Argentina 1-3 Germany LAST 16 (Match #56)

Germany have made their ninth consecutive Quarter-Finals at the FIFA World Cup with a 3-1 win over Argentina, leaving host nation as the only CONMEBOL nation left in the tournament. The game wasn’t without controversy as Germany were awarded a hotly-debated penalty midway through the first-half.

The opening goal was a moment of magic from Andre Schürrle, sixteen minutes in t the game. Lars Bender picked him out with a fine pass, and Schürrle beat three men with a 25-yard run to the edge of the box before he cracked a shot into the bottom corner past Ustari.

Ten minutes later came the game’s big talking point. Argentina had a corner cleared and Germany countered quickly. Mario Götze burst into the box but looked to take too heavy a touch as the ball ran through to the ‘keeper, just as Javier Mascherano made contact with him from behind.

Penalty said the referee from Uzbekistan, and up stepped Lukas Podolski to put it to Ustari’s left for two-nil.

Midway through the second-half and the sides exchanged goals within three minutes of each other. Badstuber was closed down by Zabaleta after a pass across the back four, and Lionel Messi was able to pull a goal back from 15 yards out.

Germany restored the two-goal lead within moments. Schweinsteiger hit a long ball forwards that Ilkay Gündogan and Podolski played a neat headed one-two with each other that beat the centre-backs and Gündogan scored his first goal for his country to seal the win.

Germany will now play Italy in Brasilia for a place in the final four.

                   FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014
                     MATCH 56: SECOND ROUND
                    
                    ARGENTINA 1-3 GERMANY
                     Messi 64     Schürrle 16
                                  Podolksi 25 (pen)
                                  Gündogan 67

                           Salvador

DORTMUND PLAYER WATCH (all GER):
Götze: Played 90 - 1 assist, 14/26p, 2/6c, 3/4h.          7.0
Gündogan: Played 90 - 1 goal, 37/44p, 2/3c, 3/5t, 3/3s.   8.0
Hummels: Played 90 - 2/3t, 13/13h (10 key), 13i, 0 fouls. 8.0 
Schmelzer: Played 90 - 33/41p, 3/10t, 0/2c, 2/2h.         6.9
- Schieber on 90th minute. Beck, Reus unused subs.

Portugal 1-2 Australia LAST 16 (Match #55)

Australia pulled off arguably the shock of the tournament  with a late win over a Portugal side who fell asleep at two set-pieces and were made to pay for it as the Socceroos made the Quarter-Finals for the very first time.

Tim Cahill put Australia in front after twenty minutes with his 27th goal for his country, tapping home at the far post after Pepe and Moutinho got in each other’s way at a corner gifting the ball to poacher Cahill.

Five minutes later and Cristiano Ronaldo had the goal at his mercy when Federici got a touch to a Fernando header, sending the ball high into Ronaldo’s path, but the Real Madrid man could only head against the crossbar from inside the six-yard box.

Fifteen minutes into the second-half and Portugal drew level from the same corner as Australia’s opener. Moutinho’s in-swinger was delivered into the six-yard box where Bruno Alves powered his header home.

The winner came inside the final five minutes. Australia had a throw-in mid-way in the opposition half which Lucas Neill took quickly to Porta. He played it back to Neill who sent a deep cross into the box. Pereira got his feet in a mess allowing David Carney to collect and round Eduardo to win it.

                   FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014
                     MATCH 55: SECOND ROUND
                    
                     PORTUGAL 1-2 AUSTRALIA
                     Alves 59     Cahill 21
                                  Carney 86

                          Porto Alegre

Norway 1 – 3 Italy SECOND ROUND (#54)

Gli Azzurri are the fourth European side through to the last eight of the World Cup after a 3-1 win over Norway in Sao Paulo tonight, in an end-to-end game where one side took their chance while the other blew theirs.

Antonio Nocerino scored his second goal for his country after just five minutes when he got above his man to head home Giovinco’s corner, meaning that Italy have scored the first goal in all of their games at the tournament .

It was another corner on the half-hour mark that doubled the lead for Italy, with Giovinco taking a short corner with Rossi before clipping the ball to the far post where Leonardo Bonucci powered a header past the diving Jarstein.

Twenty minutes after the break and Giuseppe Rossi stole a march on the centre-backs and poked home a good cross from Balzaretti to put the game beyond a Norwegian side who have only made this stage twice before and never progressed past it.

There was consolation for them in the final minute when Astori misjudged a clearing header, letting Abdellaoue get behind him. He got right to the goal-line eight yards out before pulling the ball back for Bjørn Helge Risse to smash home past Sirigu.

