Mercedes at war

By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

The 2014 Formula One World Championship took another dramatic twist as the two title contenders from the same team collided at Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

Championship leader Nico Rosberg tried to overtake Britain’s Lewis Hamilton on the second circuit of the 44-lap race, but touched the back of his teammate (pictured below), puncturing a tyre on Hamilton’s car and forcing him to retire. Rosberg went on to finish second and extend his championship lead to a healthy 29 points, with seven races remaining.

The damage is done and Lewis Hamilton thinks this was done on purpose by Nico Rosberg

What followed was even more gobsmacking. Hamilton has since told the media that Rosberg admitted to deliberately crashing into him on purpose. So, with this story set to rumble on for the next fortnight, here is my take on the dire situation that has pushed the Mercedes team to war.

The build-up to the incident

Tension has been bubbling underneath the surface between Hamilton and Rosberg this season, with some barbed comments in the media and a few tense, but thrilling battles on-track. Hamilton often prevailed in these, leaving Rosberg behind in the wheel-to-wheel racing. His lead has been built on strong consistency, whilst Hamilton hasn’t had huge amounts of luck with car failures at the Australian and Canadian Grand Prix, along with two qualifying nightmares recently that have seen him at the back of the field on raceday.

In Hungary last time out, Hamilton ignored a team order to allow Rosberg through. It was an unnecessary instruction given out by the team, as they were on different strategies at the time. Rosberg was unimpressed by the handling of it and Hamilton’s refusal to work with the team. You sensed something was brewing before the summer break. As they arrived back in Spa, it became clear that body language was becoming strained and the previous friendship had all but been shattered.

Rosberg grabbed pole position in qualifying, but bogged down at the start on Sunday, handing the lead to his championship rival. What happened next was inevitable. On the second lap, Rosberg got into Hamilton’s slipstream and tried to pass around the outside of the Les Combes chicane. Hamilton gave him space, but was clearly ahead on turn-in. Rosberg had a chance to back out of the move, but didn’t. He left his front wing in the danger zone and clipped Hamilton, puncturing a tyre immediately on his rival. Despite needing a new nosecone at his first stop, Rosberg benefited hugely from it by still finishing second, but it has opened up the biggest story of the 2014 season.

Did he do it on purpose?

Looking at the onboard footage and the live action at the time and I don’t think you can say that Rosberg did what he did on purpose. If he did, then he did it extremely cleverly, so no-one would know. It wasn’t as clear-cut as when Nelson Piquet binned his car deliberately into the wall at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. You would expect Rosberg to be precise and not make things obvious.

If it is true that he did admit to crashing into Hamilton to prove a point, then it is unprofessional and totally unsporting. Effectively, he is cheating his way to the championship and if he wants it so badly, he can have it. However, we can only go from Hamilton’s version of what was said. It came in a post-race debrief when obviously tensions were high and emotions still pretty raw on the surface.

It is the kind of behaviour that we don’t want to see. Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher have both deliberately tried to take opposition out of an event to try and win championships. In Schumacher’s case (1997), he failed and his creditability took a battering for it.

I would say looking at the various angles and agree with many observers that it was a clumsy and unnecessary overtaking attempt, especially so early on by the championship leader but would put it down as a racing incident. If he did it on purpose, the book should be thrown at him, meaning severe penalties or even removal of his FIA super license because you can’t do that. Unfortunately, only Rosberg knows what he did and I don’t think he will be telling us in a hurry.

Hamilton is no saint

Hamilton is no saint either though. He hasn’t forgiven Rosberg for screwing him up in qualifying in Monaco, when Rosberg went down the escape road and caused yellow flags in the dying stages of Q3, preventing Hamilton from taking pole position. It is time he got over that and he admitted to the BBC yesterday that “Monaco was worse than this.”

He drove back to the pits like an absolute lunatic. I don’t know what speed he was trying to do through the flat-out Blanchimont corner on three wheels but it wrecked the bodywork and cause more damage to his aerodynamics. That made the car even more difficult to drive and led to inevitable retirement in the closing stages. If he had taken greater care in getting back to the pits, less damage would have been caused and he might have recovered to rescue some points.

From lap 20 onwards though, he was constantly moaning on the team radio about the need to save engine mileage and they should stop the car. Mercedes showed no leadership in this situation and should have told him to be quiet and just drive. For Hamilton to mentally show no heart in racing before half-distance and basically give up though lacks class. We want British sportsman to go down fighting, even if they come up short. He failed that test and you don’t see Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel say or do that, when you consider the limited machinery they have been given this season for all their talent.

Hamilton should take stock of the situation. Of course, he was unlucky in this scenario but react better to it all. By provoking reactions with what he said afterwards, he should have kept things in-house. Still, at least he hasn’t attacked his teammate on social media yet…free telemetry anyone!

He has a supporting family, a gorgeous girlfriend, a championship-winning racing car and earns millions of pounds through driving and various sponsorship endorsements, yet he still at times acts like a spoilt kid. Lewis turns 30 next year, and these tantrums should be long out of his system.

What happens now?

With seven races left, it will take a miracle for a Mercedes driver not to win the championship, although if they keep fighting amongst themselves, Daniel Ricciardo has the ability to sneak in and shock them, just like Kimi Raikkonen did to Hamilton and Alonso when they fell out as McLaren teammates in 2007.

It is important for racing to be the focus, and therefore, Mercedes need to try and regain some form of control. Getting their drivers to say absolutely nothing in the next nine days before the paddock reconvenes in Monza for the Italian Grand Prix would help for starters.

Then, they need to get their warring drivers to call an uneasy truce in the short-term, because if they carry on like they are and throw away this championship, you can be sure that someone will pay the price from the racing team. The board in Stuttgart should be concerned with what they witnessed.

After that, one of the drivers has to move on and with Rosberg tied down to a multi-year contract; Hamilton will probably have to leave. It is clear that he can’t work together with Rosberg. The relationship has broken down past repair on a long-term basis. With a new partnership about to start with Honda and Ron Dennis back at the helm, could a return back home to McLaren be looming? Do not rule that thought out...

Formula One in 2014 has been a quiet season in all forms. As only a casual viewer nowadays, what happened in Belgium yesterday though makes it box office material between now and the unpopular Abu Dhabi double points finale in November. 

Categories: 2014, Accidents, Belgium, Consistency, Formula One, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Nico Rosberg, Puncture, Tyres

World Cup 2014 review: German pride delivers

By Simon and Jason Wright – Follow us on Twitter @Siwri88 and @JDBWright91

After 64 years, the World Cup returned to one of its spiritual homes in Brazil. Despite all the concerns over protests, transport issues and lack of stadium planning, the 2014 FIFA World Cup will go down as one of the greatest ever.

The group stages saw the likes of Spain, Italy, England and Portugal all plan for early journeys home, whilst Costa Rica had won the hearts of many and Algeria and Greece were experiencing knockout football at the World Cup for the first time.

The second part of this review takes a look at the knockout stages, starting with some energetic round of 16 matches all the way to the final, where the pride of Germany would ultimately win through.

