Germany crushed Brazil 7-1 at a dramatic semifinal for the hosts in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Germany is the first team ever to score 7 goals at a semifinal match. On the flip side, it was Brazil that scored 5 goals in the 1958 World Cup.
Download and watch what might be the most unexpected score of the 2014 World Cup below.
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Uruguay striker Luis Suarez is out of the World Cup after being handed a nine-match ban by football’s world governing body FIFA.
FIFA banned the striker from all football activities for four months for biting an opponent at the World Cup, ruling him out of the rest of the tournament and the start of the upcoming Premier League season.
The ban also covers Uruguay’s next nine international games, which goes beyond the next four months and rules him out of next year’s Copa America.
FIFA also fined the Liverpool striker 100,000 Swiss francs ($127,000 NZD).
The ban is effective immediately, meaning Suarez will miss Uruguay’s round-of-16 game against Colombia on Saturday. Suarez bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during Uruguay’s 1-0 win in the group stage.
Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA disciplinary committee, says “such behaviour cannot be tolerated on any football pitch and particularly at the World Cup”.
AFP
MATCHDAY PREVIEW – The action continues in Brazil with four teams victorious in their opening games vying to build on winning starts. Costa Rica were particularly impressive in their surprise success against Uruguay, racking up three goals for the first time in a FIFA World Cup™ match, and they now take on an Italy team that has scored at least once in their last 15 finals fixtures.
Elsewhere, Group E rivals Switzerland and France know each other well already. The neighbouring nations have met 36 times in the past, with Les Bleus enjoying the upper hand thanks to a record of 15 wins, nine draws and 12 defeats. France also looked more assured in their opener, making light work of Honduras, whereas the Swiss needed to dig deep to secure a late triumph against an enterprising Ecuador side. The winners of the summit meeting between the section leaders will advance if the other match ends drawn.
In that game, Honduras can expect a stiff examination from Ecuador, and will need all their defensive solidity to frustrate opponents boasting considerable attacking flair. The history books slightly favour the South Americans too, with La Tri earning three victories and seven draws from their 12 encounters.
The matches
Italy-Costa Rica (Group D), Arena Pernambuco, Recife, 13.00 (local time)
Switzerland-France (Group E), Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, 16.00 (local time)
Honduras-Ecuador (Group E), Arena da Baixada, Curitiba, 19.00 (local time)
Did you know?
Trading places: Ecuador and Honduras can make do without training-camp spies as their respective coaches are already fully clued into what makes their opponents tick. Ecuador boss Reinaldo Rueda oversaw the CONCACAF hopefuls at the 2010 World Cup, no less, although his reign was not a fruitful one. As for Honduras’s Luis Fernando Suarez, he steered La Tri to the Round of 16 at Germany 2006.
French forebears: Karim Benzema’s double against Honduras made him the first France player to score two goals in a World Cup game since Zinedine Zidane lit up the Final on 12 July 1998. Benzema came close to notching a treble too, Los Catrachos‘s goalkeeper turning a shot from the Real Madrid forward into his own net. As a result, he missed out on the team’s first World Cup hat-trick since Just Fontaine fired three goals past Paraguay in 1958, en route to ending the tournament on 13 strikes. Encouraging omens for Les Bleus?
Better late than never: Switzerland’s 2-1 opening success against Ecuador was the side’s maiden victory against South American opposition at this level, their five previous tests yielding four defeats and a draw. The win was sealed courtesy of goals from a pair of substitutes, something only six other teams had managed in World Cup contests.
Suspended players
Wilson Palacios (Honduras)
Treading the tightrope
Johan Djourou (Switzerland), Paul Pogba, Yohan Cabaye and Patrice Evra (France), Luis Garrido and Oscar Garcia (Honduras), Juan Carlos Paredes (Ecuador)
Check it out
Catenaccio is dead – long live Cesare Prandelli. Since his appointment in 2010, the Italy coach has overseen a change in mentality, laying down a new philosophy for his side: “Let’s have fun, give pleasure to spectators and always move in that direction.” Find out more and all the latest from the Nazionale camp on our dedicated Italy page.
Have France finally uncovered a striker with the same goalscoring pedigree as Just Fontaine in Karim Benzema? The Madrid man has made a promising start to Brazil 2014, but he still has a long way to go to match Justo‘s 13 strikes in a single World Cup edition.
If La Tri‘s display against Switzerland gave you a taste for Ecuadorian football, you may be fascinated to learn about the country’s passionate capital derby between Liga de Quito and Deportivo Quito. Take a closer look at one of South America’s most fervent rivalries.
On this day
Basel was the host venue on 20 June 1954 as tournament favourites Hungary handed West Germany one of the most crippling defeats in their history, winning 8-3 in the third match in Group B. Ferenc Puskas was the star at the heart of the ‘Mighty Magyars’ side – who had won 6-3 at Wembley the previous year to become the first team to beat England on home soil – but it was Sandor Kocsis who took the plaudits against West Germany. Nicknamed ‘Golden Head’, he buried four goals that day, going on to rack up 11 for the tournament, including seven headed efforts. The Germans exacted revenge in the Final on 4 July, however, winning 3-2 in the legendary ‘Miracle of Bern’.
