2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil - Predictions/Discussions/Updates

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Final Scoreline for Match 56 (Round of 16 #8):

BELGIUM - 2
(De Bruyne 93', Lukaku 105')


USA - 1
(Green 107')

And even the final Round of 16 match gets stretched to the distance. The more fancy team couldn't score all through normal time, and again it was the lesser team which impressed more. Extra Time is where all the real action happened. I was asleep so can't speak about the details, but it was substitute Lukaku who had a hand in both goals, according to reports. Coming in the 91st minute in place of Origi, he first set up De Bruyne's scoring opportunity, and then thundered one in himself. USA's Green volleyed one in merely 2 minutes later, but the US couldn't find an equaliser in the remaining time.

Hold your head high, USA. You played brilliantly till your exit. As for Belgium, they advance on and bump into Argentina in the Round of 8.

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Quarter - Finals

57: [04/07/2014] BRAZIL (W#49) - COLOMBIA (W#50)
58: [04/07/2014] FRANCE (W#53) - GERMANY (W#54)
59: [05/07/2014] NETHERLANDS (W#51) - COSTA RICA (W#52)
60: [05/07/2014] ARGENTINA (W#55) - BELGIUM (W#56)


The Quarter-Finals, or the Round of 8 as they are more popularly known, kick off from tonight. None of the heavyweight teams have shown a glimpse in the Round of 16 that they will be walking off with the biggest prize in the history of soccer. TBH, the patchy form that some of the favorites have shown, after their tremendous opening wins, has been a cause for worry, both for fans and for team managements alike.

BRAZIL - Have seriously gone off the boil. Barely scraped through via the Penalty Shootout against Chile. Face formidable opponents in in-form James Rodriguez and Colombia. History favors the host team but don't be surprised if Colombia pull off an upset win against them. Should be a cracker!

COLOMBIA - In James Rodriguez, they have found the next real superstar of world soccer. Leading the field in the number of goals scored + possibly the goal of the tournament (so far), he has been a real driving force and inspiration behind the team's tremendous success. Besides, Colombia is the only team who has won convincingly in their Round of 16 match (2-0 over Uruguay). Kickass match in the making!

THE NETHERLANDS - Started off in blazing form, decimating Spain in their opening encounter. A close encounter with Australia, followed by a convincing win over Chile meant they were the THE team to follow in the knockout stages. Unfortunately for them, Mexico dominated almost 95% of the match, and only a late surge in the final 8-9 minutes saw them scrape past the Central American team. Still a pretty formidable force, but will be tested when they take on a buoyed-up Costa Rica.

COSTA RICA - A convincing win over Uruguay, an upset win over the Azurri, but were held to a goalless draw against England. Yet they were good enough in the Penalty Shootout to hold off Greece and book a Round of 8 berth. Could be the least favored team in this bunch right now, since they take on the Oranje giants.

FRANCE - Another team which started in thumping fashion (3-0 & 5-2 wins), but went off the radars when they were held to a goalless draw against lowly Ecuador. The Round of 16 encounter against Nigeria wasn't convincing either, despite the 2-0 result. Fans would be really hoping that Karim Benzema, Pogba & co. perform when it really matters the most - against the Germans. THE match to watch out for.

GERMANY - Coming into the tournament as THE favorites to lift the WC 2014 title, they also started in tremendous fashion by pulverising Portugal 4-0. But a 2-2 draw against Ghana and a tough 1-0 win over the USA meant they were off the boil also. Round of 16 opponents Algeria stretched them to the maximum, but eventually they scraped through. How will they perform against the dynamic French? Tonight we shall find out. DYNAMITE of a match, this!

ARGENTINA - Always the sentimental favorite among fans for all WCs till now, they have promised plenty but have delivered averagely. Even Lionel Messi, arguably the best soccer player in the world right now, couldn't inspire them enough through the group stages. All 4 matches have produced tough wins, and this should be indication enough that they need to tighten up a LOT. The Round of 8 encounter against Belgium will be a real tester. Number 3 in the must-watch list of matches.

BELGIUM - Arguably the least impressive team of the lot (behind Costa Rica, even), they have done just about enough to keep going. Like Argentina, they will need to really produce the goods when it matters the most, because the South American team has the uncanny knack of producing quality football when it matters the most. Still, Marc Wilmots' team will take heart from the fact that their opponents still haven't peaked yet. Should be a good match.


In order of watchability,

#1 - FRANCE vs GERMANY - Cracker. Not taking any sides here.
#2 - BRAZIL vs COLOMBIA - Cracker again. Slightly favoring Colombia.
#3 - ARGENTINA vs BELGIUM - Close one. Going with Argentina.
#4 - NETHERLANDS vs COSTA RICA - Could be a goal-ridden match. Money's on Netherlands.

