Day 13:-

Italy vs. Uruguay:-





Dark times for football as a crucial WC match was turned into a farce; beginning with the teams’ performances and ending with the refereeing quality!


Coach Cesare Prandelli decided to finally do the logical thing and opt for a stable formation based on an FC Junventus blueprint; deploying 3 defenders behind a 5-man midfield, all playing in front of a support striker and an out-and-out forward.

Meanwhile, Coach Óscar Tabárez stuck with the formation and tactical set-up he used against England in Uruguay’s previous game.


Much of the first half was composed of numerous physical duels and encounters between the two sets of players. An aspect of play that repeatedly interrupted the game’s rhythm and only worsened the quality of the match!

There weren’t any real chances for either team in the first half; as both sides were playing with extreme caution and on a very high level of commitment to their tactics.

It was a very compact game so far and a purely tactical first half, with many physical tussles that kept chopping the game’s tempo, while neither team (especially Italy) wanted to risk anything worth of notice.

Uruguay defended fairly deep and focused on either playing on the break or attempting to send long balls forward behind Italy’s backline. However, they were not playing with the urgency required from a team in need of a win, lacking width in their forward approach as their play was too central at times.

On the other hand, Italy were not offering the right momentum in offense; seemingly missing a pure element of physical presence in and around Uruguay’s box.

The second half began with Italy opting for an even more defensive approach; as Coach Prandelli, fearing the loss of a man on the pitch, was forced to substitute Balotelli (who was booked in the first half) due to the volatile nature of the striker.

Uruguay were pressing Italy into their own half and playing more on the offense as they searched for a goal.

Following the ridiculous dismissal of Marchisio, the game’s dynamic began to profoundly change as Uruguay looked to take advantage of having one more man on the field; pressing Italy even more, imposing wide play and sending more attack-minded players on the pitch.

Uruguay’s lack of creativity and passing rhythm in midfield hindered their chances at breaking Italy’s defense apart; as the Italians were now playing with all 10 men behind the ball!

Shortly after Luis Suárez’s unbelievable bite on Chiellini’s shoulder, Uruguay won a corner which they converted as Diego Godín jumped high and headed the ball into the back of the net.

Italy’s ultra-pressing at the latter stages of the game did not bear any fruit as the game faded out and the Uruguayans qualified to the round of 16 amidst some very controversial officiating.

All in all, it was a very tactical game from both sides; with Uruguay increasing their urgency in the 2nd half and playing with much more width, but being rather frustrated by Italy’s resolute defense.

Italy’s lack of physical presence in the final third cost them in terms of goal-scoring opportunities; but the fact they went into the game with the intent of defending their way to a 0-0 result will not have many feeling sad at their early WC exit.


Man of the match: Diego Godín: A commanding performance at the back and a timely contribution to extend Uruguay’s WC expiration date!

Day 12:-

Croatia vs. Mexico:-





A fully diverse match, with everything from pure tactical genius to non-stop action!

Coach Miguel Herrera decided to follow the method of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” by playing with the same formation and squad line-up from the previous 2 matches.

Meanwhile, Croatia’s Coach Niko Kovač, in need of a win, opted for a (much) more offensive approach by pushing Luka Modrić into a purely attacking midfield role and placing experienced natural LB Danijel Pranjić in the now vacant 2nd DM position alongside Ivan Rakitić.

Croatia began the match by going all-out in attack from early on; as Mexico defended really deep.

It was all about Croatia in the opening quarter of an hour or so; constantly pressing Mexican players whenever they lost possession and launching numerous attacks as they searched for that early goal.

Mexico, on the other hand, were executing a very efficient tactic of varying the game’s tempo in such a quick manner that left many of Croatia’s players pegged back. One moment they were launching ultra-fast counters, and the next they were slowly passing the ball around in their own defensive zones!

Croatia’s inability to take advantage of their relatively high ball-possession percentage saw Mexico press them more and more as time passed by; however, the Mexicans were making sure that they weren’t leaving Croatia much space at the same time.

It was becoming increasingly evident, as the half came to an end, that Croatia were lacking physical presence in midfield; for they started to lose possession too cheaply. Obviously, Pranjić’s performance in his makeshift DM role was not quite going the way Coach Kovač might have wanted.

In summary, it was a rather stale first half, with Mexico defending fairly deep in a very compact and organized manner; all the while being very cautious with their offensive approach and mostly limiting themselves to shots from distance.

In addition, Croatia were not convincing enough in attack; as they showed a real lack of urgency going forward and were perhaps hurt by wasting possession at crucial times.

Croatia’s struggle to break Mexico’s defense apart continued into the second half, and there was an element of pure creativity in midfield that was missing from their play whenever they found themselves in the opposition’s final third.

Mexico were attacking in “small doses” as the half went on; choosing to either go wide and cross it in, or simply attempt to open-up spaces from deep areas with long balls forward.

Shortly after that phase, Mexico began to take the initiative and attack more as the Croatians seemed completely out of ideas!

The Mexicans did not have to wait for too long for the pressure to pay off as they soon converted a won corner courtesy of a Rafael Márquez header.

Consequently, Croatia immediately committed almost every one forward as they looked to somehow keep their WC hopes alive; however, they soon lost possession (again) too cheaply and Mexico took full advantage by launching a quick counter from which they eventually made it 2-0.

The final frantic stages of the game saw Croatia apply ultra-pressure on Mexico’s backline but it was of little use as they were not producing anything worth of notice from all the ball possession they had.

The game was finally dead and buried when Mexico grabbed a third from yet another corner; with Rafael Márquez now playing the role of assistant, rather than goal-scorer.

The late consolation goal for Croatia was sadder than it might have seemed; as it embodied the EXACT urgency and creativity which they were lacking for the entirety of the match!

The match was extremely tactical up until the 1st goal, after which it became a festival of football, mostly for the Mexicans though. They were very compact and organized all over the pitch but were sometimes too timid in front of goal; however, they took full advantage of Croatia’s poor marking and defending in set-pieces and fully deserved the win.

Croatia, meanwhile, paid (in the most brutal sense) for their uninspired, and somewhat lethargic, attacking approach! They weren’t at all cohesive in their midfield play as they lost possession time and time again, and they did not show the required aggressiveness and urgency to defeat a team as defensive as Mexico.


Man of the match: Rafael Márquez: The veteran defender rolled back the years with a very commanding and impressive performance; bagging a goal and assisting another!