Round of 16

FINAL RESULTS: Brazil 1-1 Chile (Brazil win 3-2 on penalties), Colombia 2-0 Uruguay, Netherlands 2-1 Mexico, Costa Rica 1-1 Greece (Costa Rica win 5-3 on penalties), France 2-0 Nigeria, Germany 2-1 Algeria (AET), Argentina 1-0 Switzerland (AET), Belgium 2-1 USA (AET)

The last 16 matches began with a familiar encounter, as Brazil battled it out with Chile. The Chileans had frozen at this hurdle against their opposition in both France 98 and four years ago in South Africa, but the Chile class of 2014 was a far tougher nut to crack. The game in Belo Horizonte began at breakneck speed, as both teams showed immense passion and determination to come out on top. David Luiz scrambled the hosts infront from close range, but that lead was a short one, as new Arsenal striker Alexis Sanchez smashed in an equaliser after Brazil was caught napping from a quick throw-in. As the game progressed, the pace slowed but both teams still had chances. Referee Howard Webb correctly ruled out Hulk’s second half goal after he chested the ball with the top of his arm, whilst Chile hit the crossbar in the closing stages of extra time. After two hours of gruelling action, the first penalty shootout beckoned. Chile’s first two penalties were saved by Julio Cesar, but Willian dragged his horribly wide and when Claudio Bravo’s mind games with Hulk saw him crack and hit his penalty straight at Bravo, the penalties were level at 2-2 after four kicks. As you would expect, Neymar made no mistake with his kick, which left Gonzalo Jara with the pressure to score to keep Chile in the World Cup. He couldn’t; striking the post and the hosts survived by the skin of their teeth. It was third time unlucky for Chile, but once again, they showed why they are considered as one of the world’s emerging elite.

If that had drama, the second clash in Rio lacked it. Colombia v Uruguay wasn’t quite the festival of attacking football expected, but it did produce a real moment of brilliance. 25 minutes were on the clock when James Rodriguez collected the ball from around 30 yards out. The midfield wizard took a deft look over his shoulder to see where the goal was, then turned around, collected the ball, lifted it into the air and struck an unstoppable volley which gave Fernando Muslera no hope of saving. Tim Cahill’s heart would have sank. His mesmerising goal against the Dutch in the group stages had just been bettered in some style. Rodriguez added a second early on after the restart to complete a routine 2-0 victory, sealing Colombia’s place in the quarter-finals for the first time. Uruguay’s tournament had been a rollercoaster, but ultimately a disappointment and they lost both matches the naughty boy Suarez didn’t feature. 

Sunday, 29 June began with Netherlands facing Mexico in sweltering temperatures in Fortaleza. So hot that this game made history in being the first World Cup match to institute “cooling breaks,” a decision reserved for matches that are played in temperatures exceeding 30°C. Giovani dos Santos gave the Mexicans the lead at the start of the second half but it all went wrong for the Azteca in the closing minutes. First, Wesley Sneijder struck an equaliser with two minutes to go before stoppage time saw Arjen Robben go to ground, suspiciously easily, to win a penalty for the Dutch, converted by Klass-Jan Huntelaar. The Dutch had survived an almighty scare to go through and for Mexico; it was last 16 and bust again for the sixth consecutive finals.

The tournament’s major surprise package Costa Rica played Greece in Recife. In a game that lacked attacking flair, Bryan Ruiz put Costa Rica infront before Oscar Duarte was sent off for a second bookable offence. Greece waited until stoppage time to take the extra man advantage, as Sokratis Papastathopoulos forced extra time. No goals in the extra 30 minutes meant a penalty shootout, in which both sides successfully scored their first three penalties before the Greeks missed their crucial fourth spot-kick, allowing Michael Umana to score and send Costa Rica to their first ever World Cup quarter-final. Greece coach Fernando Santos was sent to the stands before the shootout for arguing with the officials, ending his tenure of the team on a rather low note.

In Brasilia, France made heavy weather of the game against Nigeria. Both teams had fleeting opportunities, but it was the French who made it count in the last 15 minutes. The excellent Vincent Enyeama flapped at a corner, missed the ball and Paul Pogba gleefully did the rest. Antoine Griezmann thought he had got the second in injury time, although his goal later went down as an own goal off Joseph Yobo. France were through and looked set for a European showdown with old rivals Germany. Germany did complete that quarter-final, but only after dogged Algeria took them all the way in Porto Alegre. No goals after 90 minutes, as the Algerians had the best of the play, but weren’t clinical enough when it mattered. In the opening moments of extra time, Chelsea’s Andre Schurrle flicked in the opening goal – underlining his presence as an outstanding impact player. He also set-up the second too, crashed in by Mesut Ozil, masking the fact that he had an absolutely dreadful match. Algeria nicked a deserved consolation right at the end but bowed out bravely. Once again, the challenge from Africa hadn’t seriously materialised. Their wait goes on, as Germany reached the last eight again since quarter-finals were reintroduced into the format in 1986.

Tim Howard was in outstanding form against Belgium, but it wasn't quite enough

Both of the matches on the final day of the first knockout round needed to be settled in extra time. In Sao Paulo, Argentina were again pushed all the way by their opposition, as Switzerland simply refused to cave in. Eventually, Angel di Maria’s goal in the 118th minute kept the dream alive for Messi & co and ensured Ottmar Hitzfeld’s swansong as a coach would be a miserable one. The game in Salvador was to be more thrilling. After no goals in 90 minutes, both Belgium and USA went for hammer and ton in the following half-hour of play. Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku put the Belgians 2-0 to the good, despite the heroics of Tim Howard (pictured above) who set a new record for amount of saves in a World Cup match. Howard’s performance was so good, even President Obama telephoned him a day later. Julian Green’s goal ensured a nervy final 13 minutes but Belgium held on for the win and progression to the quarter-finals. However the Americans had certainly won over plenty of new supporters for their never give up approach in all four of their matches. For the first time since 32 teams qualified in 1998, all eight group winners had progressed to the quarter-finals.

Quarter-Finals

FINAL RESULTS: France 0-1 Germany, Brazil 2-1 Colombia, Argentina 1-0 Belgium, Netherlands 0-0 Costa Rica (Netherlands win 4-2 on penalties)

Less than 96 hours after finishing their Algerian examination, Germany were back in action in the first quarter-final against France in Rio. Mats Hummels returned after missing the last match through injury and the tall Borussia Dortmund defender proved to be the difference. His header in the 13^th minute settled a tight and tense encounter that didn’t quite live up to its expected billing. Benzema aside, France looked nervy and didn’t push players forward when they needed to the most. Nevertheless, Les Bleus’ standing as a strong international side has fully recovered and they will fancy their chances with more experience gained for Euro 2016, a tournament to be played on home soil. Germany marched into a fourth successive World Cup semi-final.

