FIFA World Cup 2014: Group F, Matchday 3

Saudi Arabia and Italy meet knowing that the winner of their tie will go through, while Chile will be looking to beat Ghana in order to secure their progress regardless of the result in the other game.

If Chile draw then they’ll need a three-goal Italian win in order to sneak through on goals scored. Ghana can qualify with a win if either Saudi Arabia win too, or Italy win with a four-goal swing between the two games.

Odds: Chile 6-4F v. Ghana 13-8 (Draw 2-1)
Odds: Saudi Arabia 13-2 v. Italy 2-5F (Draw 11-4)

Timeline:

• 13′ CHI 0-1 GHA: Asamoah doesn’t give up on what looks like a lost cause, keeping the ball in play at the goal-line and picking out Kevin-Prince Boateng in the six-yard box to give Ghana the lead.

• 18′ SAU 0-0 ITA: Abdullah Alhafith nicks the ball from Mario Balotelli in the Saudi penalty area and Balotelli goes down in a heap. No nonsense from the English referee who cautions the Italian for the dive. He’ll be suspended for the Second Round if they go through.

• 24′ SAU 0-1 ITA: There’s a loose ball in the penalty area after Giovinco has an effort blocked, it’s not cleared before Mario Balotelli can swivel and prod it home from ten yards out.

• 27′ SAU 0-2 ITA: A long throw causes panic in the Saudi box who fluff a clearance. Chiellini fires a cross right across the goal area, Marchisio has his flick towards goal palmed away but Fernando Forestieri is on hand to slam home the rebound.

• 37′ CHI 1-1 GHA: There’s a fantastic equaliser for Chile through Alexis Sánchez who sells Nuhu a dummy, turning him one way then the other, before firing high past Kwarasey from ten yards out.

• 42′ CHI 2-1 GHA: Isaac Vorsah is penalised for handball at a corner by the Slovenian referee. Up steps Arturo Vidal who smashes the penalty the penalty into the bottom corner.

• HT: Chile 2-1 Ghana, Saudi Arabia 0-2 Italy. CHI and ITA qualifying.

• 49′ CHI 2-2 GHA: Ghana equalise with a fantastic counter-attacking goal five minutes after the break. Derek Boateng wins the ball from Sánchez and sets Absul Majeed Waris away down the left wing. The half-time sub sends a great cross over for Jordan Ayew to smash home a the far post.

• 71′ CHI 2-3 GHA: It’s another breakaway on the counter for Ghana. From their own six-yard box, the ball goes forwards to André Ayew who bursts up the left before picking out Jordan Ayew with a great cross that he turns home and puts Ghana in front. They need a third Italian goal though.

• 75′ CHI 2-3 GHA: There’s a caution for Carlos Carmona that will rule him out of the Second Round if Chile can force an equaliser.

• 87′ SAU 0-3 ITA: Giovinco plays a long free-kick forwards into the box and Ignazio Abate gets on the end with a fine header to score his second-ever international goal. Great news for Chile who have whatever’s left to grab an equaliser against Ghana.

• 90′ CHI 3-3 GHA: What a strike! We had late drama in Group D yesterday with USA going through on a goal 2:32 into stoppage time, but this just steals its thunder. Carmona is unchallenged as he heads a Ghanaian goal-kick back up-field towards Humberto Suazo. He plays a one-two with Campos Toro before smashing it home from 20 yards out. There’s 92:36 on the clock!

Italy win the group and will play Netherlands. Chile sneak through and will face Norway.

Saudi Arabia 0-0 Ghana GROUP F (Match #29)

Saudi Arabia have gone top of Group F after an entertaining 0-0 draw (honest!) with Ghana, knowing a point against Italy next Thursday will see them progress through to the last sixteen for the first time since 1994.

Yaser Al-Qhatani twice came close for the Asian side, but it was a day where goalkeepers shone brightest, Larsen Kwarasey making two fine point-blank saves to keep a clean sheet.

Ghana’s PSV Eindhoven centre-back Isaac Vorsah won the man-of-the-match award for his performance,  while Juventus midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah was cautioned early on and will be suspended for the Italy clash.

                  FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014
                       MATCH 29: GROUP F

                 SAUDI ARABIA 0-0 GHANA

                         Belo Horizonte

GROUP F          P  W  D  L  F  A  GD  Pts
1. Saudi Arabia  2  1  1  0  2  0  +2   4
2. Italy         2  1  0  1  4  3  +1   3
3. Chile         2  1  0  1  3  4  -1   3
4. Ghana         2  0  1  1  0  2  -2   1

Italy 2 – 3 Chile GROUP F (Match #27)

Chile came from behind to beat Italy in Recife this afternoon in a five-goal thriller, and reignite their hopes of making the knockout stages of the tournament from Group F.

Italy went in front in the fourteenth minute when Abate robbed Aránguiz in the centre circle and slipped the ball out wide to Sebastian Giovinco who cut inside from the left and found the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

From the re-start Chile took just 25 seconds to draw level. Sánchez went on a run down the right before coming inside and finding Carmona. He played a one-two with Vidal to open up space for the through-ball to Humberto Suazo who slotted home from fifteen yards out past Sirigu.

