FOOTY FAIR

2014 World Cup Match Day 24 (3rd Place Match): Preview

2014-07-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

Brazil vs. Netherlands

Match Info

The third place match will be played at 5pm local time in Brazil.
This fixture is between two sides that have met six times before. The two nations share not only an identical record of 3 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses, but have also scored an exact 15 goals each in previous meetings. The match will take place at the 69,349 seat Estádio Nacional de Brasília Mané Garrincha, in the capital Brasilia. Brazil has played once before in this stadium, defeating Cameroon in the group stages 4-1. The Netherlands will be playing in the capital of Brazil for the first time in this tournament.

Netherlands' star winger Arjen Robben has gone on record saying that he does not care for the 3rd place match whatsoever. Brazil on the other hand, have some unfinished business after their humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany, after which they must have a good showing in front of their home supporters in order to regain any kind of respect from their nation's faithful.

Don't get your hopes up, Neymar will not be playing in this match. But the key ingredient that was missing against the Germans, captain and center-back Thiago Silva, will. Surely the Dutch don't want to finish off a decent World Cup run with two straight losses, but the Brazilians have much more riding on this fixture and are more likely to come out on their "front foot".

Players to watch

For the Dutch it will most likely be Tim Krul who had played all of 46 seconds before becoming a Dutch hero, leading his nation to a penalty kick victory over the Ticos from Costa Rica. Van Gaal must show the keeper respect and give him the nod in this "match that doesn't matter". For the Brazilians it will be David Luiz. The newly aquired PSG center-back must show his new teammates that he can be relied on, because if he shows up to camp after the World Cup with nothing other than the loss to Germany to show for, he may as well spend all of next season on the bench while proving to his colleagues in training that he can get the job done.

Staff Predictions:

Kon: Brazil 2-1 Netherlands

Iain: Brazil 2-1 Netherlands

Pedro: Brazil 3-1 Netherlands

The Losers’ Final – Entertainment Value in the World Cup 3rd Place Match

2014-07-11T11:00:00.001-04:00

In its 19 editions (not including this year), the FIFA World Cup has held the match for bronze medal in all but two tournaments. In the inaugural championship in Uruguay 1930 the match simply didn’t exist, and in 1950 in Brazil it wasn’t played due to the fact that the final stage was a group consisting of 4 teams, with the winner of the group declared World Cup champion.

But on the 17 other occasions the match that I like to refer to as the “who gives a crap, bring on the finals” match, was played out every time. Although I don’t really care for the outcome of this particular fixture every four years, I do watch it. See, when two teams are relaxed, under no pressure to win and have an opportunity to play the way they would in the yard, it does create on most occasions a beautiful, open brand of football that is rarely seen in fixtures of higher value.

Arjen Robben has already gone on record after his side’s loss to Argentina, saying that he does not care for the 3rd place match, and all of his efforts were directed at winning the cup. With that in mind, and the 2014 World Cup 3rd place match just a day away, I look at the previous 3rd place World Cup meetings to try and see if it’s a match worth watching for the neutral fan.

First ever 3rd place match contested between Germany and Austria in 1934. Germany won 3-2

Goals

Since 1934 the goal difference between 3rd place matches and World Cup final matches is only 7 goals, that being in favor of the bronze medal match with 61 goals scored in World Cup finals, and 68 goals scored in the “other” one. In the past 20 years however (including the 1994 World Cup), the 3rd place match has provided us with a total of 21 goals, to the miserable 8 goals in the finals of the past five World Cup tournaments. Sure we’ve seen some high scoring finals, but none with 4 or more goals since the 1986 World Cup when Argentina defeated the West Germans 3-2. In the 3rd place matches in the past 20 years we watched Sweden run riot against the Bulgarians in their 4-0 victory in 1994, the Turks taking out hosts South Korea in a 3-2 thriller in 2002, the Germans beating Portugal 3-1 in 2006 and then again in the 3rd place match Germany came out on the winning end with a 3-2 defeat of Uruguay.

There is no doubt that as far as goals are concerned, chances are we will see more in the 3rd place match.

France and West Germany playing in what would become the highest World Cup 3rd place match to day.
France won 6-3

Importance

Of course some players would dismiss the importance of a bronze medal match when giving an interview directly after a semi-finals exit. But for some fans and even players, the 3rd place match is a great opportunity to leave the tournament on a high note when otherwise it would be a very bitter ending to a good run. Without having to look too far back, this year’s 3rd place match is a great opportunity for the host nation Brazil to apologize to their fans for their dismal performance in the semi-finals against Germany, and although there is no way to earase their 7-1 loss, they can regain some respect with a solid win against the Dutch. For others like Austria in 1954, Chile in 1962, Portugal in 1966, Poland in 1974, Sweden in 1994 and Croatia in 1998, it could be a once in a lifetime chance to win an unlikely bronze medal in a tournament that just a month before seemed to be too impossible for these nations to reach any kind of success in.

Obviously, this year’s 3rd place contenders have had better success in years past, but for some of the smaller nations this match could be the most important in their national team’s history.

Croatia celebrates their highest ever World Cup finish with a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in 1998

The Good Ones

In 1962 hosts Chile defeated Yugoslavia to win the bronze medal and bring joy to the home team supporters with their highest World Cup finish to date.

