Day 17:-

Netherlands vs. Mexico:-





The Mexicans were denied a historic win in the dying minutes of a match played under extreme climate conditions!


Coach Louis van Gaal stuck with the same formation he deployed against Chile in the final group-stage match; fielding a 3-man defensive backline behind 5 midfielders, of which 2 were acting in the DM-pivot, 2 were playing as SMs/WBs and a lone playmaker in Wesley Sneijder.

It is worth mentioning here that Coach Van Gaal was forced to reshuffle his formation a bit in the opening few minutes; as Nigel De Jong had to be substituted following an injury. Martins Indi came on for him and slotted directly in the 3rd CB position previously occupied by Blind, who was moved to his natural DM-role.

Mexico did not make any tactical changes and continued to play with the same formation that has been serving them so well at the WC so far.


The game began with the Mexicans applying proper pressure on the Dutch; opting to shoot from distance every time they found some space in the final third as the Netherlands defended deep.

It took a very long while for Holland to muster a shot on target (and it wasn’t anything special either); as they were allowing Mexico to dominate possession in the hopes that they could catch them on the break.

The Mexicans were coming ever-closer to scoring a goal; threatening the Netherlands mostly from the left side as the newly-drafted Paul Verhaegh was exploited time and again in that area of the field.

However, a bit more accuracy was needed from them as they seemed to waste numerous chances in front of goal, all the while the Netherlands barely offering anything of notice in attack and/or midfield!

The Dutch tried to regain control of the game by retaining possession and pressing Mexico into their own half in the final 10 minutes of the first period; but they were not able to create much from open play as they kept moving the ball laterally from one side to the other amidst some very compact and well-organized Mexican defending.

It was a tactical first half all in all, with Mexico being the better team in attack and also in defense; however, they were missing some much-needed physical presence in their opponent’s final third as well as an increased precision in front of goal.

The Dutch seemed asleep for most of the half; seemingly unable to find spaces while constantly passing the ball from side to side without any real purpose. Their lack of vertical balls and urgency in their build-up play might have hindered their chances in doing more with the possession they had at the very end.

Shortly after the second half started, Mexico got the goal for which they have been waiting for so long now. It all started with a long ball deep from the end of Mexico’s half, which was cleared rather awkwardly by Ron Vlaar, only for Dos Santos to pounce on it and unleash an amazing left-footed shot from distance to take the lead for the Mexicans!

From that point on, the match became a completely different affair; as more spaces started opening-up in both teams’ halves, with the Dutch adding a (previously unseen) crucial element of width to their play.

Mexico were defending deep and waiting to launch quick counter-attacks, while the Dutch seemed more and more frustrated; for they were unable to make the most of the increased possession they had been enjoying at the time.

The Dutch were not urgent enough in their offensive approach, while also lacking clear creativity in midfield and a proper passing rhythm with which they could create chances from open-play.

Mexico were attempting to slow the game’s tempo every time they got the ball, and also took a shot at pressing the Netherlands back for a brief period during the latter stages of the game.

Soon enough, the entire course of the game changed in less than 5 minutes!

It all began with a Dutch corner; Huntelaar heading Robben’s cross into the path of Sneijder, who quickly smashed an unstoppable shot into the bottom left corner of the rather impressive Ochoa for the equalizer!

A few minutes later, Robben was at it again. This time zig-zagging through the left side of Mexico’s defense, only to be lightly fouled by Rafael Márquez inside the box for a very late and dramatic penalty; which Huntelaar coolly converted to win the match for the Netherlands and cause so many Mexicans true WC heartache!

It was a rather insipid display of football from the Dutch for the majority of the game; seemingly out of ideas going forward and in midfield, lacking real width and urgency in their offensive approach and extremely flakey at the back. However, Coach Van Gaal, once again, got his tactical changes somewhat spot-on; as that increased physical presence which Huntelaar provided eventually paid-off (twice)!

Mexico were truly the better side in almost all areas of the pitch and were really unlucky to lose this game. They were undone by the fact that they did not convert any of their counter-attacks when the Dutch were looking for an equalizer; as their lack of an established out-and-out striker in the middle of the Netherlands’ defense cost them deeply in terms of clinical finishing!