They would face Brazil, but it was to be a painful night for them despite beating Colombia 2-1 in Fortaleza. Skipper Thiago Silva gave them the best start with a tap-in after seven minutes and with around 20 minutes left, his centre-back partner, David Luiz hit a blockbuster of a free-kick to double their lead. Colombia pulled a goal back in the last 10 minutes. A foul by Julio Cesar led to a penalty, coolly dispatched by Rodriguez for his sixth goal of the finals which meant the 22-year-old was going to win the Golden Boot. The big story of this game came even later though. Camillo Zuniga’s crude challenge into the back of Neymar left Brazil’s golden boy in lots of pain on the field. He was stretchered off in tears and hours later, it was confirmed that his tournament was over with a fractured vertebra. With him out and Silva suspended for a needless yellow card in the second half, Germany would fancy their chances in their semi-final showdown. Colombia had entertained many but were going home without the silverware they believed they might have won.

Those in attendance for the Argentina v Belgium match-up in Brasilia would have been left feeling extremely short-changed. Argentina took the lead from an early Gonzalo Higuain strike and the game pretty much went downhill after that. Argentina had very few shots on target and typically didn’t take advantage of the ones they had whilst Belgium never registered a decent shot on goal in the entire match. The Argentines had once again scraped through and it ended Belgium’s rather hit and miss campaign. Though they had reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 1986, the absence of Christian Benteke certainly had a major impact on the team’s overall style of performance.

The last quarter-final pitted Netherlands against surprise package Costa Rica in Salvador. The Dutch were expected to make short work of their opponents and they did indeed dominate with the lion’s share of shots and ball possession. However, Costa Rica’s goalkeeper Keylor Navas was in top form, denying every single Dutch shot that came his way. With penalties looming, Dutch coach Louis van Gaal made a rather bizarre decision, by substituting number one goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen for Tim Krul, Newcastle’s regular GK. This was made because they believed Krul had an excellent penalty saving record, although he had only saved 2 from 20 in his Newcastle days. He turned out to be the hero though. Despite some unimpressive mind games, Krul saved two Costa Rican spot-kicks and the Dutch were through to another World Cup semi-final. Costa Rica though rightfully went back home as national heroes for their resilient efforts.

Semi-Finals

FINAL RESULTS: Brazil 1-7 Germany, Netherlands 0-0 Argentina (Argentina win 4-2 on penalties)

The quality of the final four was impeccable. What we got over two nights was one of the worst semi-finals the World Cup has ever seen, and one of the most extraordinary results in football history. First up, it was Brazil v Germany in a replay of the 2002 final.

Without Neymar and Thiago Silva, Brazil were perhaps slight underdogs, but no-one could have predicted what was to come. When Thomas Muller fired Germany ahead after 11 minutes, an interesting question was asked of the hosts. The answer they provided was to suffer a complete meltdown infront of millions of home fans and viewers across the globe. 

First, Miroslav Klose produced a bit of history. He made it 2-0 on 22 minutes, converting at the second attempt after Julio Cesar parried his first shot. That was Klose’s 16^th goal at World Cup finals, surpassing the record of the great Brazilian striker, Ronaldo. Moments later, it was 3-0 as Toni Kroos smashed in after the defending went walkabouts again. The game was as good as over but the ruthless Germans were not finished. Not even a minute later, Fernandinho was horribly caught in possession and Kroos helped himself to another. Then when David Luiz attempted to do a Usain Bolt and outrun his opposition, he was caught out and with no cover; Sami Khedira had an easy tap-in. In eight minutes, the scoreline had gone from 1-0 to 5-0! Words failed a lot of the journalists inside Belo Horizonte, as fans cried their eyes out. Some even left and started to humiliate their own teams, cheering the Germans ‘Ole’ when they kept possession. Substitute Schurrle added another two goals in the second half to make it 7-0! Luiz’s defensive performance must have given PSG’s owners concern – they’ve just paid Chelsea £50m for his services! Others like Fred and Hulk strolled around without a care in the world and Marcelo put in one of the worst performances ever seen by a full-back. Not even a late consolation from Oscar could cover over the cracks. It was the biggest ever defeat for Brazil (players pictured below) at a World Cup and also in any semi-final at a major international tournament. Germany were heading to the Maracana in real knockout form. Things though could get potentially worse for the Brazilians. Their long-standing rivals Argentina could now reach the final on their own backyard. To do so, they needed to get past the Dutch in Sao Paulo.

Sombre Brazil applaud their support after their semi-final humiliation 

This game might have begun with attacking flair but as the minutes ticked on, it was a match where you would have struggled to stay awake. Both teams began putting cautious emphasis on their gameplay. As extra-time was needed, it was clear that this one was going to end goalless and go all the way to penalties, the first time since 1998 that a World Cup semi-final had to be settled that way. Back then, Netherlands lost to Brazil on penalties and on this occasion, lightning would strike twice. Without their skipper Robin van Persie, substituted during the game through illness, and having used all three of their subs, meaning Van Gaal was unable to make the goalkeeping change that won his side the quarter-final, it proved to go against the Dutch. Argentina’s goalie Sergio Romero saved two Dutch penalties from Ron Vlaar and Sneijder. Argentina scored all four of theirs, Maxi Rodriguez with the winning spot-kick. For the third time in World Cup history, Germany and Argentina would face each other in the final.

Third Place Play-Off

FINAL RESULT: Brazil 0-3 Netherlands

Netherlands’ latest penalty shootout loss left them to face a rather wounded Brazil in Brasilia to dispute the bronze medals of the tournament.

Brazil’s collapse in the semi-final seemed to continue in the early stages of this game. Thiago Silva was very lucky to stay on the pitch after fouling Robben inside of two minutes, with Van Persie converting the subsequent penalty. Then on 18 minutes, David Luiz made another terrible blunder. Instead of heading the ball out of play, he headed it back into the path of Daley Blind! Blind took his chance and made it 2-0. Though Brazil had chances, they came very few and far between, and their fate was sealed through Georgino Wijnaldum scoring a third for the Dutch in injury time. It was so easy, that third choice goalkeeper Michel Vorm got a chance to play for a minute or so at the end of the game. Netherlands took a deserving third place and if proof was needed, Brazil are just poor without Neymar’s presence, if this World Cup was in Europe they would have struggled to get out of the group stage. Since 1998, only three teams have conceded more than 10 goals at a World Cup. They are Saudi Arabia (2002), North Korea (2010) and now Brazil in 2014. Not the company they were hoping to keep when the finals began.

As Van Gaal heads for pastures new in trying to resurrect the fortunes of Manchester United, Luiz Felipe Scolari was heading for the job centre. He announced his resignation three days later, jumping before being pushed by the Brazilian Football Federation.

2014 WORLD CUP FINAL

FINAL RESULT: Germany 1-0 Argentina (AET)

So after 63 games, the World Cup final in 2014 was to be between Germany – the best team of the tournament against Argentina, led by one of the greatest players of his generation in Lionel Messi. Who was going to win out – the team or the individual?

There was an early blow for Germany when Khedira was injured in the warm-up. He was replaced by the unheralded Christoph Kramer, who had only made his national team debut in May. Kramer wouldn’t last too long though. He went off with concussion before the interval and was replaced by Schurrle.

