Netherlands Take Third Place, Brazil Finish Fourth

 0-3 

The third-place match is not really a game any team wants to play in.  Just by being there means you lost your semi-final and cannot win the tournament.  You cannot go home either so pride is the only thing at stake.  Brazil were put there by the titanic loss to Germany while the Netherlands fell to Argentina in penalty-kicks.  Both teams looked to recover after their respective defeats; Brazil being emotionally heart-broken and the Netherlands being physically drained.

Thiago Silva was greatly missed in the game against Germany and today returned from suspension to anchor the back line for Brazil.  However he put his team in trouble very early when he conceded a penalty.  Thiago Silva could not keep up with the pace of Robben so he pulled him down while running into the box.  Silva was the last defender on a clear goal scoring chance and deserved a red card, but was lucky to only get a yellow.  Van Persie took penalty kick and scored for the Netherlands (3').

The other Brazilian centerback David Luiz then put his team further in trouble when he made a poor clearance in the box.  A cross by Lonathan De Guzman was headed away by David Luiz, but only as far as Daley Blind waiting near the penalty spot.  Nobody for Brazil covered Blind and he scored with a free shot on goal (16').

For a moment Brazil were having flashbacks of the German beat down, but settled down and created some chances.  Oscar in particular looked like he was going to either create or score a goal to get back into the match.  Unfortunately that did not happen as Brazil could not find the net today.  Fernandinho, Hernanes, and Hulk came in off the bench, but nobody was able to beat the Dutch defense.

The Netherlands added a final goal late in the match to solidify the result.  Robben played Joël Janmaat behind the Brazilian defense and he was able to play the ball across the face of goal.  The pass was played right into the path of Wijnaldum who hit the shot first-time to score (90 +1').

Only one more match is left to play at the 2014 World Cup and it is the grand finale.  Germany and Argentina will face-off to see who will lift the trophy and decide who is the best team in the world.

Argentina To World Cup Final

0-0(2-4pen.)

The Netherlands and Argentina faced-off today to claim a place in the World Cup final.  Argentina beat Belgium 1-0 to reach the semi-finals while the Netherlands were forced into an extra-time game against Costa Rica that eventually ended in a 2-1 victory.  Again today the Netherlands were forced into an extra-time game as both fail to score in regulation.

Both teams came out with a rather conservative approach and did not press too many men forward.  Argentina's offense led by Messi and supported by Higuaín and Lavezzi was subdued throughout the match.  Messi's only shot on goal was a free-kick that keeper Cillessen saved easily.

Likewise, Argentina did not allow the Netherlands to get their offense flowing and by the end of regulation there were no shots on target from anyone in orange.  Van Persie was ghost out there today and Robben seemed just a half step slower coming off the overtime grind with Costa Rica.

Neither team scored in the extra-time so for a second straight match for the Dutch penalty kicks would decide the winner.  In the previous match the Netherlands saved their last substitution for a keeper change to bring on the speciallist Tim Krul.  However today all the subs were used before a change at keeper could be made and Cillessen had to do the job.

The Netherlands shot first with defender Ron Vlaar leading off.  This was a surprising move considering Huntelaar had come in late off the bench.  And in hindsight it was the wrong decision as his shot was blocked by Argentina keeper Romero.  This gave Argentina an immediate advantage and Messi followed the save with a conversion for the lead.

Robben then scored from the spot for the Dutch and Garay responded with a clean finish for Argentina.  Next for the Netherlands was Sneijder who also had his shot denied by Romero and was also followed by a conversion by Agüero.  Kyut was the last shooter for the Netherlands and he found the net to keep them alive.  Unfortunately for the Orange keeper Cillessen could not make a single save and substitute Maxi Rodríguez finished from the spot to put Argentina into the final.

So Brazil's arch rival will play in the final against an intimidating German side.  It almost doesn't matter though who plays Germany as the winner of today's match will have one day less rest and have to recover from this extra-time game.  We saw the same situation last summer during the Confederations Cup when Spain could barely challenge Brazil after winning an extra-time game to reach the final.

The Netherlands will play Brazil in the third-place game on Saturday and it will be interesting to see how, or if, both teams respond to their losses.

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.

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.

Real Madrid Blowout Bayern Munich, Reach UCL Final

 0-4 

Real Madrid travelled to Germany for the second-leg of their Champions League semi-final today with Bayern Munich.  Madrid barely edged the defending champions in the first-meeting 1-0 and now playing on the road Madrid needed another solid performance in this hostile environment.  Munich are normally unbeatable in their home stadium, but today found themselves in trouble very early in the match.

