FIFA 2014: Brave African teams out

Nigeria fought hard against France but Benzema made the difference and the Eagles go home...together with Algeria which put on an excellent display of football against Germany. A truly amazing game of soccer for 120 minutes, a memorable day in the annals of the World Cup. Algeria, especially, will be remembered as a sensational team in FIFA 2014.

Germany 2 Algeria 1 (After 90 minutes 0-0)

Extra time: Djabou 120

Schürrle 92

Özil 119

 

Germany

Neuer, Mustafi (Khedira), Höwedes, Lahm, Mertesacker, Boateng, Schweinsteiger (Kramer), Kroos, Müller, Özil, Götze (Schürrle)

Coach: Joachim LOEW

Yellow card: Lahm

 

Algeria

M'Bolhi, Mandi, Ghoulam, Lacen, Belkalem, Halliche (Bougherra), Feghouli, Mostefa, Slimani, Taïder (Brahimi), Soudani (Djabou)

Coach: Vahid HALILHODZIC

Yellow card: Halliche

 

Ball possession: Germany 67% Algeria 33%

Shots/on target: Germany 28/14 Algeria 10/4

Corners: Germany 10 Algeria 4

Fouls committed: Germany 10 Algeria 20

 

 

France 2 Nigeria 0

Pogba 79

Yobo (o.g.) 90

 

 

France

Lloris, Debuchy, Evra, Cabaye, Varane, Koscielny, Pogba, Matuidi, Giroud (Griezmann), Valbuena (Sissoko), Benzema

Coach: Didier DESCHAMPS

Yellow card: Matuidi

 

 

Nigeria

Enyeama, Ambrose Emuobo, Oshaniwa, Mikel, Yobo, Omeruo, Odemwingie, Onazi Gabriel), Emenike, Moses (Nwofor), Musa

Coach: Stephen KESHI

Yellow card: -

 

 

Ball possession: France 53% Nigeria 47%

Shots/on target: France 13/5 Nigeria 9/2

Corners: France 12 Nigeria 9

Fouls committed: France 12 Nigeria 15

 

Knock-out phase: Costa Rica and Netherlands

 

Greece had never reached this stage of a World Cup and deserved to pass through, but it was not to be their day or that of their Portuguese coach, Fernando Santos. Costa Rica faces the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

 

Netherlands 2 Mexico 1

                        Dos Santos 48

Sneijder 88

Huntelaar (pen) 90

 

The first half belonged to Mexico, and so did the second, until just after the goal, when Robben started spurring the Netherlands forward. Mexico dropped their arms, and allowed themselves to be overtaken in midfield. Despite the excellent intervention by Ochoa, the Netherlands proved too strong at the end of the game. The late rally knocks Mexico out. Netherlands face...

 

Netherlands

Cillessen, Verhaegh (Depay), Kuyt, Blind, Vlaar, de Vrij, de Jong (Martins Indi), Wijnaldum, Sneijder, van Persie (Huntelaar), Robben

Coach: Louis VAN GAAL

Yellow card:

 

Mexico

Ochoa, Aguilar, Layún, Moreno (Reyes), Márquez, Rodríguez, Herrera, Salcido, dos Santos (Aquino), Peralta (Hernández), Guardado

Coach: Miguel HERRERA

Yellow card: Aguilar, Márquez, Guardado

 

Ball possession: Netherlands 56% Mexico 44%

Shots/on target: Netherlands 13/4 Mexico 10/5

Corners: Netherlands 10 Mexico 2

Fouls committed: Netherlands 8 Mexico 12

 

 

Costa Rica 1 Greece 1

Ruiz 52         Papastathopoulos 90

90 minutes 1-1

Extra time: 1-1

Penalties: Costa Rica wins 5-3

 

Greece dominated the game, although Costa Rica put up a spirited performance. The goal from Sokratis Papastathopoulos right at the end of normal time was just desserts for a well-organised Greece, very well managed by the Portuguese coach Fernando Santos. Penalties... Costa Rica passes through to face the Netherlands.