Argentina matched their opponents throughout and had the best opening. Kroos’ misjudged back header put Higuain in on goal in the 20^th minute. He fluffed his lines though and missed the target comprehensively. There were no goals in the first half and as the second half wore on, a mistake or a moment of genius was going to be the difference. Messi was largely kept quiet but he did have a half chance after the restart that went narrowly wide. For Germany, Benedikt Howedes hit the post from a header but neither goalkeeper was being heavily overworked. There was good build-up play but the final ball or big chance was being denied by either great defending or woeful finishing.

0-0 after normal time, the 11^th time this occurred at the finals (a new record), extra time dawned. It might have lacked the style of the Mexico 86 final but was far better than the dismal showing the Italia 90 showpiece produced. Argentine substitute Rodrigo Palacio missed a great chance in the first period of extra time, before another sub, Sergio Aguero was lucky to stay on, after smashing Bastian Schweinsteiger in the face with an elbow. Time was beginning to run out until in the 112^th minute, Schurrle found some space, got a decent ball into the box and Mario Gotze (pictured) produced a brilliant finish. It was a moment that fitted the occasion – a piece of skill that deserved to win the World Cup.

Mario Gotze celebrates with his teammates after he scores the winner at the World Cup final

Argentina couldn’t muster anything in the final eight minutes. Messi ballooned a free-kick into the stands was their final opportunity. They had come up short against Germany again. After near-misses in Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012, this was Germany’s time again. It was their first major trophy in 18 years and their first World Cup in 24 years; a fourth in total which equals Italy’s number.

Messi was the rather strange selection of Player of the Tournament, whilst Manuel Neuer was a more overwhelming winner of the Golden Glove. Finally, it was left to the retiring skipper Philippe Lahm to join the likes of Zoff, Maradona, Moore, Matthäus and Cannavaro to hold aloft the greatest prize in football.

Congratulations Germany on a fitting triumph and thank you Brazil for producing a special World Cup that we will remember for years to come.  

Categories: 2014, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, David Luiz, FIFA, Germany, James Rodriguez, Lionel Messi, Mario Gotze, Netherlands, World Cup

World Cup 2014 review: Goals, glory & greatness in group stage

By Simon and Jason Wright – Follow us on Twitter @Siwri88 and @JDBWright91

After 64 years, the World Cup returned to one of its spiritual homes in Brazil. Despite all the concerns over protests, transport issues and lack of stadium planning, the 2014 FIFA World Cup will go down as one of the greatest ever.

We saw the end of the Spanish armada, Luis Suarez perform his traditional signature move, England’s worst ever showing on a global scale and the rise of the unfancied nations like Algeria and Costa Rica. There were 171 goals in total and whilst part two will focus on the gripping knockout stages, part one looks back at a memorable opening fortnight of the tournament as the games and stories never ended in the group stages.

Group A

FINAL POINTS: Brazil 7, Mexico 7, Croatia 3, Cameroon 0

After a strange opening ceremony, the festival of football began with the hosts opening up in Sao Paulo against Croatia. There would be an opening night win, but not without a huge slice of luck. The first goal of the 2014 tournament was an own goal, as Marcelo put through his own net after 11 minutes. It was left to Brazil’s golden boy to rescue them as Neymar (pictured below) scored twice, having been slightly fortunate to survive with a booking for a first half elbow into the face of Luka Modric. Seconds later, he had levelled the scores, and then converted from the penalty spot after a dubious spot-kick was given when Dejan Lovren ‘fouled’ Fred. A stoppage goal strike from Oscar sealed a positive, if slightly unconvincing start for Brazil.

Neymar starred on opening night as Brazil nervously topped Group A

On day two, Mexico beat Cameroon in a deluge in Natal. Oribe Peralta scoring the only goal midway through the second half as Mexico dominated; the scoreline only finishing 1-0 after two efforts from Giovani dos Santos in the first half were controversially ruled out for offside. Fresh from that success, Mexico managed to frustrate Brazil in their second match. A magnificent goalkeeping performance from Guillermo Ochoa kept the Brazilians out. It finished 0-0. Over in the Amazonia rainforest, Croatia eliminated Cameroon with an easy 4-0 stroll as the Africans lost control. Alex Song was stupidly sent off for swiping out at Mario Mandzukic off-the-ball and Benoit Assou-Ekotto head-butted one of his own teammates close to the end. Since then, the Cameroon FA are investigating this game, with seven players being accused of possible match-fixing, although the outcome of this is not clear at the time of writing.  

Going into the final round of matches and Brazil still needed a point; always looked achievable against a desperately poor Cameroon side. Neymar added another double in a 4-1 rout and even Fred managed to score. Cameroon’s tournament was nothing more than desperate. So, that left Croatia and Mexico to scrap it out for second spot. The Croats started well but wilted in the humid temperatures of Recife. Mexico scored three times in the space of 15 second half minutes to win 3-1 and joined Brazil in the last 16.  

Group B

FINAL POINTS: Netherlands 9, Chile 6, Spain 3, Australia 0

Reigning champions Spain began the defence of their title against beaten finalists from 2010, Netherlands in Salvador. A Xabi Alonso penalty gave Spain the lead just before half an hour of play. However, Holland equalised on the stroke of half-time, when Daley Blind played a long ball to Robin van Persie and he executed a magical diving header to score. Arjen Robben then put the Dutch into the lead eight minutes into the restart and Spain slowly began to collapse. Stefan de Vrij made it three from a Wesley Sneijder free-kick before Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas was horribly caught in possession, allowing Van Persie to score his second. The 5-1 rout was complete when Robben punished the lax Spanish defence to score his second. It was a result that stunned world football.

Australia had been expected to be the whipping boys of the group, but they showed a lot of courage to push Chile all the way after falling two goals behind in the first 15 minutes. Tim Cahill pulled a goal back before the Chileans were able to seal a 3-1 win in second half stoppage time. The Aussies then gave Netherlands a close game, Cahill cancelled out Robben’s opener within sixty seconds with a sensational volley from the edge of the box. It was one of the goals of the tournament. Mile Jedinak gave the Socceroos the lead from the spot before goals from Van Persie and Memphis Depay saw the Dutch recover to win 3-2.

At the Maracana, a wounded Spain faced a determined Chile. Within 20 minutes, the defending champions were behind again through Eduardo Vargas’ neat finish. Then just before half-time, Casillas bizarrely parried an Alexis Sanchez free-kick back into danger and it gave Charles Aranguiz a simple tap-in to make it 2-0. Spain suffered the indignity of being the first ever holders to be the first team to be eliminated at subsequent World Cup finals. The result also confirmed Australia’s exit as well and in a dead rubber encounter between the two sides, Spain won 3-0 to save some grace, with David Villa scoring in his last ever international match.

Netherlands and Chile thus met to settle top spot in the group. Second half goals from Leroy Fer and Depay sealed a 2-0 win for the Dutch ensuring they went through as top dogs. Meanwhile, the Spanish were left to quietly exit for home, their reputation ruined, their era of domination over.

