It’s not sad in the sense that Germany took home the honours as World Champions (which they fully deserved). Sad in the fact that we all woke up this morning knowing that the FIFA 2014 World Cup is over. We had the same feeling 4 years ago when we couldn’t hear Vuvuzelas.
So, rather than lay in bed and mourn the end of the best World Cup we have seen since France ’98, let’s look back at some of our favourite moments.
In no particular order:
1. James Rodriguez. What a standout player this young boy is. He is only 22 years old and will, without a doubt, carry a big price tag if Real want to bring him to the Bernabeau from Monaco. James was the Golden Boot with 6 goals (more than CR7 and Wayne Rooney’s WC tally, combined!) and was a huge factor in every match they played. And who can forget that goal against Uruguay in the round of 16. Pure quality.
2. Speaking of Uruguay, the twitterverse can’t thank Luis Suarez enough with giving bloggers, writers, and the general public alike the material they needed when he took a chunk out of Cheillini’s shoulder. What was this boy thinking….again??
3. Goals! Goals! Goals! This World Cup saw a record tying amount of balls hit the back of the net. There were some beauties in there too. Van Persie started a new craze called Perseing with his flying header against Spain.
There was Cahill’s volley, David Luiz’ sizzler against Colombia, James Rodriguez’s brace against Uruguay, Messi against Iran and Messi again against Bosnia. And of course, Miroslav Klose’s 2 goals to make him the Top Scorer with 16 celebrations.
4. Belgium v Tim Howard. In one of the greatest games of the World Cup this year, Tim Howard of the USA stopped almost everything he saw as he set a World Cup record for saves in a match. Eventually Belgium won in extra time, but this match will go down as a World Cup classic.
5. Germany 7. Brazil 1. The shock of the tournament. The streets of Belo Horazinte were flooded with tears in the semi-finals as Brzil were steam rolled on their home turf. There were plenty of images (and jokes) that spread around the glob from this game, but one that summed up the game the most was that of the old Brazilian man hugging his trophy knowing that he won’t get to see his beloved Brazil team win the World Cup on home soil.
So long World Cup. It was fun while it lasted. Only 1426 days till Russia 2018. But don’t fret, only 33 days till the Premier League starts again!!
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Raise your hands if you had Costa Rica in your last eight of your World Cup office pool! That’s what we thought.
It’s been a fantastic World Cup so far. The round of 16 really showed us that the top teams moved on, with 5 out of 8 matches going to extra time, two matches making it to the penalty round, and 7 games seeing the first goal late in the second half. Also, to be noted is that the group leaders have moved on. The quarter-final matches look very promising!
4 Latin Teams and 4 European make the final 8, and Football Fans around the world can’t wait to see the showdown they will put for us. All 8 deserve to be here, and we are very grateful for the performances given by Algeria, Switzerland, Nigeria, Chile and even USA.
France v Germany is the only match that has two traditional football powers squaring off. Boss Deschamps dealt with controversies before the tourney (with Nasri’s GF drama and Ribery’s injury causing tension between French and Bayern doctors), taking the pressure off his team. He has proven that he did bring his best possible team, with his players at their best (yes, we are talking about Benzema!). This might be The Year Of The Rooster. Germany, in the other hand, brings their possession style tactics with talented players. But like Bayern, Barcelona and Spain, they are proving that just flirting won’t take you past 2nd base. The other matches show us what golden generations can do for football when given their opportunities.
The young Colombians, who have been the best looking team this tournament, look to end Brazil’s dream of lifting the World Cup on home soil. (And they may just pull another Maracanazo!). With their poster boy James Rodriguez leading the way, Colombia is dancing around the tournament. thanks to the lyrics Jose Pekerman is writing for them.
Having Jose Cuadrado and the leadership of Captain Yepes at back is the perfect mix of an overall happy squad. Can you imagine how many goals they would had scored if Falcao made it on time?
