa go to Anfield for a test against Liverpool.

Özil, Deulofeu Score in Arsenal-Everton Draw

 1-1 

League leaders Arsenal were back at the Emirats Stadium today as Everton came for the last match in the fifteenth round of the Premier League.  The Gunners won their last three league matches while Everton have gone unbeaten since early October.

Shots were scarce in the first-half and fouls outnumbered the shots 13-8.  Possession was heavily in favor of Everton, but the better chances went to Arsenal.  Only two shots tested keeper Tim Howard and the first-half ended scoreless.

It was obvious Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger was unhappy with his team as the second-half continued and he made all three changes at once replacing Cazorla, Ramsey, and Wilshere for Walcott, Rosicky, and Flamini with about twenty minutes remaining.

Everton boss Roberto Martínez also made changes to his squad, one proving to be an important change.  Just after Gerard Deulofeu entered the match Arsenal scored the first goal of the match.  Rosicky played a ball into the box that Walcott headed down for Giroud in front of goal.  Giroud completely whiffed his shot, but fortunately Mesut Özil was right behind him and finished from close range to break the dead-lock (80').

The late-goal was not a heart-breaker for Everton though, and the visitors responded moments later.  Substitute Deulofeu also benefited from a whiffed shot, Lukaku's attempted bike-kick, that set him up in front of goal.  Deulofeu did well to separate himself from defender Gibbs before scoring the equalizer (84').

The game ended in a 1-1 draw with each team earning one point.  Arsenal remain in first place and Everton stay just outside the top-four of the league standings.  Everton host Fulham next weekend while Arsenal travel to Italy for a Champions League match before a crucial league game at Manchester City.

Arsenal Ahead in EPL, Beat Swansea

1-2

Arsenal travelled to Wales for a Premier League game against Swansea City today.  Swansea came out playing possession heavy football and made Arsenal play defense early.  The crowd was also involved and Swansea fed off their energy.  Arsenal settled in and created their own chances late in the first-half.  Neither side scored by half-time and staying on-sides was a problem for both clubs all day.

In the second-half the visitors turned up their game and Arsenal scored two goals less than five minutes apart.  First Arsenal's other new German signing Serge Gnabry was played in-on-goal by Ramsey following good combination play in the box (58').  Moments later Ramsey scored when Arsenal perfectly worked a counter-attack.  Giroud played the final pass for Ramsey who had his shot partially deflected, but not enough to keep it out of the net (62').

Swansea never gave up though, and made a positive change when Wilfred Bony was introduced.  The big striker was a lot for the Arsenal defense to handle and he helped setup a goal late for Swansea.  Leftback Davies made a driving run into Arsenal's box and Bony played a chipped ball over the top for him.  Defender Mertesacker managed to get just a piece of the ball on its way toward Davies, but he could not quite get enough.  Davies was able to get a touch off his thigh to direct the ball into the net, giving Swansea life late in the match (82').

Swansea could not work another goal following the late score and Arsenal held on for the road win.  Arsenal are now on top of the table in the Premier League after six rounds.  More clubs will play Sunday and Monday, but none can earn enough points to overtake the Gunners.

Arsenal's Ramsey Nets Two in Win Over Sunderland

1-3

The Premier League returns after taking a week off to fit in all the World Cup Qualifiers around the globe.  Arsenal travelled to Sunderland today and were able to debut their latest signing.  German International and former Real Madrid midfielder, Mesut Özil started for the Gunners and seemed to mesh perfectly with his new club.

In the early moments of the match, Özil set up Giroud in the box for a goal.  Defender Gibbs played a long ball out of the back that Özil trapped well before laying across the face of goal.  Giroud made a good near-post run and scored with his first touch, sliding the shot past the keeper (11').

Jozy Altidore played less than twenty minutes for the United Stated in their qualifying matches, but was in the starting line-up today for Sunderland.  His chances were limited as Arsenal controlled a vast majority of possession, but he looked fit and had one good shot from distance that was saved by keeper Szczesny.

Sunderland made a change at half-time taking Vaughan out for Craig Gardner who proved to be an improvement.  A penalty was awarded to Sunderland when defender Koscielny missed his tackle in the box, and Gardner scored from the spot to tie the game (48').  Arsenal took the lead back though when Aaron Ramsey scored with a very well struck volley.  Rightback Jenkinson picked him out in the box with a cross and Ramsey blasted his volley past keeper Westwood (67').

Moments later Sunderland had a chance to again equalize when Jozy Altidore got tangled up with Bacary Sagna.  Altidore broke away from Sagna, who was holding him back, and put the ball in the Arsenal net.  However, the referee called the foul on Sagna before the goal was scored and Sunderland only got a free-kick instead of a goal.

Aaron Ramsey then scored a third goal for Arsenal to seal the deal when Giroud slotted a through-ball for his run into the box.  Ramsey did well to slip through defenders and score his second goal of the match (76').

Though it is still early in the season, Arsenal may have found the perfect player to put them back at the top of the Premier League in Mesut Özil.  One the other side, American Jozy Altidore is making his second run in the Premier League and has a chance to help a good club as well as take the next step as an elite striker.