Group C

FINAL POINTS: Colombia 9, Greece 4, Ivory Coast 3, Japan 1

Group C always looked like another tough group to predict, with all four sides having achievable aims of progressing past the group phase. Colombia were seen as narrow favourites considering their high FIFA ranking and they proved their worth with some attractive performances.

The South Americans had little trouble in dispatching all three group opponents to grab maximum points and allow others to sit up and take notice of their presence. They beat Greece 3-0 in their opener, edged out Ivory Coast 2-1 and then turned on the style in a 4-1 win over Japan.

The Blue Samarai had been considered potential dark horses by many but they disappointed. After a narrow defeat to the Ivory Coast in a 2am UK kick-off, they failed to beat a 10-man Greece in a forgettable goalless draw. The hefty loss to Colombia ensured their early passage home with just a single point to their name. That left the Greeks and the Africans to fight it out for second spot in Fortaleza.

The Africans only required a point and looked like they were going to achieve it when Wilfried Bony grabbed an equaliser to cancel out Andreas Samaris’ first half effort. The big drama came in stoppage time.

Giovanni Sio caught the standing foot of Georgios Samaras in the box in the 90^th minute and a penalty was awarded. Samaras, now a free agent after leaving Celtic, kept his cool in high pressure circumstances and calmly dispatched the spot-kick to take Greece into the last 16 for the first time in their history. For Ivory Coast, it was another competition they had flattered to deceive.

In Colombia and James Rodriguez, who had scored in every game, a new force in world football was starting to emerge.

Group D

FINAL POINTS: Costa Rica 7, Uruguay 6, Italy 3, England 1

The ‘Group of Death’ brought together former champions Uruguay, England and Italy, along with so-called misfits Costa Rica. What happened in this group was to astound everyone.

Without star striker Luis Suarez for their first match against Costa Rica, Uruguay struggled badly. Edinson Cavani did give them the lead from the penalty spot but second half goals from Joel Campbell, Oscar Duarte and Marco Urena gave Costa Rica a shock 3-1 win. Uruguay’s problems worsened when Maxi Pereira was sent off at the end of the match for a reckless foul on Campbell.

Meanwhile, England and Italy faced off in Manaus. Both sides exchanged early chances before Claudio Marchisio fired Italy infront on 35 minutes. England quickly responded with Daniel Sturridge equalising two minutes later. Sturridge’s goal though was overshadowed by a nasty injury to England physio Gary Lewin in the celebrations. A dislocated ankle ended his involvement in the tournament. Five minutes after the restart, Mario Balotelli put the Italians back ahead and they held on to win 2-1.

Despite the loss, England’s performance was encouraging, so confidence was still high against a Uruguay side that had looked very suspect without Suarez. As predicted, the ex-Liverpool striker returned from injury to the Uruguay fold in Sao Paulo, and as widely feared by the English media, he ran England ragged, giving Uruguay the lead in the 39th minute. 15 minutes from the end, Wayne Rooney finally scored his first goal at a World Cup finals but it wasn’t meant to be. Five minutes from time, Steven Gerrard’s horrendous header played Suarez in. He made no mistake to give Uruguay all three points. The next day, a goal from Bryan Ruiz gave Costa Rica a marvellous 1-0 success over Italy, sending them through to the last 16 and confirming England’s painful exit.

The final round of group games saw Costa Rica and England play out a dull 0-0 draw in Belo Horizonte. England coach Roy Hodgson fielded a reserve side for the game and it wasn’t a great spectacle. Costa Rica had the best of the few chances but opted to play cautiously; knowing their place in the knockout stage was safe. The main drama though was over in Natal.

A draw for Italy would be enough for them to go through whilst Uruguay needed to win. Diego Godin’s header with nine minutes to go settled a bad tempered encounter in favour of the South Americans. Marchisio was sent off for Italy but the headlines were dominated by another moment of madness. Shortly before Godin’s winner, Suarez and Giorgio Chiellini collided in the box. It was only when Chiellini’s protests to the referee and close-up TV replays confirmed what had happened. Suarez had bitten into the Italian’s shoulder. The referee, Mexico’s Marco Rodriguez, missed the incident but it was rightfully referred to FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee. Suarez was fined $119,000, thrown out of the tournament immediately, banned for nine international matches, and furthermore, suspended from all football-related activity for four months, including entry into any stadium. It would take a further week before Suarez confessed to his disgraceful actions. Recently, he left a disgusted Liverpool, completing a £74m switch to Barcelona.

Cahill, Baines and Gerrard ponder an early flight home after more England tournament misery

Costa Rica had defied the odds to not only qualify but as group winners, Uruguay had more questions to answer now that the bad boy was gone but it was hugely disappointing for two European heavyweights. Italy left to reflect on their shortcomings, with boss Cesare Prandelli tendering his resignation to the Italian FA following the Uruguay match. For England, Brazil 2014 will go down as their worst performance at a major tournament since the 1988 European Championships and their worst ever showing at a World Cup. The result was not surprising, as it was always going to be a difficult group but it was the manner of how it happened that had shocked and appalled everyone. There is a lot of work ahead for Hodgson and co (pictured above) after another major tournament failure.

Group E

FINAL POINTS: France 7, Switzerland 6, Ecuador 4, Honduras 0

Group E was expected to be a cruise for France, but following their meltdown four years ago in South Africa, nothing was ever certain.

Due to their consistency in friendlies and top eight FIFA ranking, it was actually Switzerland who were top seeds in this group and they began with a nervy 2-1 triumph over Ecuador in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia. Substitutes Admir Mehmedi and Haris Seferovic made the difference after the interval, both scoring to prove legendary coach Ottmar Hitzfeld still had plenty of class in what was his managerial swansong.

In the cool temperatures of Porto Alegre, a storm brewed up between France and Honduras. Paul Pogba was lucky to stay on after lashing out at Wilson Palacios. Palacios got his marching orders before half-time and then, goal-line technology made its first mark at this tournament when Karim Benzema’s early second half effort hit the post but crossed the line according to officials. TV replays shortly afterwards indicated his shot hadn’t crossed the line, but the ball bounced off the back of Honduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares and across the line. It was the right call, but the initial ‘No Goal’ Aston left some confused and flabbergasted. Benzema did get the other two in a routine 3-0 victory.

Honduras did score against Ecuador; their first World Cup goal in 32 years when Carlo Costly scored but two goals from the impressive West Ham-bound striker Enner Valencia ensured an emotional win for the Ecuadorians, playing in the memory of their star striker Christian Benitez who had sadly died last summer from a cardiac arrest whilst playing in the Middle East. Earlier that evening, France blitzed Switzerland in another memorable encounter in Salvador. The French stormed into an unbelievable 5-0 lead, before Switzerland gained some respectability on the scoreline with a couple of late efforts. Benzema was unplayable. He scored once, had another disallowed, missed a penalty and played a part in two other goals. English-based Olivier Giroud and Moussa Sissoko were among the Les Bleus scorers.