Play and win
You too can take part in the World Cup! You may not be able to slip on a shirt and take to the pitch, but for each game you can vote for the Man of the Match and help decide who deserves the award for their performance.
Top tweet
Italy striker Mario Balotelli tweeted his expectations should Gli Azzurri take down Costa Rica.
If we beat Costa Rica i want a kiss, obviously on the cheek, from the UK Queen..
— Mario Balotelli (@FinallyMario) June 19, 2014
James Rodriguez always puts his head to good use on the field of play, no matter whether he is picking out team-mates for one of his pinpoint passes or shooting with his fearsome left foot.
Against Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday, however, the Cafetero playmaker used his head for an altogether different purpose, powering home the ball with it to put his side in the lead, following up shortly afterwards with a helping hand as Juan Quintero scored what turned out to be Colombia’s winner. Rodriguez could hardly have picked a better time to showcase his heading abilities and he celebrated by leading his team in a joyous dance routine.
Chatting to FIFA.com afterwards, he spoke about his little-known prowess in the air: “I’ve scored a few headers before, though not many to be honest, maybe three or four in my whole career. But this one was the most important of the lot and it’s made me happier than any other.”
No way! Was that Drogba who was marking me? That makes me even happier.
James Rodriguez
What made his header all the more impressive was the fact that the men he beat in the air were Didier Zokora and Didier Drogba, who had dropped back to lend a helping hand in defence.
“No way! Was that Drogba who was marking me?”, said a surprised Rodriguez on learning who his marker was. “That makes me even happier (laughs). I’m just happy to score and help my team get the win.”
Willing to do anything to help the Colombian cause, the prolific midfielder also put in the tackle that started the move for his side’s second goal.
“I just want to help out,” he said, “and if I have to make a tackle, then I’ll make one. I want to score, I want to set up goals, and I want to win the ball. I’ll do anything for this team.”
Voted the Budweiser Man of the Match for the second game running and also a scorer in his side’s Group C opener against Greece, the Monaco player could hardly have made a better start to Brazil 2014.
Now all but through to the Round of 16 after winning back-to-back World Cup matches for the first time ever, Colombia have been delighting the fans with their sparkling play. Just like Rodriguez, the supporters are also doing everything they can for Los Cafeteros, virtually filling the Estadio Mane Garrincha in Brasilia by themselves, just as they had done at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte a few days earlier.
“It’s incredible,” said the No10. “Getting this kind of support gives us a real lift during matches. I know we’re playing in Brazil but it feels like we’re at home. With fans like these, we can go far.”
How far, no one quite knows, though one thing is for sure: even without the injured Radamel Falcao, Colombia are on a roll and using their heads to great effect. Just ask James Rodriguez
THE DAY REPLAYED – Drama, joy and emotion – three essential ingredients of any FIFA World Cup™ – were in plentiful supply on Thursday. It was a day on which heroes joined forces to lead their teams to glory, while others completed unlikely comebacks and one player in particular was unable to withstand the emotion of it all, leading to a rumour or two on social networking sites.
All in all, it was another excellent day for South America, with Colombia striding into the second round for the first time in 24 years, while Uruguay bounced back to revive their hopes of pulling off another Maracanazo and leave England’s chances of making further progress hanging by a thread. Bringing the day to a close was the third goalless draw of the competition, played out by Greece and Japan.
Results
Colombia 2-1 Côte d’Ivoire (Budweiser Man of the Match: James Rodriguez, COL)
Uruguay 2-1 England (Budweiser Man of the Match: Luis Suarez, URU)
Greece 0-0 Japan (Budweiser Man of the Match: Keisuke Honda, JPN)
Memorable moments
• Any footballer will tell you that there is only one thing better than winning a match, and that’s winning it with your friends. Two old pals who did exactly that today are childhood buddies James Rodriguez and Juan Fernando Quintero. The Envigado youth products scored the two goals that allowed Colombia to dispose of Côte d’Ivoire and advance to the Round of 16. Two more old acquaintances to combine to great effect later in the day were Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. Born only 21 days apart in the same Uruguayan city of Salto, the two-man strike force made their name at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 and teamed up yet again to down England in Sao Paulo.
• Côte d’Ivoire midfielder Serey Die struggled to contain his emotions when his country’s national anthem started to sound ahead of the Group C meeting with Colombia at the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia, the music prompting him to burst into tears. Though an unusual sight in itself, the scene prompted some even more unlikely speculation online, as the rumour began to spread that the player’s tears were due to the death of his father just two hours before kick-off. Speaking exclusively to FIFA.com after the match, Die put everyone in the picture: “The rumours are totally false. The only reason I cried was because I was very emotional about playing for my country.”
• Just 28 days after undergoing knee surgery, Charrua talisman Luis Suarez crowned his unlikely return to action with a match-winning brace against England. La Celeste’s 2-1 win triggered much jubilation in Uruguay, with supporters even going to the length of creating a photo of the striker dressed as Jose Artigas, one of the country’s most illustrious sons, who just happened to be born 250 years ago today.