Man of the match: Arjen Robben (it would’ve easily gone to Ochoa and/or Herrera had Mexico won!): He huffed and puffed for most of the game; giving it 110% till the very end and showed his class in another impressive (somewhat late) display!

Day 16:-

Brazil vs. Chile:-





The Brazilian nation was on its feet during the majority of this pulsating and nerve-wrecking match!

The game began in a very physical manner as the Chileans were double-pressing Brazil, whenever they lost possession, almost everywhere on the pitch; leading to numerous tussles and fouls.

The tension in the game only grew with every passing minute, with Brazil somehow allowing Chile more time on the ball while they played mostly on the counter and the passing quality being rather poor from both sides.

The Brazilians were defending deep, with Vidal and Alexis both closely being marked by Gustavo and Fernandhino respectively. Chile were unable to impose themselves with their high-pressure game and their frustration only increased after the own goal Jara had scored following a Brazilian corner.

Hulk’s mistake as he timidly passed the ball to Luiz proved to be a crucial moment for Chile; as Vargas quickly pounced on it to pass to Sánchez, who had the space and time to place a low shot past a helpless Júlio César for the equalizer!

The last 10 minutes or so of the half saw Brazil go on the offensive, pushing more forward while focusing mostly on aerial play and set-pieces; but both teams’ continued aggressiveness off the ball only lead to the game being stopped more often than not.

It was an extremely physical first half. Both sides used a lot of force to attempt to retain possession and slow the other team’s tempo, which lead to very few attacks being launched from open play. Chile started with a high-press game; but were unable to get a proper passing rhythm in order to find spaces in the final third.

Brazil played mostly on the counter as they showed some tactical flexibility in dealing with their opponents, with aerial balls and set-pieces fundamental to their chances of scoring a goal. They also lacked some accuracy in their passing as well as an element of clinical finishing in front of goal.

The game saw more spaces opening-up in the second half as both sides opted for a less aggressive approach amidst the sweltering afternoon climate conditions.

However, that did not raise the game’s tempo much and Brazil were still allowing Chile to dominate play, while focusing on counter-attacks themselves; but both teams were losing possession in key areas.

The Brazilians seemed a bit more “relaxed” with their approach as their passing became ever-more wayward. Chile, on the other hand, began to retreat into their own half; barely risking too much in attack as they looked to exploit spaces in Brazil’s backline from deep areas via long balls.

Brazil started to attempt to build their attacks from the back as the 90 minutes came to a close; but their lack of creativity in midfield and their wasteful passing hindered their chances of ever scoring.

A rather subdued second half in terms of tempo and rhythm from either side. Brazil seemed out of ideas going forward and were too wasteful in possession, while their lack of an out-and-out target striker only made things worse for them.

Chile were more tactically in control but were not urgent enough in their offensive approach; as they seemed to opt against risking anything of notice up front.

The first half of extra time saw only Brazil attacking mostly as the Chileans defended fairly deep; seemingly content with a draw and not interested in committing bodies forward.

Brazil’s were pressuring Chile all over the pitch and launching attacks from almost all areas; but they were needing a bit more accuracy in front of goal.

The final 15 minutes of the game did not produce anything fruitful; as exhaustion and fatigue really kicked-in for both sets of players.

The Brazilians were moving the ball laterally, not being able to cut through Chile’s defense and clearly lacking urgency; while the Chileans were mostly subdued all over the pitch as the game slowly faded-out.

At the end of it all, Brazil fortunately triumphed via penalty-kicks and their WC adventure continues for at least another week…

Question is: Is this THE most-qualified team to win the WC at the moment???


Man of the match: Claudio Bravo: The most consistent player throughout the entire 120 minutes between both teams’ players; clearly showed why FC Barcelona gladly paid over 10 million Euros for his services!

Day 15:-

USA vs. Germany:-





With the constant speculation as to whether or not both teams would play out a drab draw, not one single player from either side showed such an intention in an interesting match!

There weren’t any major tactical changes in both teams’ set-ups; as Coach Joachim Löw once again began the game with a “false nine” system, while US head Coach Jürgen Klinsmann stuck with his formation and tactics from the previous 2 games.

