Matchday 3 proved to be a decisive one for Group B as the Netherlands' victory against Chile sealed them the top spot and allowed them to avoid Brazil in the knockout stage, while Spain and Australia played for pride only.
Netherlands-Chile
Match Day 2 of World Cup 2014 ended in extremes, with Belgium barely squeaking through into the knockout stage with a 1-0 victory, while at the other end of the spectrum Algeria laid down a decisive 4-2 win over South Korea to put themselves in a commanding position to advance.
Belgium-Russia
Some of you may still be feeling the effects of the blown opportunity by the USMNT yesterday, but it’s time to move on and look at what needs to be done versus Germany on June 26th at 12 P.M. ET.
Here is the easy part.
If the US beats, or ties Germany they will advance to the Round of 16.
It’s hard to put a finger on the pulse of this country. It’s not clear if it’s due to an ingrained love of fútbol, fútbol apathy, issues with the government, hatred and/or misunderstanding of FIFA, expectations for the national team…winter coming on? There is simply no consistent answer from people on the street, and that makes it hard to gauge the nation as a whole. It is such a divergence, a complication of opinions – it is impossible to make generalizations…the moment you think you have it figured out, you're met with evidence completely to the contrary.
One thing has been certain during this World Cup. Turning off the television early is the last thing you want to do.
This is especially true for matches involving the "Group of Death." The United States and Portugal fit this chaotic script to a tee as they battled to a 2-2 tie in sweltering Manaus.
Portugal received a gift of a goal in the 5th minute, when U.S. defender Geoff Cameron botched a routine clearance that fell at the feet of Nani, who had no trouble scoring the match's opening goal.
These freestyle videos never get old. In the latest, Indi Cowie, a world champion freestyler, decided to put her own twist on the World Cup and continuously juggled while changing into (or, more accurately, out of) all 32 World Cup Jerseys. The freestyle champion shows creativity throughout the video, rarely doing the same thing as show goes from standing up, to sitting down to getting right back on her feet.
The World Cup of upsets continues, and the Group of Death is living up to every bit of hype that's been created since the December drawing.
The first half didn’t provide much action. Both teams had chances, but they weren’t anything the keepers of either team couldn’t handle. But the second half brought all the drama that was lacking in the first 45 minutes.
Several weeks ago, John Oliver went on his new HBO show Last Week Tonight and expressed his excitement for the World Cup, but his disgust for the organization of FIFA. The video went viral and currently has over 5 million views on YouTube. John Oliver brought the problems that Brazilians had been protesting about in the days leading up to the World Cup to light:
The race for second place in Group E heated up after Ecuador beat Honduras 2-1, following Switzerland’s 2-5 loss to France just an hour earlier.
Both teams came out fired up, which saw both sides being sloppy at times. But some fairly good action back and forth finally resulted in a deep ball down the middle which found Carlo Costly, and the Honduran gave Los Catrachos their first World Cup goal in 32 years.
It only took 17 minutes for Switzerland to self destruct against France in the second round of matches in Group E. France easily advanced to the round of 16, which has to be refreshing for Les Bleus supporters after their debacle in the 2010 World Cup.