 

Costa Rica

Navas, Gamboa (Acosta), Díaz Campbell, Umaña,  Gonzalez, Duarte, Ruiz, Tejeda Valverde (Cubero), Campbell, Borges, Bolaños (Brenes)

Coach: Jorge Luís PINTO

Yellow cards: Navas, Duarte (2), Ruiz, Tejeda Valverde

Red card: Duarte

 

Greece

Karnezis, Torosidis, Holebas, Samaris (Mitroglou), Manolas, Papastathopoulos, Salpingidis (Gekas), Maniatis (Katsouranis), Samaras,  Karagounis,  Christodoulopoulos

Coach: Fernando SANTOS

Yellow card: Samaris, Manolas

 

Ball possession: Costa Rica 40% Greece 60%

Shots/on target: Costa Rica 7/1 Greece 23/8

Corners: Costa Rica 3 Greece 11

Fouls committed: Costa Rica 22 Greece 16

 

 

Scolari factor: Brazil classified

 

Luiz Felipe Scolari is one of the rarest soccer coaches on the planet: he dresses in sportswear instead of stupid suits and ties which have as much to do with soccer coaches as... never mind. Colombia also passes through, to face...Brazil.

 

 

Brazil 1 Chile 1

Jára 19  Sánchez 32

Extra time: No goals

Penalties

Brasil wins 3-2

 

Hulk had a perfectly valid goal considered invalid by the English referee Howard Webb, who confused his arm with his chest, with which Hulk had controlled the ball, and the  referee disallowed the ensuing goal.

 

Brazil

Julio César, Dani Alves, Marcelo, Luiz Gustavo, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Hulk, Fernandinho (Ramires), Fred (Jô), Oscar (Willian), Neymar

Coach: Luiz Felipe SCOLARI

Yellow card: Luiz Gustavo, Hulk, Dani Alves, Jô

  

Chile

Bravo, Isla, Mena, Jara, Medel, Silva, Aránguiz, Díaz, Vidal (Pinilla), Sánchez, Vargas (Gutierrez)

Coach: Jorge SAMPAOLI

Yellow card: Mena, Silva, Pinilla

 

  

Ball possession: Brazil 48% Chile 52%

Shots/on target: Brazil 23/6 Chile 13/2

Corners: Brazil 9 Chile 5

Fouls committed: Brazil 28 Chile 23

 

 

Colombia 2 Uruguay 0

James 28 50

 

Colombia

Ospina, Zuñiga, Armero, Aguilar, Zapata, Yepes, Cuadrado (Guarín), Sánchez, Martínez, Gutiérrez (Mejía), Rodríguez (Ramos)

Coach: José PEKERMAN

Yellow card: Armero

 

Uruguay

Muslera, Maxi Pereira, Pereira (Ramírez), Cáceres, Godín, Giménez, González (Hernández), Arévalo Rios, Forlán (Stuani), Cavani, Rodríguez

 

 

Coach: Oscar Washington TABAREZ

Yellow card: Giménez

 

 

 

Ball possession: Colombia 51% Uruguay 49%

Shots/on target: Colombia 9/4 Uruguay 16/4

Corners: Colombia 3 Uruguay 5

Fouls committed: Colombia 19 Uruguay 17

  

  

Knock-out stage (Last 16)

 

Brazil 1 Chile 1 (3:2 pen)

Colombia 2 Uruguay 0

 

Goal scorers

 

Brazil: Jara

Chile: Sánchez

Colombia: James Rodríguez (2)
Uruguay: -

Netherlands: Sneijder, Huntelaar

Mexico: dos Santos

Costa Rica: Ruiz

Greece: Papastathopoulos

France: Pogba, Yobo (Nigeria: own goal)

Algeria: Djabou

Germany: Schürrle, Özil

 

Quarter-finals (Last 8)

 

Friday July 4

France v. Germany

Brazil v. Colombia

 

Saturday July 5

Netherlands v. Costa Rica

Argentina or Switzerland v. Belgium or USA (Playing on Tuesday July 1)

 

 

France v. Nigeria

Switzerland v.Argentina

Belgium v. USA

Germany v. Algeria

 

Latin America: 7

North America: 1

Europe: 6

Africa: 2

 

Group Phase

 

http://english.pravda.ruhttps://english.pravda.ru/sports/127907-fifa_groups/

 

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY

PRAVDA.Ru

([email protected])

 

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