Italy will play the winners of Argentina-Germany.

                   FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014
                     MATCH 54: SECOND ROUND
                    
                       NORWAY 1-3 ITALY
                     Riise 90     Nocerino 6
                                  Bonucci 29
                                  Rossi 64

                           Sao Paulo

Chile 1-2 Netherlands LAST 16 (Match #53)

2010’s beaten finalists Netherlands have qualified for their sixth Quarter-Finals as they eliminated another South American side on their home continent, with a 2-1 win over Chile.

After an even first-half which saw the sides exchange shots from distance and ask questions of their opponents’ goalkeepers, we didn’t get a break through until twenty minutes into the second-half.

Leroy Fer’s cross wasn’t cleared far enough, and Heitinga knocked the ball back into the box for Van Persie. Spotting the run of Wesley Sneijder, he laid the ball off for the Inter midfielder to lash low past Bravo from 25 yards out. Chile looked in vain to the Assistant for an offside flag against Huntelaar, but he wasn’t deemed to have been affecting Bravo’s vision.

Ten minutes later and a breakaway saw Fer and Robben bring the ball over halfway, with the latter being given far too much space by the Chileans. His cross to the far post was a gift for Leroy Fer who slot home to double the lead.

Within thirty seconds of the kick-off, Chile were awarded a penalty at the other end. Alexis Sánchez went on a mazy run, beating three men before being clipped by Jetro Willems who’d chased him down from the halfway line.

Arturo Vidal stepped up and scored his 8th goal for his country, but it end up being a consolation as the Netherlands closed the game out and set-up a last eight tie against Portugal or Australia.

                   FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014
                     MATCH 53: SECOND ROUND
                    
                        CHILE 1-2 NETHERLANDS
                 Vidal 77 pen     Sneijder 66
                                  Fer 75

                            Brasilia

Croatia 2-0 Switzerland LAST 16 (Match #52)

Croatia have set-up a Quarter-Final match against Japan with a 2-0 win over fellow European side Switzerland in Recife tonight, after not progressing past the Group Stage at the previous three tournaments (didn’t qualify in 2010).

Lokomotiv Moscow defender Vedran Corluka headed them in front in the 8th minute from a Rakitic corner, and they held off the Swiss for the next half an hour as Shaqiri, Barnetta, and Inler all came close to finding an equaliser.

The killer blow came five minutes before the break when Vrsaljko got a cross into the box from the right-hand side, that Eduardo poked towards goal. Benaglio made a fine point-blank save, but Mario Mandzukic was quickest to react and slotted home a second goal.

It was the new Spurs man’s third of the tournament, and 27th all-time Croatian goal, but the Swiss were unhappy at the flag not being raised for Eduardo who looked like he blocked the goalkeeper’s view from his offside position (middle, below).

Croatia did’t muster a shot on target in the second-half, and were carved open by the Swiss as they game went on, but they couldn’t beat Blazevic in the Croatian goal who put in a man-of-the-match performance to keep a clean sheet.

Croatia will play Japan in Fortaleza on Friday 04 July.

                   FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014
                     MATCH 52: SECOND ROUND
                    
                      CROATIA 2-0 SWITZERLAND
                    Corluka 8
                 Mandzukic 39

                            Recife

DORTMUND PLAYER WATCH:
Ivan Perisic (CRO), On as an 86th minute sub. 3/3 passes.

United States 0-2 Brazil LAST 16 (Match #51)

The hosts are through to the Quarter-Finals for the sixth consecutive World Cup Finals after a two-nil win over United States in Rio this afternoon, setting up a fantastic last eight tie against holders and world number one, Spain.

The opening goal came midway through the first-half when the States couldn’t make anything out of an attacking free-kick and Brazil hit them on the counter with Leiva getting the ball forwards quickly to Hulk.

His run into the box was halted unfairly by Clarence Goodson, and a penalty awarded. Hulk stepped up himself and sent Guzan the wrong way from the spot, and Brazil took the one-goal lead into the break.

Hulk was involved in the second goal, whipping a corner in to the near post where after a spot of pinball in the six-yard box, Vágner Love poked the ball home from close range to score his sixth goal of the tournament – one in each game, and a hat-trick against Slovakia.

Brazil will play Spain in Salvador on Friday 04 July.

                   FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL 2014
                     MATCH 51: SECOND ROUND
                    
                UNITED STATES 0-2 BRAZIL
                                  Hulk 26 (pen)
                                  Vágner Love 63

                         Rio de Janeiro