It was all about Germany in the opening stages of the first half; taking full control of the game, constantly exchanging short passes in midfield and switching play from one side to the other as the US defended deep.

The US were having difficulties imposing themselves on the game; due to Germany’s high-press game whenever they lost possession and the fact that they kept closing down spaces at the back.

The Germans were pretty straight-forward in their offensive approach; coming in from the sides and sending one low cross after another into the box.

The game’s tempo became rather subdued as time passed by, with the US team looking dangerous on the counter, all the while still defending fairly deep. Germany were somewhat lacking accuracy in their passing; losing possession, more than once, in crucial areas as they seemed unable to do much with the ball.

It is worth noting here that Coach Löw’s insistence on playing a false-nine striker hindered Germany’s chances of being able to find spaces in the opposition’s box; as there was almost no central German physical presence in the final third.

Germany struggled more and more to launch proper attacks as the half drew to a close. They were playing with too much width but no real penetration into the US’ box!

Meanwhile, Team USA were relying on long vertical play; looking to send high balls behind Germany’s, somewhat, static backline and catch them off-guard.

It was a tactical first half more than anything else. The US defended deep, but not too compact, aiming to counter-attack the Germans and play long balls.

Germany had the upper hand in terms of ball possession but were not very productive on it; hurt by the lack of physical offensive presence in front of the US’ goal.

Coach Löw decided to immediately address the aforementioned issue at the start of the second half by sending on Miro Klose to play in the center of Germany’s attack.

The game restarted with pretty much an encore of the first half. Germany were in full control; passing around to probe for spaces as Özil dropped deep and began playing from more central areas.

Despite the US defenders playing a more compact game at the back in the second half so far, Germany were able to take the lead courtesy of a Thomas Müller curling shot after Tim Howard had done brilliantly well to save Per Mertesacker's header following a corner.

The game became more open after the goal as the US began to push further forward hoping to grab the equalizer. The Germans, on the other hand, began to play with more freedom; comfortably passing the ball around and interchanging positions in midfield.

Slowly, the match’s tempo began to drop once more; Germany seemingly unable to get a proper passing sequence going, while the US were not urgent enough with their attacks.

The closing stages of the match saw the US play in such a way as if they were content with the 1-0 score-line; as they were not committing any extra bodies forward and still defending fairly deep.

On the other hand, the Germans were rather passive in their attacking approach; showing signs of fatigue from all the running amongst the harsh rainy conditions.

To sum it up, it was another fine defensive US performance, opting for a physical game and limiting themselves to playing counter-attacks; which might have been more fruitful had they played with more urgency.

The Germans did not perform too bad in defense either, and proved that they are more than capable of closing out a game when needed. They were somewhat ineffective in front of goal at times, with some wayward passing affecting their forward momentum.

One wonders how many more games Coach Löw needs to witness before he finally realizes that his “false nine” system is just not as good as he would like it to be, given the current crop of German players at his disposal!


Man of the match: Omar Gonzalez: A great solid display at the back as he put his body and soul into the game; preventing several dangerous German chances.

Day 14:-

Nigeria vs. Argentina:-





A match that was, more or less, literally defined during the first 5 minutes of each half!

There weren’t many changes from both teams’ previous games in terms of their formations or tactical set-ups. The only thing worth mentioning would be Coach Alejandro Sabella’s decision to play Messi as a pure center-forward behind the striker duo of Agüero and Higuaín (in comparison to the right-wing role from their last match); as Coach Sabella looked to fully utilize Messi’s attacking abilities.

The game saw one of the best starts to a match at the WC so far, with a goal from each team in the opening 3 minutes; as both sides still had not gotten accustomed to the tempo and rhythm of the match yet.

Nigeria were not defending as deep as was expected from them; however, Argentina were the ones in constant possession of the ball.

The Argentinians were pressing Nigeria back into their own half, going at their defense from all sides of the pitch; a tactic further aided by Nigeria’s continued disability of holding onto possession for long enough to get themselves out of such a situation and build something forward.

