2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Matches Highlights

Monday, June 30, 2014

African outsiders face European giants

MATCHDAY PREVIEW - Africa's two remaining teams return to the fray on Monday in a pair of Round of 16 showdowns against European powers. For Algeria, through to the knockout phase for the first time in their history, that means a daunting tie against three-time winners Germany, who have looked in excellent form so far at Brazil 2014. Les Fennecs(Desert Foxes) fear no one, though, and particularly not their upcoming opponents, having edged both of their previous meetings: a 2-0 friendly win in 1964 and a 2-1 success during the group stage at Spain 1982.

Nigeria can point to a similar record against their last-16 rivals France, with the only match between the teams ending in a 1-0 triumph for the Super Eagles in June 2009. Despite that,Les Bleus have emerged as a genuine force at this FIFA World Cup™, scoring eight goals in their first two games ahead of a goalless draw with Ecuador.

That contrasted with Nigeria's more delicate progress through a very open Group F, the African champions opening with a goalless stalemate against Iran before downing Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0 and losing 3-2 to Argentina in their most accomplished performance. The statistics suggest France are favourites, as does a comparison of the teams' respective trophy hauls. But who will shine when it matters?

The matchesRound of 16

France-Nigeria, Estadio Nacional, Brasilia, 13.00 (local time)

Germany-Algeria, Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, 17.00 (local time)

Glory beckons:Miroslav Klose needs just one more effort to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, having recently drawn level with Brazil legend Ronaldo on 15 strikes. The Germany marksman has registered once so far at Brazil 2014, after notching five goals in 2002, five in 2006 and four in 2010.

Proud record:Nigeria have become the first African team to reach the knockout phase for a third time, repeating the feat of their predecessors in 1994 and 1998. The continent still awaits its maiden semi-finalists, however, with a trio of sides having reached the last eight before exiting: Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana four years ago.

Five survivors:The Super Eagles saw off France 1-0 in a friendly in Saint-Etienne on 2 June 2009. Five players involved that day could feature in Brasilia: Patrice Evra, Loic Remy and Karim Benzema for France, plus Nigerian duo Peter Odemwingie and Vincent Enyeama.

French omen:France have grabbed a spot in the knockout phase for the sixth time since 1958. Each time Les Bleus have made it out of the group stage, they have gone on to reach at least the semi-finals, finishing third in 1958, fourth in 1982 and third in 1986 before lifting the Trophy in 1998 and reaching the Final in 2006.

German juggernaut:Germany will contest their 889th international when they tackle Algeria, with their previous fixtures yielding 515 wins, 181 draws and 192 losses. The three-time World Cup winners have rattled in 1,996 goals along the way, with an average of 2.24 per game.

Suspended players

None

Treading the tightrope

Benedikt Howedes (GER)

Nabil Bentaleb, Nabil Ghilas, Liassine Cadamuro, Djamel Mesbah, Madjid Bougherra (ALG)

Paul Pogba, Patrice Evra (FRA)

Juwon Oshaniwa, Kenneth Omeruo, John Obi Mikel (NGA)

Check it outThe tie between Algeria and Germany inevitably brings to mind memories of their last World Cup meeting 32 years ago. That day, in a group stage fixture at Spain 1982, Les Fennecs wrote one of the most glorious chapters in their history by stunning Die Nationalmannschaft 2-1. Revisit that sensational success in our video presentation, and via exclusive interviews with Lakhdar Belloumi and Rabah Madjer.

The question fans are asking themselves back in France is how Les Bleus have managed to become such a well-oiled unit with a seemingly unquenchable thirst for goals, plundering 26 and conceding just three in eight games since their play-off opener against Ukraine. In an exclusive interview with FIFA, coach Didier Deschamps provides his own take.

With the clock ticking down on France's showdown with Nigeria, FIFA.com also met up with Super Eagles stalwart Joseph Yobo, who briefly played in France during a spell at Marseille. Recently awarded his 100th cap, the veteran defender explains why he sees no reason to fear Benzema and Co.

On this dayBrazil clinched their fifth World Cup crown in Yokohama, Japan, on 30 June 2002, engineering a 2-0 victory against Germany in the Final. With current coach Luiz Felipe Scolari then enjoying his first stint at the Seleção helm, Brazil played in a 3-4-1-2 formation that featured the blistering talents of front trio Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Ronaldo. The latter hit the two winning goals in the second half, on his way to ending the tournament as top scorer on eight strikes, while captain Cafu became the first player to contest three consecutive World Cup deciders. Miroslav Klose, meanwhile, spearheaded Germany's attack.

Play and winMake your prediction for the adidas Golden Ball winner at Brazil 2014 and you could walk away with your very own piece of World Cup history from the Maracana Final on 13 July. The Grand Prize for the adidas Golden Ball Predictor is an official match ball used during the 2014 World Cup showpiece, so what are you waiting for?

Top tweetFrance defender Raphael Varane tweeted his thoughts before Monday's clash with Nigeria.
"A small break after training under extreme heat. Ready for the game tomorrow!"

Memory serves nerveless Navas well

Celso Borges set the ball rolling, putting Costa Rica ahead in the penalty shootout that followed their 1-1 draw with Greece in the last 16 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ on Sunday. Next up to the spot was Konstantinos Mitroglou, who held his nerve to put the Greeks level.

By the time Theofanis Gekas stepped up to take his kick, Los Ticos led 4-3, with every player having converted. Facing him was a former team-mate in Keylor Navas.

Taking up the story in an exclusive interview with FIFA.com, Navas said: “We played together at Levante and I remembered what he used to do in training. I was confident he wasn’t going to change the way he takes his penalties, and in the end I was able to keep it out.”