Madrid centerback Sergio Rames scored a pair of goals in the opening stages of the game to put Munich in a three goal hole.  First on a corner kick by Modrić, Ramos made a late run to the back-post where he was given a free header that he put into the net (16').  Just minutes later on another set-piece Ramos won a second header in front of Munich's goal to increase the lead.  Di María delivered the free-kick into the box and Pepe helped the cross along with a flick header to Ramos at the back-post for the score (20').

Real Madrid added one more goal in the first-half on a counter-attack through the middle of the field.  Bale was released on a break-away and at the last moment laid the ball off to Ronaldo who had a free shot and scored through the legs of keeper Neuer coming off his line (34').  By the end of the first-half the match was essentially over.  Bayern came into the match already down one goal from the previous match and found themselves in far greater hole by half-time.

Now needing five goals to overcome their tremendous deficit, Munich essentially gave up in the second-half.  Following the half-time break Bayern manager Pep Guardiola removed the central striker Mandzukic and inserted the defensive midfielder Javi Martínez.  Later other attacking players Müller and Ribery were taken out in place of Götze and Pizarro.  None of the changes made a positive impact on the game and Madrid even added a final goal at the end of regulation.

Ronaldo had two opportunities to score from well-placed free-kicks at the end of the match and finished the second chance.  His first free-kick was blocked by the wall, but the second time Ronaldo fired the shot low and rolled the ball under the wall as they jumped to score (90').

Surprisingly this is the first time in over ten years that Real Madrid have made it the Champions League final.  Tomorrow their opponent will be decided when Chelsea take on Atletico Madrid for their semi-final second-leg at Stamford Bridge.

Real Madrid Win First Leg Meeting With Bayern Munich

 1-0 

The Champions League action continued today with Real Madrid hosting Bayern Munich in the other semi-final first leg.  The defending champions have been quite exceptional this season, particularly in the Bundesliga winning in a landslide.  Real Madrid, on the other hand, probably will not win La Liga, but did just come off a big win against rival Barcelona to lift the Copa del Rey.

Today Bayern Munich got off the a great start despite playing on the road.  By half-time the Germans had nearly eighty percent of possession!  However, Munich could not produce a goal and found themselves trailing at the break.

Similar to their last match in the Copa del Rey final, Madrid played against a possession driven team and had to rely on the counter-attack to get ahead.  Madrid scored on one such counter-attack when Rolando played the rightback Coentrão in behind the Bayern back line.  Coentrão was then able to roll a pass across the face of goal for Benzema at the back-post.  Benzema easily finished with a tap in to take the lead, scoring the only goal of the match (19').

The second-half was more of the same with Munich keeping the vast majority of possession, yet failing to score.  Even with fifteen corner-kicks by the end of the match Bayern could not produce an equalizer and Madrid keeper Casillas came away with a clean sheet.

Expect Bayern to score at least one goal in the replay next week as the two square off for the second leg in Germany.  It is rare for Munich to be held without scoring and Real Madrid will have to come up big to shut them out twice in a row.

Bayern Munich Down Man United, On To Semi-Finals

 3-1 

Manchester United and Bayern Munich came away from the first meeting of the Champions League quarter-final with a 1-1 draw last week at Old Trafford.  Today in Germany, the second-leg was played with Munich starting the match with a slight away-goal advantage as well as home-field advantage.  

Although United were the team that had to score, they came out with a defensive mindset hoping to weather the initial storm that is the Bayern attack.  With seventy percent of possession in their favor, Munich failed to break down the United defense and the first-half ended scoreless.  The second-half, on the other hand, was far more exciting with momentum going back and forth quite quickly.  

After the half-time break Patrice Evra scored a spectacular goal to give United the lead.  A cross from Valenica was not cleared by any Bayern defender and Evra was able to run onto it and blast his shot back across the face of goal to score (57').  The lead was taken away in the blink of an eye however, as Mandžukić scored a header at the opposite end immediately following the goal from United (59').

At this stage of the match, the two teams were level on aggregate with one away-goal for each club.  United had done well to keep Bayern from scoring up that point, but the flood gates opened and Bayern put two more on the board.  First Robben setup Thomas Müller with a cross into the box that the forward managed to get enough on to turn into the United net (68').  Then Robben scored a final unassisted goal by coming across the box on his left-foot and rolling the shot inside the post (76').