The game’s tempo began to drop significantly as time passed by; as Argentina were too slow in creating chances from open play and sometimes deliberately subduing their own pace in a feeble attempt to use the increased possession they were enjoying to literally pass their way through Nigeria’s defense.

It was a rather poor tactic; as Argentina were unable to create any real chances from open play and ended up constantly wasting possession in crucial areas, further diminishing their urgency in attack. The Nigerians were defending well but were too static in their forward play; barely offering anything of notice up-front.

The half came to an end shortly after Messi’s efficient free-kick-goal, onto which, for some reason, Enyeama decided not to pounce; even though he was moving with the correct pace in the correct direction!

In summation, it wasn’t such a great first half by any standards from either side. Argentina put in an insipid display of football as they were seemingly playing without a clear offensive plan; not knowing what to do with the ball for all the possession they had and, instead, depending on set-pieces and long shots.

Nigeria played a compact and well-organized game at the back; but did not offer anything threatening, besides the goal, on the counter and, sometimes, gave away possession too cheaply.

The second half began in a somewhat similar fashion to the first as Nigeria grabbed a quick goal after Musa exchanged a brilliant one-two with Emenike from a rather deep position. Admittedly, it was bizarre to see how Argentina’s defenders were left, somewhat, WATCHING Musa run through on goal to score!

Shortly after that, Argentina regained the lead from a corner amidst some poor Nigerian marking; with Rojo being rather fortunate to flick the ball into the back of the net.

Argentina’s game in the second half had a real element of width to it; as Lavezzi (on for the injured Agüero) constantly ran the channels for them and offered a crucial dimension to their play which they clearly lacked in the first half.

The Argentinians were better in attack in the second half; fully utilizing the entire width of the pitch to get their long and through balls in behind Nigeria’s defense.

Nigeria seemed flustered and still struggling to regroup after that 5th goal; but it did not last for long as they began to attack more and more as time passed by, with Argentina playing on the break this time.

The closing minutes of the match saw Argentina defend fairly deep as they looked to close-out the game; but they were lacking a bit of precision in front of goal every time they quickly counter-attacked.

Nigeria’s lack of urgency in their build-up play and actual attacks, probably due to exhaustion, did not aid them at grabbing a late equalizer as the game came to an end.

Given the way the match went, it would be an understatement to say that Nigeria did not hold anything back from Argentina and were brave in their offensive approach; even though they lacked real urgency at certain times. Their defense under-performed in the set-piece-department as they were too static; but on a whole, they were more organized and compact than Argentina’s back-line for most parts of the game.

Argentina were largely subdued in the first half; lacking creativity and width in their forward play. They slightly improved in those areas in the second half and also showed a flexible side to their game; as they opted to play on the break for the latter stages of the game. All in all, it was not an entirely convincing performance from them though (story of their WC campaign so far)!


Man of the match: Ángel di María: Did NOT lay back for even one second during the entire match; constantly running between Nigeria’s lines and looking to exploit spaces!

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!

Day 11:-

USA vs. Portugal:-





It is “half-time” at the WC already and tonight we were given another reminder as to how powerful the spirit of football can be!

Both coaches were forced to make some (fundamental?) changes to their respective teams’ formations and tactical set-ups; as both squads suffered recent injury setbacks.

The match’s tempo and overall shape was not even settled yet when Portugal already found the net; with the US defense struggling to clear a long ball inside their own box for Nani to capitalize and make it 1-0.

Portugal’s early high-press game seemed to be working well as the US team struggled to cope with the pressure and always seemed nervous whenever they got on the ball.

That, however, did not last too long as the Americans began to go forward with real bravery; refusing to hold back and somewhat silencing Portugal for a good chunk of the first half following the first goal.

Portugal’s attacking front were switching sides to probe for spaces as they looked to penetrate the US’ defense when they had possession. Team USA were, on the other hand, lacking a good element of creativity in midfield as they failed to really open-up play and spark proper attacks.

The final stages of the first half witnessed the US limiting themselves to shots from distance, while Portugal were, more or less, impotent in attack as they seemed too passive in their play.

All in all, the half started really brightly but both teams proceeded to slowing the game’s tempo amidst the hot and humid conditions in Manaus. Portugal were playing in a more compact manner but they were in dire need of more width; as Ronaldo was moving more and more into central areas.