Having given his side the edge in the shootout, Navas then looked on as Michael Umana made full use of the advantage by firing home the winning spot-kick, sending the Central Americans into the last eight for the first time in their history. As he celebrated, Navas suddenly found himself engulfed by his jubilant team-mates.

Hearts and mindsThe scene capped a long but ultimately glorious night for the Costa Ricans, who began to dream when midfield maestro Bryan Ruiz stroked them into the lead after 52 minutes, much to the delight of a decidedly pro-Tico crowd at the Arena Pernambuco.

But just when it looked as if Jorge Luis Pinto’s side would be going through in normal time, Sokratis Papastathopoulos brought them right back down to earth with a stoppage-time equaliser for the Greeks.

We’ve always wanted to make history and you could see that here

Keylor Navas, Costa Rica goalkeeper

Reflecting on that agonising moment, the Levante keeper, who was named Budweiser Man of the Match, said: “It was very tough to take because the game was almost over. We handled it well, though. We didn’t give up despite being a man down. We kept our heads and kept believing we could make it.”

The first indication that Ticos fans would be in for a heart-stopping finale came on 66 minutes, when Oscar Duarte was sent off after picking up a second yellow card. His dismissal allowed the tenacious Greeks to take the initiative and left Costa Rica with no option but to grit their teeth and organise themselves as best they could.

By the time the referee blew his whistle to mark the end of extra-time, that man Navas had already made seven vital saves to keep his side in the game.

Recalling the moments before the shootout, the 27-year-old custodian said: “We got together in the centre of the pitch and had a chat. The message was that we’d worked so hard to get that far, and we were convinced we could win. I think everyone felt that deep down in their hearts and that’s why we got there in the end.

“There are no secrets. There are 25 of us, including the two guys who are injured but are here with us. We play from the bottom of our hearts, for our country. We’ve always wanted to make history and you could see that here.”

Then came Navas’ decisive reunion with Gekas. The duo had spent just three months together at Levante in the 2012/13 season, but it was time enough for the keeper to make a mental note of the Greek striker’s penalty-taking preferences.

“It’s a fantastic feeling. Thank God I was able to stop it,” explained Navas, who had warm words for his colleagues. “My team-mates also deserve praise for putting all their penalties away. I took confidence from that, and it definitely helped me.”

Up next for Navas and Co is a daunting trip to Salvador to face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, though as they have shown throughout Brazil 2014, the Costa Ricans care little about the reputations of the teams they face. All that is on their minds is the chance to keep on making history.

“This is a huge achievement for us,” said Navas, having the final word. “We are thrilled to bits and we’re doing something massively important for our country. We need to keep this feeling going. The Netherlands are a great side and one of the biggest teams in the world, but we’re going be just as determined when we play them and show the same character. We’ll be going out to win.”

World Cup Magazine 29 June 2014

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Boateng: I'm convinced Germany will go through

Visitors to Jerome Boateng’s official home page are greeted by the words: 'Live your dream'. The player then explains the thinking behind this inspirational rallying cry: "You’re lying there, still awake. You have images in your head, images of your idols. And then you see yourself, right there in their midst. You know it’s a dream. But then you start fighting to make it come true."

The Germany centre-half really is living the dream. He has won everything there is to win with his club Bayern Munich: domestic championships and knockout cups, the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup. The 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ is the 25-year-old’s second appearance at the global showdown and this time he is hoping he and his team-mates can capture the biggest prize of all.

"We have magnificent players and loads of quality in the starting line-up and on the bench," Boateng told FIFA. "It means we can always vary our play, and every one of us can influence the game at a moment’s notice. That’s definitely a plus."

No goals against Jerome
The Bayern man plays an important part in head coach Joachim Low’s defensive plan, lining up at right-back alongside Per Mertesacker, Mats Hummels and Benedikt Howedes and proving a composed and authoritative figure so far.

The Germans have conceded two goals in their three matches so far - and with Boateng in the starting line-up, the three-time world champions have kept two clean sheets. Intriguingly, the goals Philipp Lahm and Co let in against the Black Stars from Ghana were scored when Berlin-born Boateng was no longer on the field, as he had been substituted at half-time with a minor injury.

"We’ve done well so far apart from the second half against Ghana. It was end-to-end and totally open, and we didn’t want that. But we performed well against Portugal and USA. Overall, we can be happy enough. At the end of the day we’ve comfortably won our group, and now we want to take the next step against Algeria."

Monday’s opponents are difficult and dangerous, as Low has been repeatedly warning since the composition of the tie became clear. "You sense huge determination and passion. The players have French roots, and many of them have come through the very good French coaching system. And I’ve seldom seen such a physically robust team.

"Their forwards are quick and the defence is strong. Algeria keep it very tight and they’re smart tacklers. Anyone who believes we can start thinking about the quarter-finals already is making a big mistake. They have fantastic ability."

A dream come true
Boateng expressed similar opinions to the coach when he previewed Monday’s clash with the Africans in Porto Alegre. "We’re very focused," he said. "It’ll be a difficult match against tough opponents. They have nothing to lose, and we’ve got to be looking only at ourselves. But I’m convinced we’ll hit peak form and go through."

The player has visibly grown in stature and confidence since switching to Munich from Manchester City, reflected in the targets he set when he spoke to FIFA.com prior to leaving for Brazil: "I hope we make it to the Final, and then go on and win it."

The Germans appear to be running into form and the players feel at home in Brazil. "We’re relaxed and enjoying listening to Brazilian music. Our base is fantastic and the weather’s great, but that doesn’t mean there’s any danger of complacency."

If Low’s team do succeed in overcoming Algeria, big-name opponents lie in wait for the defender and his team-mates. With the prospect of such mouth-watering clashes, it is clear that Boateng is living the dream.

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Matches Highlights

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