With an aggregate score of 4-2, Munich ended with a comfortable margin over the Premier League team who go home empty handed.  The more surprising result of the day was the win by Athletico Madrid over Barcelona, eliminating the Catalans from the tournament.  The draw for the semi-finals is set for Friday with Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Athletico the four remaining teams in the competition.  The first-legs of the semi-finals are set for April 22 and 23 and should be an exciting build-up to the Final in Lisbon.

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.

Arsenal Collapse Against Bayern Munich in Champs League

 0-2 

For the second straight day an English club was reduced to ten men and conceded two goals in a Champions League match.  Manchester City fell 0-2 to Barcelona yesterday, a similar result for Arsenal playing Bayern Munich today.

The intensity was high at the start of the match as both clubs looked primed to score.  Arjen Robben for Bayern and Yaya Sanogo for Arsenal made their presences felt early, however it was defensive mistakes that set the tone for the match.  Two penalties were given in the first-half, one for each team.

First Mesut Özil dribbled into the box and made a move on Jérôme Boateng that forced the defender to commit a foul.  Boateng was shown a yellow card and Arsenal won a penalty.  Özil got to take the shot from the spot and tried to sneak it down the middle.  Keeper Neuer wasn't fooled though and made the save to deny the penalty (9').

After half-an-hour Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs could not continue and had to be replaced by Nacho Monreal.  Things then got worse for Arsenal when their keeper missed a challenge on Robben and was shown a red card.  Robben was able to win a ball played over the top before keeper Szczesny could break up the play and was caught by the keeper coming off his line.  Along with the red card, a penalty was given and David Alaba was called up to take the shot.  Alaba missed wide left from the spot though, and the score remained level (40').

Playing the entire second-half down a man, Arsenal were forced to drop inside their penalty area and defend constantly.  Similar to Barcelona, Bayern were able to keep nearly all of possession and work a pair of goals against a depleted English side.

Captain Philipp Lahm was involved in both goals, producing the final pass each time.  First Lahm played a square-ball along the edge of the box that Toni Kroos struck first-time.  The shot from Kroos had just enough curl on it to bend around the reach of the keeper and slip back inside the near-post (54').

Then near the end of the match Lahm played a chipped ball into the box to pick out the run of Thomas Müller who came in late off the bench.  Müller was left unmarked and drove the header down to beat the keeper for Bayern's second and final goal of the match (88').

The German club now has a huge advantage going into the replay in Munich on March 11th.  Two away goals will need to be matched by Arsenal when they meet again, and the defense needs to be perfect to stop the dynamic Munich attack.

Bayern Munich Road to Repeat, Crush ManCity

1-3

In Champions League play, defending title winner Bayern Munich travelled to England to face the toughest Group D opponent Manchester City.  Last season Bayern Munich soundly won the Bundesliga before winning the all-German Champions League final.  Today they proved they are again serious contenders in the tournament with a decisive win over Manchester City.

Franck Ribéry got the German club started early when he was able to cut the ball inside to his right foot and beat keeper Joe Hart to the near-post (7').  Bayern Munich were around Manchester City's goal often which prevented City from building much on offense.

After half-time Manchester City had too many breakdowns that lead to more scoring for the visitors.  Thomas Müller made a well timed run behind defender Gaël Clichy who missed his clearance on long ball into the box.  Müller was able to take touch around the keeper before finishing the goal (56').  Moments later Müller created a turnover in Manchester City's defense and played Arjen Robben forward into space.  Robben beat defender Nastasić to work the shot for a third Bayern goal (59').

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini used all three substitutes in the second-half and the changes worked in his favor.  Álvaro Negredo replaced Edin Džeko and scored a late goal for the home club.  Negredo made a nice turn to get space for a shot on his left foot and he curled the shot just enough to get the deflection off the post and into the net (79').  

City then had a great chance to score another late goal when Yaya Touré was tackled from behind just outside the penalty area.  Defender Boateng was the last defender and missed his tackle earning him a red card.  David Silva hit the ensuing freekick well but off the crossbar.  Fortunately for Munich the ejection came with only a few minutes left and they were able to hold on with ten men.

Manchester City will get a chance to return the favor of a home defeat later in December when the two replay in Germany.  City need to see a lot of improvement though, if they wish to challenge the German giant.  

Bayern Munich Lift Champions League Trophy

1-2 

The all-German Champions League final promised to be exciting with rivals Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund squaring-off in London.  Bayern Munich already ran away with the Bundesliga title, a staggering twenty-five points clear of Dortmund in second-place, and had the added motivation after losing to Chelsea in last years final in their own stadium no less.