Meanwhile, the US attacked well but weren’t able to produce proper chances in the opposition’s box as they opted for long shots more often than not.

It was rather clear shortly after the start of the second half that the US were lacking real physical presence in Portugal’s defensive zones; with Dempsey carrying too much on his shoulders in terms of attacking responsibilities.

Portugal began the second half by imposing a more vibrant playing style and looking to enforce a more dynamic offensive approach.

The US slowly grew into the game as they launched counter-attacks rather well; but they were being somewhat wasteful in front of goal.

There was a recurring theme among Portugal’s play in which they were constantly avoiding playing on the wings and focusing more on cutting through the middle of the US’s midfield and defense; a rather counter-productive tactic given the quality of players they have on the flanks!

Jones’ (deserved) equalizer gave the US confidence and they became more comfortable with the way the game was going. It also saw Portugal commit more bodies forward which pretty much emptied out their central midfield areas as they went for the win (consequences soon!).

The final phase of the game involved Portugal double-pressing the US defenders from the get-go as they tried to close down spaces as soon as possible. It was actually working well but whenever they retained possession and went forward, they were too timid in front of goal as the nerves started creeping up on them.

The aforementioned consequences came in the shape of Jones gaining ground on Portugal’s shallow midfield and playing the ball wide to the speedy Yedlin, and the rest was just a blur for Portugal’s defense as the US went 2-1 up.

A moment of creative brilliance from Ronaldo combined with a lapse in concentration, as well as exhaustion, from the USA’s defenders saw Portugal grab a very late equalizer to deny the US a deserved win!

On a whole, the US were the better team on the night; for they showed real spirit, hunger and tenacity going forward and just came closer and closer with every attack.

Portugal have only themselves to blame for some poor defending, a lack of creativity in midfield, their inflexibility of play by insisting on vertical, central attacks and the fact that they were not lethal in front of goal. It is worth mentioning that they are rather unfortunate for the ridiculous amount of injuries they have suffered so far.


Man of the match: Jermaine Jones: A great all-round performance from the midfield man; as he was involved in both of Team USA’s goals.

Day 10:-

Germany vs. Ghana:-





Africa’s biggest genuine hope were extremely close to a first triumph at this WC amidst the Germans’ usual “second game syndrome”!

The game began with Germany controlling the pace and flow of things with their ball possession as Ghana took a step back and defended fairly deep.

The Ghanaians ensured spectators of an open-end game with their courage of grabbing their chances every time they went on the counter!

The Germans were more in control of the game as time passed; as the slick passing between the trio of Özil, Müller and Götze allowed them to freely interchange positions and roam around Ghana’s defense looking to exploit spaces.

Ghana, on the other hand, were not offering too much in Germany’s box and were too passive in their offensive approach.

It was an increasingly interesting first half from both sides; with Germany’s dynamism and good passing rhythm causing Ghana’s back-line all sorts of problems as their “false” strikers kept getting into dangerous positions.

The Germans might have been undone by some lack of precision in front of goal and a more imposing element of clinical finishing was needed. Meanwhile, Ghana were pretty courageous in their approach but a tad slow in their build-up play leading to numerous counter-attacks.

The second half did not go for long before Germany exploited acres of space in Ghana’s defense; as Özil passed play to Müller, who whipped in a brilliant cross for Götze to give Germany the lead with a somewhat fortunate header.

Ghana responded swiftly with a headed goal of their own after the timid figure of André Ayew jumped over early-second-half-sub Mostafi for the equalizer.

From that point on, Ghana were much faster in constructing their attacks; but Gyan was acting too static when given the ball, while Germany were suffering a mini-shock after the 1-1 score.

Philip Lahm’s misplaced pass (a rarity!) in midfield followed by Khedira’s slow response time (NOT a rarity!) saw Ghana launch a quick counter-attack which ended with Gyan blasting the ball past a helpless Neuer for a 2-1 lead!

Coach James Appiah’s reluctance to immediately shore up his defense and protect his backline with another DM came back to haunt Ghana as Germany soon scored from a corner-kick amidst some poor marking and defending in the box.