So, Switzerland had to win in Manaus to stand any chance of overhauling Ecuador. Luckily, they were playing a dismal Honduras team. Xherdan Shaqiri scored a hat-trick on a great night for him, but it won’t be remembered too fondly by many looking back at the competition. The 3-0 win took the Swiss through, as Ecuador failed to break down France in Rio. The goalless stalemate ended the South Americans’ competition. France had shown plenty of potential though for this tournament and beyond.

Group F

FINAL POINTS: Argentina 9, Nigeria 4, Bosnia-Herzegovina 3, Iran 1

If France had got an easy draw, it seemed Argentina received the same treatment. Matches against Iran and Nigeria were to come, but they kicked off proceedings inside the Maracana, as tournament newcomers Bosnia-Herzegovina began with a huge baptism of fire.

After conceding an early own goal, the Bosnians more than matched Argentina but ultimately, the encounter was settled by a moment of brilliance from Lionel Messi. A late Bosnian goal served only as a consolation as the Argentinians clung on to win 2-1. The following night saw Iran and Nigeria play out a dreary goalless draw.

Lionel Messi broke Iran's resistance with a stunning late winner in Belo Horizonte

Argentina were of course expected to make short work of Iran, though under the management of former Portuguese boss Carlos Queiroz, they had been tipped to be a potential surprise package. A great result was nearly pulled off, before Messi (pictured above) popped up yet again in injury time to deny the Iranians a famous draw in an evenly fought contest. Sadly, Bosnia’s debut World Cup was to be brief. A 1-0 win for Nigeria, their first at a World Cup since 1998, sent them packing though Edin Dzeko had a goal wrongfully disallowed for offside which would have kept them in the tournament.

A point for Nigeria in their final game against Argentina would see them through, although they could also advance if they lost and Iran failed to beat Bosnia. An entertaining encounter in Porto Alegre ended 3-2 in Argentina’s favour as Messi again stated his intentions for star billing in the competition with another two goals. In the end, the defeat still sent Nigeria through, as Iran were beaten 3-1 by Bosnia.

So despite making rather heavy work at times, Argentina had got through with the expected maximum points, Nigeria progressed out of the group stage for the first time since 1998. Bosnia and Iran were left to reflect on what might have been.

Group G

FINAL POINTS: Germany 7, USA 4, Portugal 4, Ghana 1

Considered as one of the favourites to win the entire World Cup, Germany started brilliantly in Salvador, on a day when Portugal hit the self-destruct button. Thomas Muller scored a hat-trick and a bullet Mats Hummels header helped the Germans to a dominant 4-0 win. It was a negative goal difference Portugal never recovered from. They lost Fabio Coentrao to a nasty calf injury, and Pepe was sent off for a stupid head-butt into the face of Muller who did make the most of it. Even Cristiano Ronaldo had an off-day.

The late night drama came between Ghana and USA in Natal. It took the Americans just 30 seconds to open the scoring as Clint Dempsey drilled home from close range. Ghana dominated the second half and drew level with Andre Ayew’s tidy equaliser but with four minutes left, centre-back John Anthony Brooks headed home from a corner to give Jurgen Klinsmann’s Stars and Stripes a popular win and claim partial revenge for elimination at the hands of the Ghanaians in 2010.

That gave the Americans plenty of confidence and also gave the fans masses of belief. In Manaus next against a scarred Portugal, another goal for Dempsey and a wonderful curling shot by Jermaine Jones had them 2-1 up going into stoppage time. With seconds left though, Ronaldo’s delicious cross was met by the head of Silvestre Varela to keep the Portuguese just about alive in the tournament. A day earlier, Miroslav Klose had scored his 15^th World Cup finals goal as Germany recovered from a shaky second half period to draw 2-2 in a pulsating contest with Ghana.

Going into the final round of matches, all four teams could still go through, although Germany and the US were hefty favourites. They met in the rain of Recife where one goal from Muller settled an unattractive match ruined by the conditions. Ghana’s tournament went into chaos when Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng were sent home on the eve of the Portugal game for incidents at the team’s training base. Portugal went on to win 2-1, with Ronaldo grabbing the winner. However, their negative goal difference counted against them, meaning despite the loss in Recife to his homeland nation, Klinsmann could rejoice in USA escaping this tricky group.

Germany and USA advanced then. For the world’s greatest player, Brazil 2014 would go on without him. Ronaldo probably wishing he hadn’t even bothered as the lack of contribution from his lower quality teammates spelt Portugal’s downfall at this World Cup.

Group H

FINAL POINTS: Belgium 9, Algeria 4, Russia 2, South Korea 1

Group H was favoured to fancy Belgium. After being in the doldrums through much of the past decade, Marc Wilmots had a squad full of emerging young talent, many of whom play their trade in the Premier League.

The absence of star striker Christian Benteke was partially felt in their first game against Algeria. They fell behind to an Algerian penalty, converted by Sofiane Feghouli, the Algerians first World Cup goal in 28 years after failing to hit the net back in 2010. Belgium had to rely on substitutes Marouane Fellaini and Dries Mertens to bail them out to a 2-1 victory.

Having won a tight qualifying group, Russia, under the management of ex-England coach Fabio Capello, were expected to make a good impression. The first match though against South Korea didn’t go to plan. Russia’s goalkeeper, Igor Akinfeev committed (pictured below), for a man of his experienced calibre, a horrendous howler. Parrying a weak shot from Lee Keun-Ho, the ball slid over his gloves and went over the line before he could control it. Embarrassing! Aleksandr Kerzhakov was able to rescue a point for the below-par Russians.

Igor Akinfeev committed a blunder of the first magnitude against South Korea

The distinctly average performances from both Belgium and Russia were carried through into their meeting against one another. Very few scoring chances were created before Divock Origi, a second half substitute for the out-of-form Romelu Lukaku, sealed a 1-0 win for the Belgians, enough to secure their last 16 berth. If that match lacked entertainment, South Korea v Algeria defied all expectations in Porto Alegre. A six-goal thriller was settled 4-2 in Algeria’s favour, putting them in pole position for progression to the knockout stages for the first time.

Belgium managed to progress from the group stages with maximum points after Jan Vertonghen’s second half strike was enough to see off South Korea 1-0. Algeria and Russia met to dispute who would take the final last 16 place. For a while, it looked to be going to Russia, with an early goal from Aleksandr Kokorin but on the hour mark, Islam Slimani equalised for Algeria but the goal came in controversial circumstances. TV replays showed Akinfeev being distracted by a laser pen being shone in his eyes before the free-kick was taken. The goal was allowed to stand and Akinfeev won himself no friends by throwing a tantrum like a schoolboy. Russia squandered more opportunities and Algeria were able to hold on for the draw required to secure qualification to the knockout stages, making up for it being taken cruelly away from their own hands back in 1982.  