• Colombia completed a fine comeback of their own on Thursday, clinching a place in the last 16 of the competition for the first time since Italy 1990. Twenty-four years on from the exploits of Rene Higuita, Carlos Valderrama and Freddy Rincon et al, the Colombians have finally found a new breed ready to emulate the heroes of yesteryear. The day’s final game saw one more notable reappearance, as Greece’s iconic No10 Georgios Karagounis returned to world-finals action at the grand old age of 37, making a crucial contribution as The Pirate Ship held on for a point against Japan despite being a man down for the best part of an hour.
Tweet of the day
Our years together have resulted in the happiness of a whole nation#GRACIASguerreros @jamesdrodriguez @juanferquinte10pic.twitter.com/Ip6oFwUxFV
— Bucaramanga (@Bucaramanga) junio 19, 2014
The stat
7 – The number of World Cup matches in which Colombia coach Jose Pekerman has now gone unbeaten. The Argentinian, who also took charge of La Albiceleste at Germany 2006, has overseen five victories and two draws in that run and is only two games away from matching the tournament record held by the great Vittorio Pozzo, who masterminded Italy’s world title wins on home soil in 1934 and in France in 1938.
Next up
Italy-Costa Rica, 13:00, Arena Pernambuco, Recife
Switzerland-France, 16:00, Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador
Honduras-Ecuador, 19:00, Arena da Baixada, Curitiba
Have your say
Following their excellent wins, how far do you think Colombia and Uruguay will go at Brazil 2014?
The Brazilians did not forget Stephen Keshi and his Super Eagles after the men in green swooped down to South America’s biggest country for the FIFA Confederations Cup last year.
Though they were unable to navigate themselves through an examining group including world champions Spain and Copa America holders Uruguay, they did give a good account of themselves and thrill the flair-obsessed locals. That was evident when the Nigerians arrived at the team hotel in Campinas, where innumerable animated fans were on hand to greet them.
Here, in an interview with FIFA, Keshi reveals his surprise at that memorable welcome, discusses the way he believes football should be played, outlines what has let African sides down in the past, and weighs in on Iran, whom Nigeria will commence their FIFA World Cup™ campaign against in Curitiba on Monday.
FIFA:Stephen: You got such a great reception when you got to the team hotel. How pleased were you?
Very pleased. Very pleased because it was something that we were not expecting. And we came so late in the morning and they were still waiting for us just to give us a welcome back. It was good.
Are you satisfied with Nigeria’s level or can you still improve?
We can be much better. This squad is probably a year-plus old, it’s a new team. Most of the players are young. We’re still in the process of getting much better at what we do. In two years’ time we can be much better.
What can the team achieve under you?
I don’t know. My dream is to build a strong team for Nigerians and give these players a reason to be footballers. And to show the many players that are coming up behind that they can become somebody in football. That’s my dream and that’s it.
How important is the team’s unity?
It’s very important because I think that most of the teams that I played for in Europe, in Africa, always had this unity, this oneness. I think it’s a great weapon to have in your team because everyone is there, fighting for one another, playing for one another, which is a great thing. I’ve known this all my life as a football player, and now as a coach I’m experiencing the same thing. This is the way we got to qualify. Togo also qualified for the World Cup in 2006 because we were united. We had more spirit moving forward. It was the same thing in Mali when I was there as well. I think it’s working so I just keep on.
What’s Stephen Keshi’s football philosophy? What can we expect from a Stephen Keshi side?
I like attacking football. I don’t believe you need to sit back and load behind. You’ve got to be open and make the people come to the stadium. They spend so much money – they need to get value for it. Good, attacking football is what I like. Of course there must be purpose and discipline and togetherness to make the good football work.
Pele once said that an African side would win the World Cup by the end of the 20th century. Do you think African football is now on a par with Europe and South America?
I think so. If you look at most of the African players that are playing now for the African teams – the five African teams that have qualified for the World Cup – most of them are playing in Europe, playing against the same players as European players, South American players. I think it’s the same thing. The only problem, the only difference I think is the lack of concentration and the lack of discipline on the field. Tactical discipline, that is. If we could pay attention to our game plan and concentrate, I think we could do it because this is the same team that we play against week in, week out in Europe. Nigeria haven’t won a World Cup game for a while. Why do you think that is? I mean, we’ve always had such great players. It’s because of a lack of tactical discipline and concentration.
You have a wealth of experience in the squad. How will this help you progress?
You can’t buy this sort of experience. I pray that Vincent Enyeama, [Joseph] Yobo, [John] Mikel Obi will bring all their experience. Youth is good, but if we can combine youth and experience that will be great for us.
First up for Nigeria are Iran, whose coach has a good deal of experience. What are your views on the Iranians?
I think an experienced coach is their biggest weapon, because he’s well experienced, he knows the game well. For the Iran game we have to be focused. We have to concentrate and do our job. We’re not going to take Iran lightly because they’re not going to take us lightly. So we have to go out with everything that we have. They have a very good coach and I’m sure they also have some quality players. We don’t know Iran very well, but we’ll see them on Monday.
AFRO (◣_◢) CHoONEz ™ 