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.
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| 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 90th
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.
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| 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.
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| 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 15th 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.
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| 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.