Ghana came very close to sealing a win in the final stages but the lack of chemistry between some of their players, coupled with their inconsistency in front of goal and their passing imprecision meant it all ended with a draw.

At the end of it all, Germany might feel undone by their rather timid offensive approach due to the ineffectiveness of their “false nine” system, and it would be perplexing if Coach Joachim Löw does NOT opt for a formation with a classic striker, i.e. Klose, in their upcoming game(s).

Ghana will be kicking themselves for not converting the numerous chances they had to effectively finish the game (both BEFORE and after Germany’s equalizer) in a truly exciting end-to-end game!


Man of the match: Mesut Özil: He was on top of his game today; constantly buzzing around Ghana’s defense and creating wonderful opportunities for his teammates (including that corner which lead to their 2nd goal).

Day 9:-

Switzerland vs. France:-





On display today: the perfect scenario which depicts how exactly ONE incident can SEVERELY alter the proceedings of a match in many, many ways.

Coach Didier Deschamps decided to ditch his formation and tactical outlay from last game and start with two out-and-out strikers. It was a rendition swaying between a 4-4-2 diamond set-up and a holding 4-3-3 line-up.

The game started brightly with France taking the initiative from the get-go, while the Swiss were sticking to their usual deep defensive tactics which has served them so well under Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld for more than half a decade.

THE deciding moment of the game came when Olivier Giroud flung his foot high into the face of Von Bergen for the Swiss defender to be immediately ruled out of contention for the match and substituted by Philippe Senderos. Surprisingly, more like UNSURPRISINGLY (given the extremely poor officiating quality so far at the WC), Giroud did not get any card from the referee and the game just went from bad to worse for Switzerland from that point on.

France’s ability to hold onto possession and switch play eventually saw them win a corner-kick which lead to their first goal courtesy of a somewhat spectacular Giroud header amid some poor marking from the Swiss defense.

Switzerland barely had time to kick-off and attempt to bounce back when Behrami’s wayward pass was intercepted by Benzema, who played Matuidi through in a quick counter-attack and the PSG midfielder made it 2-0.

The Swiss attempted to immediately press France high up the pitch but their fixation on playing on the wings and not attempting to slice through France’s midfield hindered their chances of ever coming back into this game. Meanwhile, France looked increasingly threatening every time they went forward!

The French were easily opening up spaces in Switzerland’s defense as the Swiss were more concerned about attack at the time and both teams were getting proper chances on goal which they failed to convert.

The first half came to an end with France embarking upon another ultra-quick counter-attack, following a Switzerland corner-kick, which saw Giroud square the ball to Valbuena who tapped it in for a 3-0 lead.

Absolute misery was piled on the Swiss after Von Bergen’s injury and subsequent substitution! The game might have taken a slightly different course had Switzerland converted one or two of their chances before France scored that killer second goal.

Obviously, France were very ruthless in front of goal in the first half and the Swiss lacked precision in their passing as well as a good degree of compactness ever since Senderos came on.

The second half saw Switzerland apply more pressure with their entire team playing in France’s own half; however, the French back-line was looking very solid and didn’t seem to be bothered about the Swiss’ oncoming high-press game.

Most of the second half was just a painful thing to watch from a Swiss point of view as the “Fat lady” kept singing and Swizterland conceded two more goals with Benzema bagging one and assisting Sissoko in the other.

They did, however, score two (somewhat brilliant) late consolation goals at a time when France’s defense were being a tad too relaxed due to the previous 5-0 score-line.

The final whistle couldn’t have come any sooner for the entire Swiss squad and staff as they endured a terrible evening; with a 2-5 final result, more or less, due to the loss of Von Bergen and the subsequent repercussions.

France took most of the chances that were presented to them but they did, at times, display some worrying wasteful play and, to be honest, Coach Didier Deschamps’ squad still has not faced a proper test yet.


Man of the match:-

This could have gone to any number of French attacking players; but, for the sake of abiding the “norm”, we’ll go with:-

Karim Benzema: An assist and a goal to his name, on top of a powerful and commanding performance, all suggest that he still has a lot to prove to the world this year!