From the start of the match, Dortmund put the pressure on Munich and create all the early chances.  Lewandowski, Blaszczykowski, Reus, and Bender all had shots on goal that Munich keeper Neuer had to deal with.  Munich did start to work themselves into the match, but by half-time neither side were able to score.

After the break the game really started to open up, and Munich broke the deadlock when Mandžukić scored the first goal of the match.  Ribery played Robben into space at the end-line who then found the striker alone in front of the Dortmund goal for an easy finish (60').  The lead did not last long for Munich however, as a penalty was conceded when defender Dante made a sloppy challenge on Reus in the box.  Gündagon scored from the spot to level the score for Dortmund (67').

Though the score was now level, Munich were actually quite lucky with the call, or rather the lack of a call.  Dante had been booked in the first-half, and should have been booked again for the foul that led to the penalty.  For whatever reason he was not, and Munich were allowed to finish the match with all eleven players.

As regulation was about to expire, Robben came up big once again for Bayern Munich and scored the deciding goal.  A long-ball out of the back fell for Ribery who did well to trap and play Robben in-on-goal with a nice heel flick.  Robben finished comfortably to secure the Champions League trophy with almost no time left on the clock (89').

Not to say that Munich did not deserve the title, but allowing Dante to remain on the field was certainly a big factor in the final moments of the match.  There is no question that he should have been sent off with two yellow cards, which would have drastically helped Dortmund in the last twenty minutes of the match.

Barcelona Break-Down, Bayern Munich Coast

 7-0 

The all-German Champions League final is now assured as Bayern Munich easily handle Barcelona a second time.  Barcelona striker Messi played and scored over the weekend, but today he was left on the bench for the entire match.  True he was not very effective in the first game against Bayern Munich, but down four goals you expect the best finisher in the world right now to play.

Without Messi on the field, Barcelona were quite dull and rather predictable with their passing.  They also seemed to lack the spark that gives them confidence in these big games against top clubs.  Bayern Munich on the other hand were quite comfortable passing through the midfield and extremely organized in defense.

Barcelona were outplayed in the first-half and after the break Munich's lead further increased.  Robben was played into space wide right with a good pass out of the back by defender Alaba.  Cutting across to his preferred left foot, Robben was able to shake defender Adriano before curling his shot around the keeper and into the net (48').

As if the five goal deficit was not already insurmountable, a Barcelona own-goal completely killed their spirit.  Ribery was attempting to hit forward Mandzukic at the far-post, but defender Pique managed to get in-between the two Munich players.  However, his attempted clearance came off his shin awkwardly and settled in his own net (72').  Shortly after Müller scored a final goal for Bayern when Ribery played a cross to the far-post that he finished with a header (76').

Bayern Munich finished the semifinal round with an aggregate score 7-0 and advances to the Champions League final for the second straight year.  Munich are slight favorites against Borussia Dortmund and the two clubs play each other this weekend in the Bundesliga.  The outcome will have little effect on the league standings, but it should be a good preview of the upcoming final in London.

Bayern Munich Pummels Barcelona

  4-0

Barcelona travelled to Germany for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich.  Barcelona's defense has been banged up over the course of the season and with Puyol and Mascherano out, Marc Bartra had to start at centerback.  The inexperience of Bartra was a real weakness as Munich were able to penetrate the visitor's back line often.

Müller and Robben were in top form today with at least one of them getting involved in every Munich goal.  First Robben played a high cross into the box for Dante at the back-post.  Dante won the header and played the ball back across the goal for Müller crashing the opposite post.  Müller finished with a header for the only goal of the first-half (25').

Barcelona, as expected, held the majority of possession, however the team only had one off-target shot during the first-half of the game.  After half-time things only got worse for Barcelona as the German club played with more confidence and scored shortly after the break on a corner-kick.  Robben played another cross to the far-post, this time met by Müller with a header, laying the ball down for Gomez in front of goal (49').  There were some questions about Gomez being offsides, but no call was made on the field and the goal counted.

Robben then scored himself following a counter-attack led by Ribery.  Robben managed to find space to shoot inside the box and curled the ball around the keeper with his preferred left foot (73').  Again Barcelona protested the goal, this time for a basketball style pick set by Müller that helped Robben loose defender Jordi Alba.  Again no call was made and Munich pulled ahead 3-0.

Munich put one more in the Barcelona net as Müller finished his big day with another goal.  Ribery worked the overlap with fullback Alaba who fired a low cross into the box that Müller finished easily for a final score of 4-0 (82').

Barcelona have one foot out the door and need a huge turn-around next week at the Nou Camp.  Munich sit with a comfortable lead and their fans have already started booking their tickets for the final in London.