Belgium hadn’t played brilliantly at all but had seen off their meagre opponents whilst Algeria had definitely defied expectations. It had been a miserable tournament for Asia, compounded by South Korea’s exit. In fact, the Korean team bore the brunt of the nation’s anger, as they were pelted with toffee sweets on their return home! As for Russia, Capello underlined his determination to make all World Cup matches involving him just dire. He did even worse than four years ago with England and has been called by Russia’s sporting powers to explain their failings in South America.

So, 48 games down and 16 left. The group stages had been truly magnificent and the knockout rounds were to produce more incredible drama.

Categories: 2014, Algeria, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cristiano Ronaldo, England, Karim Benzema, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar, Spain, World Cup

The limping tale of Kimi Raikkonen

By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

What are the first things you think when the name Kimi Raikkonen is mentioned? Perhaps it is humorous, successful and cool. Others would think lazy, dim-witted and rude. The Iceman does have his many legions of fans worldwide. For their sake, they might not want to carry on reading…

Whilst I have taken a backseat from Formula One reporting in 2014, I have seen the results and watched clips and highlight packages of all races, as well as the live events in Canada and recently at Silverstone last weekend. It was around this time seven days ago that Raikkonen was being discharged from the medical centre at the Northamptonshire circuit, with bruised ankles and knees after a frightening crash on the opening lap of the event that saw his chassis destroyed in a 47G impact (remains below)

The remains of Raikkonen's Ferrari after his 47G impact at Silverstone last weekend

As Kimi limped away from the remains of his Ferrari machinery, I wonder what he was thinking. Perhaps he needed a stiff drink and you couldn’t blame him if that was the case. His season has been a tale of woe and regular underperforming in a Prancing Horse car that is quite possibly, the worst they have designed back at Maranello in over two decades.

So in the crazy world of the ‘former’ Flying Finn, does he have much more of a future at the pinnacle of Grand Prix racing?

Stats check

When Raikkonen returned to Ferrari for the 2014 season, there was excitement in the paddock. Paired up alongside one of his seasoned rivals in Fernando Alonso, many experts were predicting fireworks between the pair and a close battle throughout the campaign.

Whilst Alonso was expected to have the slight edge as he has been with Ferrari for the past four years, many members of the crew will have worked with Raikkonen from his first spell with the team which saw him claim his one and only world championship back in 2007.

What started as perhaps a settling in period has turned into a crisis of confidence. Raikkonen is trailing Alonso 7-2 in qualifying, has not started higher than fifth this season, not outraced Alonso at any event in 2014 and has picked up a sobering tally of 19 points, compared to Alonso’s 87. This is in the same car too.

Look at the results; Fernando achieved a brilliant podium in China, finished fourth in Australia, Malaysia and Monaco and fought through from mid-grid to sixth last weekend at Silverstone.

On the other hand, Kimi’s best result is seventh place in the season opener in Australia and he matched that in Spain. A podium was possible in Monaco before he picked up a puncture behind the Safety Car and then pulled off a ridiculous overtaking attempt on young rookie Kevin Magnussen that ended with both clumsily failing to get round the 30mph Lowes hairpin.

Bad luck can’t really be laid at Raikkonen’s door, certainly in comparison to reigning champion Sebastian Vettel, whose regular reliability problems have seen him struggle to register results compared to his hotshot new teammate, Daniel Ricciardo.

On conclusion, the verdict on Raikkonen’s season is; ‘Not good enough, could try harder.’

Will he change?

If you’ve followed the career of Kimi Raikkonen, he is a frustrating enigma and an absolute nightmare to get any words out of him. The media will be lucky to get a shrug of the shoulders, and perhaps a murmur of ‘yeah okay,’ or ‘it’s good but it isn’t the win.’

He doesn’t work hard enough. Ferrari knows that and that’s why they binned him in the first place at the end of 2009 for Alonso. If he ever wrote an autobiography, it probably would be the shortest read in history – saying ‘I was born, I drove a car, I won a championship, I retired, the end…it’s a Kimi adventure!’

He will turn up, drive the car, give minimal feedback to the team and then disappear back to his home. His attitude is lazy but that’s the characteristics of the man. He won’t change, that’s just who he is.

For all of that, he can be hilariously funny too. This is the man who uses team radio to get the point across bluntly but in a way which his fans enjoy. The ‘Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing’ message in Abu Dhabi 2012 was one of the best responses heard on a team radio. He is a character and motorsport needs people like him to cancel out the hard work of Vettel, the drama of Hamilton and the sheer persistence of Alonso.

What happens now?

With 10 races left in 2014, Ferrari might as well write this season off and throw it into the scrapheap. 1993 was the last year they failed to win a Grand Prix and unless something freakish happens, that stat will be changed when the chequered flag flies in Abu Dhabi in November. The team have not given their well-paid and respected drivers the machinery to deliver the goods.

Whilst Alonso though shouldn’t be criticised, Raikkonen must. He needs to be at least within a few tenths of Fernando and beating him occasionally. That is not happening and it is unlikely to change for the remainder of this campaign.

When Ferrari resigned Kimi last September, it was for fear that they might lose a slightly unsettled Alonso to a rival team. At the time, it was an understandable move but now, it looks perplexing..

With the likes of Jules Bianchi and Nico Hulkenberg continuing to perform, not forgetting Romain Grosjean’s talent which has been masked this year in a poor Lotus and Maranello’s hierarchy should look to the future.

Raikkonen has already indicated he will stop racing after 2015. Maybe Ferrari should look at ending this relationship earlier than his contract because it isn’t working. It has as much life as a dying marriage where the love has gone and you stay together for convenience purposes.

The curious tale of Kimi Raikkonen will continue in 2014 but time is running out for him in Formula One. He is Ferrari’s past, not present and if his performances continue to drop, he could soon find himself to be an ex-Ferrari driver again very soon. 

It is time for him to stand up and be counted!

Categories: 2014, 2015, Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, Formula One, Grand Prix, Iceman, Kimi Raikkonen, Results, Silverstone

Wimbledon 2014: The new generation emerge

By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

Wimbledon 2014 (logo pictured below) will always be remembered as the time when the new generation of tennis superstars came of age. The heavyweights of the game had a tough time at the All-England club, overshadowed by the power, determination and no fear attitude of new kids on the block.

Wimbledon 2014 provided a mix of fresh talent and expected forces winning

It brought us controversial moments, sensations on Centre Court, a groan of disappointment as our champion had a bad day and the return of a Swiss ace that refuses to go away. However, if you looked at the record books, you’d think the SW19 edition this year had a retro feel as the men’s and women’s singles champions were the same as they were in 2011.

Czech Petra Kvitova returned to the scene of her greatest triumph to overpower Eugenie Bouchard in the women’s final, whilst Serbia’s Novak Djokovic put aside his pain of losing his last three Grand Slam finals to win the men’s showpiece in an epic five-set encounter with Roger Federer.

Andy’s agony

British tennis was in its best place last year when Andy Murray ended 77 years of heartache to beat Djokovic and become men’s champion. It hasn’t been an easy year for the Scot since and this Wimbledon was going to bring highs and lows.