Day 8:-

Uruguay vs. England:-





On a night when the stakes were so high, the English were left to rue what never was and, perhaps, feel a tad undone by one or two key moments that could have altered the course of their WC campaign.


The game saw some changes in both teams’ formations; with Coach Roy Hodgson opting to deploy Wayne Rooney in the No. 10 role which suits him best, while also pushing Sterling to his natural right-wing position as England looked to get the most out of their players, all the while attempting to retain the balance they somewhat had against Italy.

Meanwhile, with Uruguay Captain Diego Lugano injured and LB Maxi Pereira suspended, Coach Óscar Tabárez chose to switch Martín Cáceres to the right side of defense to accommodate natural LM Álvaro Pereira in the LB role.

Moreover, in order to accommodate both of Uruguay’s main (brilliant) strikers cohesively, coach Tabárez dropped Gargano in favor of Álvaro González as he looked to play a natural diamond formation in favor of the flat 2 DM midfield line-up from the Costa Rica game. The fulcrum of said formation was Nicolás Lodeiro who offered impressive levels of dynamism and technicality in the offensive AM role.


The changes reaped wonders for both sides (more for Uruguay though) as both teams seemed more confident in their style of play than their previous games.

Uruguay spent a good amount of the first half pressing England all over the pitch; but at the same time exercising a level of caution at the back so as to avoid leaving any gaping holes either sides of the pitch.

England were a tad passive in their play and seemed out of ideas at times during the first half when they were holding onto possession.

The fact that Uruguay were effectively closing down spaces limited England’s options going forward, and they were forced to constantly shift the ball from one side to the other. Uruguay, meanwhile, were not offering much in the way of creative midfield play.

The game was very tight for the majority of the first half with many physical challenges between several players. England were rather flat in their offensive approach and were lacking that spark which Rooney was supposed to provide; mainly because he was closely and excellently being zeroed-out by Arévalo Ríos.

The first half ended shortly after Uruguay managed a quick counter-attack in which Lodeiro played Cavani through, who sent a beautiful cross behind Jagielka (remind you of the Italy game?!) for Suarez to score.

It was a very tactical game from both teams for most of the half; with Uruguay successfully closing down spaces with their compact set-up and making sure that Rooney didn’t get much freedom (although, one has to admit that they should consider themselves lucky for not being down to 10 men as Godín clearly deserved to be given his marching orders TWICE!).

England’s lack of offensive ideas and dynamic play saw them fail to properly utilize possession in the first half. In addition, they weren’t very lethal with executing set-pieces (pretty uncommon!).

The second half saw Uruguay dominate play for a while as England were struggling to get the ball out of their own half.

The English were simply not committing enough bodies forward, not being aggressive enough and also failing to create real threats in the opposition’s final third. Uruguay, on the other hand, were executing their game plan pretty well; defending in numbers and waiting for counters.

It is worth mentioning here that Uruguay’s deep defensive line left a good amount of space in midfield of which England were not able to take advantage as they did not have the required physical presence in those areas (which is why Rickie Lambert should have been sent straight on!).

Sturridge’s individual technique saw him play Johnson down the right; who, somewhat luckily, exploited space in Uruguay’s defense to, in one way or another, pass the ball across to Rooney to equalize.

At that point, the game was in full “action” mode and neither side was going to settle for anything BUT a win!

Sadly though for England, the fact that they still hadn’t sent in Lambert saw them continue to lack physicality up front at a time when Uruguay’s defense was most vulnerable.

Gerrard’s mistake with his backwards header lead to Uruguay's, and Suárez's, second goal; which saw the night come to a disappointing end for the English as they JUST fell short once again.

All in all, it was an extremely tactical match; with Uruguay being 100% better than what they displayed against Costa Rica as they put in a solid performance in defense and were ruthless in front of goal.

England did not do bad themselves and were undone by their lack of ideas, creativity in midfield and physical presence in the final third as they focused more on retaining the ball and trying to run the channels more often than not.


Man of the match: Luis Suárez: Showed no mercy every time he got himself in a goal-scoring position and it would be quite an understatement to say that he is Uruguay’s best hope of WC success.