The second day of the
2014 World Cup is behind us. Let's recap today's action.
Game 2: Mexico 1-0 Cameroon
Mexico’s approach to
this game surprised me and I think it surprised Cameroon. They came out of the
gate looking for a goal and with the determination to dominate the match.
Playing on a field that was very wet due to the heavy rain that was coming down
before and during the game it was surprising how well they were able to control
the ball and pass it between their players.
Cameroon looked distant
and unable to really control the possession or even do much with the ball when
they did get it. From the start it was obvious that Cameroon were going to have
a difficult time against this very aggressive Mexico side.
Mexico’s superiority in
the first half was demonstrated by the two goals that Dos Santos scored but the
referee invalidated them by calling offside on both plays.
At halftime the teams
were tied 0-0 but Mexico had plenty of reasons to complain.
The second half started
in the same fashion as the first, with Mexico looking for an early goal that
would allow them to control the game and not having to push forward as much as
they were doing up to that point. Mexico finally broke the deadlock at the 61st
minute mark by Peralta. A goal that Mexico had justified since the first half
and that finally had them in the lead.
Mexico continued to
control the game and could have scored more goals if it wasn’t for the inefficiency
of their forwards. Cameroon was very fragile in their defensive line and it
reflected across the rest of the team. There was no doubt that once Mexico took
the lead they would not let it go. Cameroon was unable to really create any
serious problems to Mexico and in the end the better team won. Mexico was able
to get the win that they needed to go second of the group tied with Brazil on
points.
Mexico looked very strong;
they will be in the fight for second place in this group with Croatia. They
have put their name in the hat and are now in the conversation for advancing to
the next round.
Game 3: Spain 1-5 Netherlands
This was the key matchup
of the day, the one game most neutral fans were looking forward to. This was a
rematch of the 2010 World Cup final.
Spain looked very
different from the usual Spanish side we are used to see. In large part that
difference came from Spain using Diego Costa in the striker role instead of a
fake number 9, which in the last Euro 2012 was Fabregas. This Spanish side is
not really built to play for a fixed forward; they perform better when they
have a moving piece up front instead of a more fixed position player.
The game started on the
right foot for Spain, with the referee calling a dubious penalty on a foul on
Diego Costa halfway through the first half. Xabi Alonso scored for Spain and
put his country up 1-0 at that point. Netherlands were unaffected by the goal
and continue to push forward looking for an equalizer, and the goal would come
in the most incredible fashion that you can imagine. Van Persie scored what
will be one of the best goals in World Cup history.
At halftime the teams
were tied at 1’s. Spain had more ball possession and passing accuracy and the
Dutch team with incredible efficiency by scoring on their best chance of the
half.
The second half started
the same way the first one ended, with Netherlands scoring a goal. This second
half was a one way highway. Netherlands controlled the second half, ball
control, attacking, defending with high lines and a complete display of what
Total Football is. The question at this point was, how many goals will they
score against this unrecognizable Spanish side? Netherlands went on to score 4
goals in the second half, two of them came from defensive lapses and a huge
mistake from Casillas that was unable to play a ball that was passed back to
him.
The best chance for
Spain to score in the second half came to the feet of Torres but he was unable
to do anything with, almost looking foolish in how he approach the play. That
moment describes how Spain looked in this game for most of the first half and the
entire second half.
Netherlands won 5-1 but
it could have been more, but Casillas made some saves that helped the score line
be a bit more respectable if you can call it that, than what it could have
been.
Netherlands surprised
everybody by the positive way they approached the game and Spain surprised
everybody by how poorly they played. Netherlands looks destined to finish first
in this group, and now Spain is now in the same boat they were in 2010 when
they lost the opener to the Swiss. Spain has a huge hill to climb.
Game 4: Chile 3-1 Australia
Chile started the match
in the best way possible, with two goals in the first 15 minutes of the match.
They were able to come out strong, looking at putting this game away early and
cruise for the rest of the match. They were able to achieve 50% of what they
wanted to do, which was to score early. Two goals with 2 minutes apart from
each other gave them a lead that at the time looked to be just the beginning of
route.
Australia wasn’t done
yet, and who else but Tim Cahill. His header gave new life to the game and to
his country. Australia was back in it, and for the rest of the first half
Australia looked dangerous and caused a lot of problems to the Chile defense.
The result at halftime
was 2-1 for Chile and it was a fair result for what both teams did, but if the game
was tied nobody would have been surprise either.
The second half showed
us an Australian side that looked like they could find an equalizer. They kept
pushing forward looking for a goal and at the 56th minute Claudio
Bravo had a very difficult save that helped Chile remain in the lead.
As time progressed,
Australia was getting less dangerous and Chile was able to regain control of
the game. Chile would finally put the match away in the 90th minute
when they scored for the third time. The match ended in a 3-1 victory for
Chile, but Australia showed that they can take points away in this group from
some of the favorite teams. They won’t be a cake walk.
Match Day 2 - Staff Picks
These were the staff
picks for these games:
Pedro: Mexico 0-1 Cameroon, Spain 2-1 Netherlands, Chile 4-0
Australia
Kon: Mexico 1-0 Cameroon, Spain 2-2
Netherlands, Chile 3-0 Australia
Iain: Mexico 2-0 Cameroon, Spain 1-1
Netherlands, Chile 3-1 Australia
Kon had the correct
score for the Mexico game and was only missing one Australia goal to have 2
perfect scores.
Iain had the perfect
result for the Chile game, was off by one goal in the Mexico match.
Pedro proved once more
why he should not visit any online gambling sites.
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