Day 20: Part 2:-

Brazil vs. Colombia:-





The host nation continues its march onto WC greatness after having overcome a resilient, spirited and rather unfortunate Colombian side!


Nothing major in way of tactical changes for both teams, with Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari drafting experienced Maicon into RB in place of Dani Alves (mainly due to his poor performances there so far) and Luiz Gustavo missing due to suspension.

Coach José Pékerman opted against beginning with Jackson Martínez on the left side as he was looking to use the pace of Ibarbo and Cuadrado on the flanks to exploit the spaces usually left behind by Brazil’s SBs when they go forward.


The match began in a very expected fashion, with the Brazilians pressing Colombia back into their own half and focusing play down the channels, while the Colombians looked to play on the break.

However, the game’s balance quickly changed after Brazil were able to make full use of an early corner which Neymar sent flying over several Brazilian and Colombian players, only for Thiago Silva to pounce on it and tap it into the net at the far post for a 1-0 lead!

The game became very intense after that first goal as the Colombians played with real tempo and momentum going forward, while the Brazilians went for that aggressive style about which Coach Scolari spoke prior to the match; not allowing Colombia much possession and double-pressing them all over the pitch.

Brazil were using the full width of the pitch in their attacks and Neymar was roaming freely in Colombia’s final third as they looked to exchange passes to find a way through the Colombian defense, while Oscar was bizarrely dropping very deep (almost adapting a DM role!) as he looked to retain possession for his side.

The Colombians looked as though they were going to score almost every time they went on a run towards Brazil’s goal; ensuring their game had an extremely high tempo to it and using spaces in Brazil’s midfield cleverly.

It was a rather top quality end-to-end game in the first half as both teams held nothing back and displayed a proper show of pure attacking football.

Brazil showed an aggressive side to their play never seen before at this WC, and played relatively better in almost all areas of the pitch compared to their previous 4 games; they did, however, lack a good chunk of precision in front of goal as they wasted some really glorious opportunities to make it 2-0 before the break.

Colombia looked very dangerous whenever they went forward throughout the entire half, and they also had a good chance or two at an equalizer which they wasted. They had difficulties delivering that final pass into the Brazilian box and were perhaps hurt by the lack of proper central midfielders in the final third.

The second half witnessed a different mood from the Brazilians as they came out defending a bit deeper than in the first half. But that was largely due to Colombia’s now high-press game as they went searching for a much needed (and, truthfully, deserved) first goal.

The game still had a hint of that urgency of play and high tempo from both sides before the break.

Colombia were being frustrated by their inability to get a proper passing rhythm initiated and the fact that they were playing with too much width but without any real penetration into Brazil’s box. Another issue for them was that the physical presence they had in the box was not proving to be as effective as they might have wanted.

Meanwhile, Brazil were struggling to get out of their own half as they constantly lost possession due to some wayward passing. They were clearly relying too much on set-pieces and seemed clueless as to finding spaces in Colombia’s defensive areas and creating something threatening from open play.

David Luiz’s screamer of a goal from that somewhat long-distance free-kick just raised the level of urgency in Colombia’s game even further.

The Colombians were absolutely committed to attack as they threw players forward and pressed Brazil all the way back into their final third, and the game became even tenser after James Rodríguez converted from the penalty spot.

Colombia tried and tried to get something proper going in attack as the Brazilians seemed to have given up but they came just short as the referee blew the whistle for full time.

It was a fairly subdued performance from Brazil in the second half after a commendable display of football in the first half. It seemed as if they came out after the break to merely defend their narrow lead; for they showed barely no genuine interest in having a go at Colombia’s defenders.

They were poor with their passing, not urgent enough in their build-up play and too physical in attempting to retain possession. The only positive thing from that second half performance for coach Scolari would probably be their rather improved defense (and even that isn’t all jolly news as Silva will miss the semi-final after a rather immature mistake of his own doing!).

Colombia were by-far the better side after the break, offensively and defensively; but were undone by the ineffectiveness of their main striker’s physical presence up front and a lack of central play from the back as they failed to make the most of some really good counter-attacking chances they had.


Man of the match: David Luiz: Probably THE best performer in Brazil’s squad over both halves; as he provided stability and security for his entire team going forward. He topped it all off with a goal which will probably contend for the title of “goal of the tournament” now!