In 1966 the world watched Eusebio reach his highest peak in the World Cup tournament with his record 9th goal of the tournament in their 2-1 3rd place win over the Soviets.

In 1974, Poland defeated three-time and defending World Cup champions Brazil to claim 3rd place.

In 1990 it was the tournament hosts again, when Italy finished off the tournament on their home soil on a high note by claiming the 3rd place finish against England.

In 1994 an unlikely 3rd place match-up saw a Scandinavian nation win a third place match for the first time in World Cup history, when Sweden defeated Bulgaria 4-0. (note: Sweden won 3rd place during the 1950 World Cup in Brazil as a result of finishing third in the final group. An official 3rd place match was never played)

In 1998 Davor Šuker and his Croatian side shocked the Netherlands, claiming third place with their 2-1 win.

And in 2002 we watched another unlikely 3rd place match between Turkey and South Korea finish in an exciting 3-2 final for the Turks’ best finish in their World Cup history.

The third place match carries very little importance in the eyes of the neutral fan. But there is always a good chance that this match can provide us with entertainment value that will surpass that of the big final match. Watch it or don’t, it’s there, and if nothing else it’s another great excuse to get out of doing house chores.

Eusebio and his Portuguese squad play against the USSR in a 3rd place match in 1966. Portugal won 2-1

FootyFair 3rd Place & Final Match Predictions

2014-07-10T17:00:00.000-04:00

The moment is here, and aside from that pointless friendly match between Brazil and Netherlands on Saturday, everyone's attention has turned to the biggest event of the year, the 2014 World Cup Final. Our guys go at it for the last time in this tournament, trying to predict the winners of the final two matches of this year's World Cup.

Semi-finals prediction results:

KON: One of two correct predictions for Kon in this one. Obviously he could not predict the German scoreline correctly but he did pick them to beat the hosts Brazil. [Match Outcome: 1/2, Correct Scores 0/2]

PEDRO: In the same fashion as Kon, Pedro predicted one match correctly, that being an Argentina win over the Dutch. [Match Outcome: 1/2, Correct Scores 0/2]

IAIN: Iain is on some kind of a psychic run here, predicting both outcome correctly. But even his Miss Cleo like senses could not predict the total annihilation handed out by the Germans over Brazil. [Match Outcome: 2/2, Correct Scores 0/2]

Predicting the final two matches:

3rd Place Match - Brazil vs Netherlands

KON: After that horrid performance against the Germans, the hosts Brazil have a chance to redeem themselves (at least a bit) and wipe the tears of their fans with a decent showing in the 3rd place match. I believe the hosts will come out strong, and although the 7-1 loss will be the main focus of the 2014 tournament, Brazil can at least make their supporters forget about it for one day. The Netherlands it seems have no real interest in the third place match, and will likely start a younger squad. [Final Score: Brazil 2-1 Netherlands]

PEDRO: This game means very little for both countries, but having said that I think it means a bit more for Brazilians just because they are playing at home. For that fact and also the return of Thiago Silva I will give them the advantage in this matchup. I don’t expect it to be a good game or even a game with plenty of goals, but I think Brazil just has a bit more to prove than Netherlands. [Final Score: Brazil 2-1 Netherlands]

IAIN: In the risk of sounding like a Debbie Downer, I'm with Louis van Gaal on this one and think that the Third Place match is a giant waste of time. After the heart break of losing in the Semi Finals, both sides just want to go home, or more accurately on holiday, at this point. But FIFA likes the money an extra match generates, so here we are. Anyhow, after the utter humiliation Brazil suffered at the hands of Germany in football's equivalent of Game of Thrones' Red Wedding, I think that they have a little more to play for in this one. I fully expect the Netherlands to rest a few weary legs in this one and for Brazil to go for it.
[Final Score: Brazil 3-1 Netherlands]

2014 World Cup Final - Argentina vs Germany

KON: After the semi final "showdown" between the Netherlands and Argentina I wouldn't have picked either to win this year's World Cup. Surely, stranger things have happened, but I cannot see a way in which Argentina gets to lift the World Cup trophy with a win against the Germans, unless of course the Argentines enjoy some sort of a miracle (which seems to be too often in football in recent years). [Final Score: Argentina 0-2 Germany]

PEDRO: I would be very surprised if the German team lets this one get away. In an amazing World Cup where no team has completely dominated the field, the German squad has been the most consistent and best offensive team. Argentina has won every single match by 1 goal. For a team that has Messi and an array of offensive players, they defend better than they attack. Germany will be able to shut down Messi, in the same way the Dutch did, and in the end he has come close to the trophy but he won’t be the one lifting it up. [Final Score: Argentina 1-2 Germany]

IAIN: Going into the Round of 16 this World Cup seemed to be incredibly open. Of all of the teams that had made it out of the first round, every one of them seemed to have flaws. With the German side the main question mark was their defending and solidity in the middle. With Philipp Lahm being moved back to his favoured position at right back, and with a midfield three of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos, they seem to have struck the right balance now. Argentina have looked a bit dull and overly reliant on Lionel Messi throughout this tournament, but their back line led by Ezequiel Garay has been tremendous. I think this will be a close contest, but I fully expect Germany to win their fourth World Cup.
[Final Score: Argentina 0-1 Germany]