Back surgery last September and a parting of the ways with his coach Ivan Lendl earlier this year have made life more difficult for Murray. An encouraging run to the French Open semi-finals on his least favourite surface (clay), had people talking his chances up of repeating his glory from 2013. The realism was though that with a new coach in Amelie Mauresmo, a former female champion in 2006; it was going to take Murray time to gel with his new partner.

The first four rounds were a breeze. Murray played some great tennis and made no hassle with his opponents, not dropping a set and barely losing his serve. That all change though in the quarter-finals against the tall Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.

Dimitrov, best known to us as being the other half of Maria Sharapova’s life, was in the form of his career. He had won the AEGON Championship at Queens before coming to south-west London and dealt brilliantly with the pressure of having a home crowd against him. Couple this with a bad day for the champion and Murray’s defence of the title was over.

The straight sets demolition was a shock and questions were raised about Murray’s mind, shot selection and condition of his fitness. His ranking has dropped to no.10, the lowest it has been in six years but the reality is that this was always going to be a testing year after such major surgery. At 27, Murray still has time to win more Grand Slams. The sparkle from winning Olympic gold, the US Open and Wimbledon in such quick succession has most definitely fizzled out. However, he will bounce back from this challenging period in his career.

Serena’s shambles

In the women’s game, the overwhelming favourite going into the tournament was Serena Williams. Despite disappointing early exits from the first two Grand Slams of the year, this is Serena’s favourite surface…well it was until the last fortnight.

First, she crashed out before the start of the second week in the singles, beaten by Alize Cornet on the middle Saturday of the championships. Four days later and in bizarre circumstances, she came onto court with Sister Venus for the doubles quarter-finals, looking disorientated and dizzy. A mystery virus meant she couldn’t even control her racquet. After a game with four double faults, she sensibly withdrew but it was a sorry and shambolic way for her SW19 challenge to end.

Her exit made Sharapova the bookies favourite, but she didn’t get much further. The French Open champion was beaten in one of the matches of the tournament, ousted by German no.9 seed Angelique Kerber in the round of 16. Kerber had earlier ended British interest in the ladies draw, having beaten Heather Watson on Centre Court in the second round.

The female game was rocked to the core by the tragic death of former British no.1 Elena Baltacha in May from liver cancer. On day two of the championships, a highly-charged Centre Court paid its tribute to ‘Bally’ with nine-year-old Elle Robus-Miller – a young player from the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis in Ipswich walking out hand-in-hand with the 2013 champion Marion Bartoli to emotional applause.

Bartoli herself struggled to fight back the tears. She retired from competitive tennis only six weeks after her Wimbledon glory last summer. The Frenchman was back this time working for the BBC, and took her seat in the Royal Box to see one of her best friends and the runner-up from 2013, Sabine Lisicki win her first round match. The German’s wave towards Bartoli after completing a straight sets victory showed her respect and gratitude in taking the honour of opening up Centre Court action on day two, normally reserved for the defending champion.

Lisicki would reach the quarter-finals this time, before being blown away on the same court by Simone Halep. The Romanian has soared up the WTA rankings and was one of the many newcomers who made their mark at Wimbledon 2014.

The new generation

Halep was seeded no.3 here and despite admitting that grass was her least favourite surface, she showed no mercy to Lisicki in the last eight and made the semis, being beaten by another newcomer in Bouchard.

The Canadian is definitely one of the most attractive females on the WTA tour and the British media definitely loved her. Only two years ago, she was winning the girls singles here. Now, she charged into her maiden Grand Slam final. The Czech, Lucie Safarova shouldn’t be forgotten either. She made her first Grand Slam semi-final, before being beaten by Fed Cup partner and compatriot Kvitova.

After winning Wimbledon in 2011, Kvitova didn’t seem to handle the pressure of it well and had almost faded into obscurity. Now 24, she seems ready to be able to cope with becoming a Grand Slam winner again. Apart from a bruising encounter with Venus Williams in round three, she charged into the final with consummate ease, barely breaking sweat with some accomplished performances.

The sensation in the men’s draw was Nick Kyrgios. Only given a wildcard entry into the tournament and ranked outside the top 100, the teenager caused a stir by knocking out no.13 seed Richard Gasquet in round two and then an even bigger sensation two rounds later. He faced Rafael Nadal, who was coming off the back of a stunning ninth title at Roland Garros.

Nadal looked uneasy once again on the grass. He dropped the first set in his three opening games but managed to recover. The Spaniard did it again against Kyrgios, only he couldn’t recover this time. Kyrgios showed great maturity for such a young age and his power was unstoppable. Rafa had no idea and checked out in four sets. If he stays fit and keeps focused, Kyrgios is a champion of the future.

He bowed out in the next round to another young Canadian in Milos Raonic. Raonic has so far unfulfilled his genuine promise but that all changed in the past fortnight. The eighth seed moved through into a first semi-final, although he was no match for Federer. It is fair to say the future of tennis is looking bright.

The double repeated   

On paper, Bouchard vs Kvitova looked like being a close women’s singles final. It sadly didn’t live upto the hype and promise. Kvitova was the slight favourite with many due to her previous experience of a Wimbledon final but she produced a simply stunning performance that Bouchard couldn’t live with.

Unlike Lisicki last year, Bouchard’s game didn’t crumble under pressure of the big occasion. She simply had no answer to Kvitova’s brilliant serve and her strong return shots that were making rallies very short and therefore, the match far too quick for many people’s liking. To Bouchard’s credit, she kept going but there was only going to be one winner. Kvitova (pictured below) won 6-4, 6-0 – becoming champion for a second time in under an hour. Petra has the ability to capitalise on this momentum and win many more titles. She just has to believe in herself more, something that didn’t seem visible three years ago.

Petra Kvitova produced a breathtaking performance to win the title for the second time in four years

If the crowd felt short-changed on Saturday, no-one will be asking for a refund after Sunday’s match. Djokovic and Federer met in a Grand Slam final that will go down as one of the best. It went the full distance, as the balance of power shifted back and forth. Federer won the first set on a tie-break, Djokovic the next two 6-4, 7-6 and he seemed to have it wrapped up with an early break of the Swiss’ serve in set four. He even had a championship point, but this was saved by Federer on the Hawk Eye technology. He then reeled off five games in a row to win the set 7-5 and leave his opponent stunned.

The fifth set was a tight and close affair. Both players had opportunities to break serve, but couldn’t take them. Finally at 4-5 in the decider, the Serb had two chances. This time, championship point wasn’t squandered. A return into the net and Djokovic was champion at SW19 again. Federer’s drought without a Grand Slam now has stretched to two years, but while he was denied an eighth title this time – he has the capability and the concentration to still win more in the future. For now though, it was Djokovic’s time and over the course of the fortnight, he was the best player and deserved to take this great prize again.

And just like that, it was all over. Two weeks of absorbing tennis had come to an end; the tournament where the new generation had shone but the established were still able to take the top prizes.

Categories: 2014, Andy Murray, Centre Court, Novak Djokovic, Petra Kvitova, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Singles, Tennis, Wimbledon