Day 20: Part 1:-

France vs. Germany:-





The Quarter-Finals of the 2014 WC got off to a cracking start with a scintillating display of football from both teams!


On a tactical level, Coach Joachim Löw abandoned his “false nine” system, at last, in favor of a more suitable, effective and balanced formation; fielding Miro Klose as a main striker and opting to deploy Lahm in the RB position, where he would be most effective in a short-term tournament.

Meanwhile, France Coach Didier Deschamps decided to go with speed over physicality in his tactical set-up, as Griezmann and Valbuena manned the left and right flanks respectively; consciously leaving out Giroud as he looked to expose Germany’s lack of pace at the back.


The game began with the Germans practically owning ball possession for the first 5 minutes or so; trying to focus play out wide and avoiding central midfield battles.

France, on the other hand, were defending somewhat deep with almost 2 banks of 4; looking to launch quick counters.

It was Kroos’ brilliant ball delivery from that set-piece in midfield which saw Hummels get rid of Varane in the air, somewhat forcefully, and head the ball into the corner for a 1-0 German lead!

It was fully “game on” from that point, with France now pushing forward whenever they had possession and attempting to play long aerial balls in behind Germany’s defense. They were more aggressive after the first goal and did not hold anything back.

Germany were in a more comfortable situation after a rather tense start to the game; still looking to play the channels and attempt to penetrate France’s defense from wide areas.

The French were having difficulties getting a proper forward momentum going and were often losing possession in the opposition’s half; as their midfield became too crowded and their play lacked a real element of width.

France were somewhat subdued in attack for a short period as they became over-reliant on long balls and seemingly still unable to hold onto possession for long enough.

The Germans were playing better in midfield and attack; but they were unable to make the most of their chances in front of goal with Özil having to shift sides as Höwedes was not offering him enough support on the left flank.

All in all, it was a tense first half, with France beginning the game tactically well; defending relatively deep when off the ball and pressing the opposition properly when on it.

However, they perhaps focused too much on those long balls and were incapable of retaining possession in Germany’s own half, while Benzema was lacking real support from his wide players (just the kind of support a certain Franck Ribéry would have provided!!!).

Germany played fairly well all over the pitch, but their defense might have been somewhat too static at times when dealing with France’s long aerial play and they were sometimes unable to efficiently execute the offside trap they have been trying to play.

Apart from the apparent lack of link-up play on the left side, the Germans did not do too bad in offense; but they were clearly missing that final touch in the box and were unable to get into genuinely threatening attacking positions in front of goal.

It was a rather different affair in the second half, with France coming out with a different attitude; pressing the Germans high up the pitch and looking to catch them off-guard quickly.

The French were looking more likely to score as time passed by and were playing with real flair and vigor in Germany’s half. They were effectively using both sides of the pitch, with their midfielders going on explosive forward runs in between German defenders.

Germany were playing in a very passive fashion and were unable to promptly adapt to the game’s current rhythm. They seemed a shadow of their selves from the first half and were constantly losing possession cheaply!

France went all-out in attack as coach Deschamps switched to a 4-4-2 variation; but they were in need of more precision in the opposition’s box because they were wasting numerous chances.

The Germans were not urgent enough in their offensive approach and seemed powerless to properly build play from the back and hold onto possession for a sufficient amount of time.

As the game came to an end, Germany wasted several clear-cut opportunities at sealing the game as Schürrle twice horribly mishit the ball following two very effective German counters.

France threw bodies forward but were not able to get a proper passing rhythm going and lacked some real urgency in attack.

A different story in the second half in comparison to the first; as France clearly played better in attack and midfield. They showed real tenacity going forward and had some really good opportunities which they should have buried, had it not been for some ineffective finishing (and also some good goal-keeping from Neuer).

Karim Benzema seemed all alone in attack at times and their midfielders could have been more precise in their passing and ball delivery.

The Germans put in a rather indifferent performance in attack in the second half, but they were very solid and stable at the back. They had difficulties getting back into the game after the break and lost possession way too easily on numerous occasions. Their attackers should have taken more advantage of their counters and finished the game then and there.


Man of the match: It’s a toss-up between Philipp Lahm and Mats Hummels as they both displayed an excellent show in defense so we’ll leave you to decide on that one!