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Final Scoreline for Match 57 (ROUND OF 8 #1):

FRANCE - 0


GERMANY - 1
(Hummels 13')

Entertaining game. Germany went ahead in the 13th minute through a serious defensive lapse by France and Hummels headed one in, and even though France tried their best to equalise all through the next half an hour, the score stayed 1-0 at half-time. The resumption of play saw a clear foul by Schweinsteiger in the box, which should have been awarded a penalty kick for France, but quite obviously the referee didn't spot it, despite the appeals by all French players. Schweinsteiger was involved in quite a few unnecessary body tackles, and got away with just a yellow card.

Attacking substitutions in the second half didn't help their cause much either, and even with Remy and Giroud on the field, they couldn't find the equaliser till the end of added time between them and Benzema, whose last ditch effort in the final minute was handed out by Neuer, the German keeper, who made 2 great saves to keep France out.

Germany go through to the Semi-Finals yet again, their 4th advance in the last 4 World Cups. France bow out, but with their heads held high. They gave it their best shot, but came up short in the end.

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Final Scoreline for Match 58 (ROUND OF 8 #2):

BRAZIL - 2
(T. Silva 7', David Luiz 69')


COLOMBIA - 1
(Rodriguez 80' PK)

Fast, furious and frenetic - just the way me (and most soccer fans) love their football! Two relentless, aggressive and uber-attacking teams at each other, made for some spectacular viewing.

Brazil really upped their game for this match, after the disappointing show in the previous game against Chile. They attacked all through both halves, and captain Thiago Silva took them ahead in the 7th minute itself, converting a Neymar corner kick "accidentally" into a surprise goal. Brazil's skipper was booked in the second half as well, and with the yellow card booking he was already carrying, will now miss the semi-final clash against Germany.

David Luiz's superb long range free kick curled away from the Colombian keeper to thunder into the nets in the 69th minute, and Brazil were up 2-0. Colombia had to do something and fast, but most of James Rodriguez's superb passes ultimately died down, with almost no support from other players. A foul by Brazil's keeper Cesar ensured a penalty kick in the 80th minute which was duly converted, but Colombia just couldn't find another goal to equalise in the next 15 minutes (including 5 minutes of added time).

Brazil were dealt another severe blow in the 88th minute as well. A high knee to the back of Neymar saw the master player go down in agonising pain, and was immediately stretched off the field. Subsequent off-field news is that he has broken a vertebrae, and will miss the rest of WC 2014. A huge, huge blow to Brazil's chances.

Colombia were excellent so far, but simply not good enough when it mattered the most. Brazil now go on to meet Germany in the semi-finals, but now minus Thiago Silva & Neymar, and will require plenty of inspiration and effort to give the Germans a run for their money.

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Final Scoreline for Match 59 (ROUND OF 8 #3):

ARGENTINA - 1
(Higuain 8')


BELGIUM - 0

It had to happen. The predominantly defensive play by Belgium would turn and bite them in the butt, and it did just that.

Trailing 0-1 by the 8th minute itself when Gonzalo Higuain produced one of the best volleys seen in WC 2014 to take Argentina into the lead, the Belgians tried their best but were never in the race. Argentina were free-flowing and aggressive, and most parts of the match went with Belgium continuously hanging on to their defenses. Romelo Lukaku was introduced around the 60th minute, but he should have been a part of the starting eleven if Belgium had to have any chance against attacking play. As things stood, even their best 2 playmakers - Hazard and Lukaku - found the going tough. Couple of near-misses followed, but no cigar for Belgium.

Improvement was needed, specially against formidable opponents such as Argentina. But sadly, improvement was none. The Belgians need to rethink their strategies and build a better attacking formation soon, otherwise they will continue to be cannon fodder for the top teams.

Argentina impressed with their fantastic aggressive play tonight. The score could have been at least a couple of goals more in their favor, but they will take the 1-0 win. Now they await the result of the final Round of 8 encounter to find their semi-final opponents - when Netherlands take on Costa Rica later tonight.

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Final Scoreline for Match 60 (ROUND OF 8 #4):

NETHERLANDS - 0 (4)


COSTA RICA - 0 (3)

Never expected the free-flowing and freely scoring Dutch to have played out 120 minutes of soccer without scoring even once, but it happened in this last Round of 8 match.

Repeatedly thwarted by the Costa Rican keeper and messing up quite a few chances themselves by hitting the bars and missing easy goal-scoring opportunities, they found themselves at the mercy of the Penalty Shootout elimination, a part of soccer in which the Dutch were never strong. Luckily for them, 2 shots in the penalties - from Bryan Ruiz and Michael Umana - were saved superbly by the Dutch keeper, Tim Krul, who had come as a substitute at the end of extra time.