Meanwhile, Brazil is dealing with the pressure of being the host, poor performance by some of their top players, and the criticism from the media. You could see that the entire world stopped for 20 minutes during the penalty rounds. If it wasn’t for Julio Cesar, Brazil’s dream of winning their Sexta would have been turned into a nightmare, Freddy Kruger style.
The Dutch will take on the Cinderallas of the summer and their fairy God-Goalie – Costa Rica and Keylor Navas. Robben and Robin have been superb for Holland. With Wesley Sneijder changing his position, Louis Van Gaal has found the perfect balance with his 5-3-2 approach. Their fitness level is making this system work very well. We will see if Brazil’s weather takes a toll on the effort the Flying Dutch are putting into every game. Because there is one thing for sure: They will have to fight very hard to beat one of the best goalies, and defenses of the tournament: Keylor Navas. The Central Americans have made history. An entire region has witnessed the Latin version of Tico-Taka, and they have CONCACAFed 3 World Champions and 1 European Champion during the process.
In the other match we see Argentina with Messi, Higuain and an Angel (Di Maria) taking on another generation of exciting youngsters of Red Devils from Belgium. Alejandro Sabella will have to find the right system for Messi to be more comfortable to do what he does best: Find the spaces from the right, drive towards the middle and shoot with the left (Bosnia remembers that move). The only thing is that Argentina does not have Tim Howard. The young Belgium team showed the world the potential they have. If it wasn’t for the Tough Toffee, the USA would have broken a different record in a World Cup: 10 goals against in a single game.
After the group stages we swore not to make anymore predictions this World Cup. Saying that, here is our predictions for the Quarter-finals:
Teams advancing: France, Netherlands (sorry Costa Rica), Belgium, and Colombia (don’t hate us Brazil).
Tell us what you think. Who’s moving on?
Make sure to follow @Studz_Up on Twitter for more news, conversations and even funny RTs (gotta love Vines!)
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It is now time to preview Group G. Some people might consider this the group of death. After all, these 4 teams reached the round of 16 four years ago. Even though the only country to hold the pedigree to back up their expectations is Germany, anything can happen in this group. The first one to make a mistake might be the one to pack their bags first.
This group also has its share of Drama: We will see the Boateng brothers face each other again (Defender Jerome for Germany against striker Kevin from Ghana), Jurgen Klinsmann against his former disciple Joachim Low, just like Obi Wan Kenobi against Anakin Skywalker, while showing an entire nation why he left Landon Donovan behind. We will also see if Cristiano Ronaldo is able to reach 100% fitness after his injury problems at the end of the season.
So, here we go!
GERMANY.
Making it to their 18th World Cup, the Germans will like to lift their 4th World Cup Title this July. Joachim Low bring his best possible team: a mix of youth with some seasoned players.
Currently sitting #2 in FIFA’s ranking, Germany is expected to win this group. After all, they won their qualifying group with only dropping points against Sweden. A tie is not that bad, but it raises questions when you are up 4-0 just to let your opponent tie the game 4-4. There is no doubt that Germany brings lots of talent to practice an offensive style. Still, they bring enough balance to provide security in the back. The BBC believes Germany might start with this squad if everything stays the same.
We will see how far this team makes it, but they should win the group to make it to the next round.
Key Players: Neuer at goalie, Lahm in defence, Ozil and Muller in the midfield and Klose chasing goals, just to name a few.
USA
Soccer nation is having a rocky start of the tournament even before kick off. Germany former coach and legendary star Jurgen Klinsmann is in charge to take the USA team to uncharted territory. But failing to do so will result in strong criticism after leaving behind La Galaxy captain Landon Donovan. And the critics were very harsh after Klinsmann’s own son, Johnathan, mocked Landon’s dismissal from the team on Twitter.
“Los Gringos” won the CONCACAF hexagonal 4 points ahead of the pack. They even beat Mexico in Mexico for the first time. Klinsmann’s aim is to make it through to the knock out stages. His tenure as US coach has given him positive results, including a 4-3 win over Germany on June 2, 2013 (you remember Barcelona’s new goalie Ter Stagen’s own goal, maybe a reason for Low not to call him?).