Italy have lost Daniele de Rossi for the rest of the tournament after he suffered a torn calf muscle moments into the second-half, with the Roma midfielder now a doubt for the start of the domestic season.

Alexis Sánchez put Chile in front with twenty minutes to play, with another fantastic solo goal. He picked up the ball from a throw-in on half-way, ran diagonally towards the penalty area before finding the bottom corner from 15 yards out.

As Italy pressed for an equaliser in the final ten minutes, they were undone by some route one stuff from the South Americans. Bravo launches a huge goal kick up-field that was flicked on by Junior Fernandes. Charles Aránguiz won the race against a high Italian back four, rounded Sirigu and calmly made it 3-1.

Two and a half minutes over the 90 and Italy pulled a goal back when Claudio Marchisio had his close-range header saved from Chiellini’s cross, but he was able to poke home the rebound, some twenty seconds before the final whistle.

                  FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014
                       MATCH 27: GROUP F

                        ITALY 2-3 CHILE
                  Giovinco 14     Suazo 15
                 Marchisio 90     Sánchez 70
                                  Aránguiz 82

                             Recife

GROUP F          P  W  D  L  F  A  GD  Pts
1. Italy         2  1  0  1  4  3  +1   3
2. Saudi Arabia  1  1  0  0  2  0  +2   3
3. Chile         2  1  0  1  3  4  -1   3
=. Ghana         1  0  0  1  0  2  -2   0

Ghana 0 – 2 Italy GROUP F (Match #14)

Italy beat Ghana 2-0 in their opening game, as they did en route to the title in 2006, thanks to a two-minute, two-goal salvo in the opening stages of the second-half.

Ghana were the team looking most likely to score during the first-half, with Nathaniel Asamoah and Jordan Ayew creating chances for each other, but unable to finish them.

Italy reorganised at the break, dropping a fifth man in to the midfield while Rossi and Giovinco pressed on the flanks. Ten minutes after the interval, it paid off. Ghana dithered clearing their lines, twice being caught in possession around the penalty area.

Italian captain Daniele de Rossi eventually played the ball into Giuseppe Rossi who took a touch twenty-five yards out before lashing a low shot into the far bottom corner past Daniel Agyei for the opening goal.

Ninety seconds after the restart, and after losing the ball in their opponents’ half, Ghana didn’t close down the impressive Sebastian Giovinco who brought the ball forwards forty yards before picking out De Rossi whose shot was deflected wide.

Giovinco whipped the corner in low with pace and Fernando Forestieri met it on the half-volley twelve yards out, finding the back of the net past a stunned Ghanaian defence for his second international goal.

A bouyed Italy pressed for a third to kill off their lacklustre opponents in the final half-hour but couldn’t make another breakthrough. They play Chile on Sunday knowing a win will see them progress to the last sixteen.

                  FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014
                       MATCH 14: GROUP F
                    
                        GHANA 0-2 ITALY
                                  Rossi 55
                                  Forestieri 57

                           Brasilia

GROUP F          P  W  D  L  F  A  GD  Pts
1. Italy         1  1  0  0  2  0  +2   3
=. Saudi Arabia  1  1  0  0  2  0  +2   3
3. Chile         1  0  0  1  0  2  -2   0
=. Ghana         1  0  0  1  0  2  -2   0

Chile 0-2 Saudi Arabia GROUP F (Match #10)

Saudi Arabia got their Group F campaign off to a winning start thanks to a second-half brace from Yaser Al-Qahtani, who became the eighth player of the tournament to score more than one goal in a single game.

Chile arguably had the better of the game, save for their inability to test Humood Al-Khames in goal. Alexis Sánchez hit the bar when he met Arturo Vidal’s cross on the half-volley 20 yards out, but couldn’t hit the target until late in the game.

The opening goal came in route one fashion ten minutes after the break. Saudi captain Abdoh Autef launched a long ball down the right wing for Al-Qahtani to chase. Free of any marker, he took the ball down the right before cutting inside and squeezing the ball home from a tight angle, beating Bravo at his near post.

With quarter of an hour to go, Vidal had his free-kick pushed on to the post, and a fine save was rewarded almost immediately when Autef picked-out Malik Mouath on the right. His cross was met with a thumping volley at the near post by Al-Qahtani to seal it.

Ghana play Italy in tomorrow’s Group F match in the Brazilian capital.

                  FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014
                       MATCH 10: GROUP F

                        CHILE 0-2 SAUDI ARABIA
                                  Al-Qahtani 55, 77

                            Salvador

GROUP F          P  W  D  L  F  A  GD  Pts
1. Saudi Arabia  1  1  0  0  2  0  +2   3
2. Ghana         0  0  0  0  0  0  +0   0
=. Italy         0  0  0  0  0  0  +0   0
4. Chile         1  0  0  1  0  2  -2   0