The move proved to be a masterstroke in the end.

Full marks to both keepers, Navas for Costa Rica for keeping Netherlands at bay all through the match, and Krul for saving the crucial penalties.

Netherlands move through to the semi-finals, where they set up an encounter with Argentina.

[roshiq]

Originally Posted by _____V_____

Final Scoreline for Match 60 (ROUND OF 8 #4):

NETHERLANDS - 0 (4)


COSTA RICA - 0 (3)

Never expected the free-flowing and freely scoring Dutch to have played out 120 minutes of soccer without scoring even once, but it happened in this last Round of 8 match.

But still...it was the best & most entertaining match of WC'2014 so far, IMO.

I think it's the first time the Dutch won a penalty shoot out in a WC match...so may be this time the Luck will be on their side after all these sad years and I won't mind to see them win it this time...though Germany comes close next to them but Netherlands have maintained the most solid, fast & clinical performances in this tournament so far. They deserve the title most, IMO.

And although both the team make it to the semi finals but I'm still pretty much frustrated with Brazil & Argentina...mainly the way they have played in this WC so far. If BRA or ARG somehow wins the trophy on Jul. 14 then it'll be a disgrace for the good, fast & entertaining football, IMO.

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And so, it's showtime.

We have now entered the Semi-Finals of WC 2014, and what an entertaining show it has been so far! No less than 159 goals have been scored till now (not counting penalty shootouts), which translates to an average of almost 3 goals per match! Colombia and Netherlands lead the team tally for most goals scored at 12 each, while Colombia's James Rodriguez, the newly shining star of soccer, leads the players tally with 6 goals.

Now, we have BRAZIL taking on GERMANY in the first semi-final, while NETHERLANDS go against ARGENTINA in the other. Despite the strong initial showing by all 4 teams, they have all gone off the boil quite a bit as the tournament progressed for them.

Still, Brazil upped their game quite a bit in their Round of 8 encounter, but have been dealt two crucial blows - Neymar has been ruled out of WC 2014 due to a vertebrae fracture, and their skipper Thiago Silva misses out on the semi-final due to twin yellow-card bookings. Quite simply put, Brazil look a pale shadow of their self without Neymar, and in the rest of the pack, none have been impressive so far - Fred, Hulk, Luiz and the rest simply haven't been up to par. Even the reserve bench doesn't look too impressive, with Willain the likely replacement for Neymar in the starting eleven against Germany. Chances of Brazil look slim.

Germany look the strongest of the 4 teams, IMO. The only team which could challenge them is the Netherlands, so let's hope we have that dynamite match for the Final. Lahm's men look eager and hungry, despite their lackluster wins in recent matches. In Muller, Ozil, Hummels and Schurrle, they have a formidable attacking bunch. Even the substitute bench comprising of Miroslav Klose & Mario Gotze looks strong. Germany also have one of the best keepers of the WC 2014 so far in Neuer, who has been very impressive in pressure-cooker situations.

Netherlands are like the cowboys of the Wild West - free-flowing, aggressive and dominating. In Robin Van Persie, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder, they boast of a trio which can take any soccer team to pieces. Huntelaar and De Vrij have been doing their bit as well, while the surprise subsitution of Memphis Dupay in most matches has been a real masterstroke. They look very strong, and the best team to challenge Germany for the title.

Argentina has been disappointing in WC so far. Despite the towering presence of Leo Messi in their ranks, the other 10 players have found the going tough. True, they have sparkled in moments, on and off throughout the tournament, but as a team, they have yet to impress. Gonzalo Higuain found the net in the last match, so let's hope his spirits are high. Rojo has been another notable player for them, but Argentina will miss the services of Angelo Di Maria the most. The attacking midfielder pulled a muscle in the last match and is doubtful for this one. The reserve bench of Argentina is not too strong either. All in all, Argentina relies heavily on Messi-power. If Messi has an off day, I doubt Argentina would leave as the winner from that match.

Chances are that we might see a GERMANY - NETHERLANDS final, and what a match that would be! Every bit worthy of a WC 2014 final, considering the current form of all teams. Fans would want a Brazil - Argentina final, since it's the sentimental favorite, but as things stand now, it might turn out to be the most disappointing final in WC history.

Let's hope that the best two teams go through, and we have a couple of cracking Semi-Final matches from tonight. All the best to all 4 teams.

[Angra]

Look at all them people cry. And we're only 25 minuttes in. Beautiful..

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Originally Posted by Angra

Look at all them people cry. And we're only 25 minuttes in. Beautiful..

Breathe, Angra. Breathe!



30 minutes of play, and the score reads...wait, read this very slowly...5 - 0 Germany!!

Yes, you read that right.

Yep, again.

Yep, again. Indeed.