Key players: Everton’s Tim Howard, DaMarcus Beasly and Omar Gonzalez in defense, Toronto FC midfielder Michale Bradley and captain Clint Dempsey upfront.
GHANA
The Black Stars may start the tournament with extra motivation. They were so close to reach the semifinals in 2010 after Luis Suarez played goalie when he wasn’t supposed to. But Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty in extra time letting Uruguay win the penalties round to face Holland in the 2010 semis. Ghana will be all about offense this time around. They scored 25 goals in the qualifying process. Coach Kwesi Appiah brings players that are strong, fast and should have not problem finding the back of the net, having experience in the Ligue 1, Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga and even MLS. It will be interesting to see the brotherly match when Ghana’s striker Kevin-Prince Boateng (Schalke 04) faces off against Germany’s Jerome (Bayern). Maybe 3rd will be a charm for Ghana to be the first African country to reach semifinals.
Key Players: Kevin-Prince Boateng, Asamoah Gyan and Michael Essien.
PORTUGAL
Let’s be honest. Paulo Bento’s chances to make it to the 2nd round will rely on Cristiano Ronaldo’s heroic performances. Portugal brings a talented supporting cast that has been together for a while and know their lines very well: Let CR7 do his thing. But the road to Brazil was a bumpy one. For their 2nd World Cup in a row Portugal had fight for their ticket against Ibrahimovic’s Sweden. If you watched Clash Of The Titans, that game will be a fitting trailer for that movie. CR7 and Ibra showed us once again that they are at a Dragon Ball Z level. That match even made it to our 2013 Top Moments post. But this is the real deal. This is where history is made. Can CR7 finally shine at the World Cup level the way he does with Real Madrid? Paulo Bento would be happy if Ronaldo scores 10% of his 51 Real Madrid goals this season. And Ronaldo will be happy to celebrate meaningless goals as well.
Key Player(s): Ronaldo once again takes the spotlight. If Pepe is fit, he should lead the defense with Bruno Alves, and Coentrao. Joao Moutinho and Raul Meireles will guide the midfield while Postiga and Nani fight for CR7’s scraps.
If we are going with logic, Germany should win the group with Cristiano taking Portugal to the next round. But if the incumbent Balon d’Or does not deliver, Ghana might sneak in through this difficult group. We highly doubt USA will cause a major upset, but we might be wrong.
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That is right fellas, the Simpsons are playing football. And Homer is the ref. No one can escape the World Cup fever. Even North America will be watching, including our yellowish friends.
We came across with the footage thanks to Ryan Bailey and his Yahoo’s Dirty Tackle post about the upcoming The Simpson’s episode.
We all know that Homer is not fit enough to make the USMNT, or the smarts to be part of Jurgen Klinsmann’s coaching stuff. But Matt Groening found a way to include The Simpsons in the biggest party of the year. Father Simpson will be the ref for the final match between Germany and hosts Brazil.
But that is not the only match Homer will rule. He is also the ref for the Spain game where a Spain player asks him take a bribe. Can Homer resist the temptation that most Serie A refs couldn’t?
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The most anticipated day before the World Cup actually begins next June has come and gone with the usual fanfare provided by Blatter’s Boys.
Start the conspiracy theories now: how France got away with what on paper looks like the easiest group! Not only that but Les Bleu conveniently get Group E where (if they win the group) face the runner-up of Group F which also on paper looks relatively comfortable, as long as Argentina doesn’t drop points of course. Interesting fact: France reached the final in 1998, eliminated in the 1st round in 2002, reached the Final in 2006 and eliminated in the first round in 2010,would this be a sign? Should Platini have the answer to this question?
Group A should give Brazil the #1 spot, but with Mexico, Cameroon, and Croatia, points could be going to any of them. Goal differential might be a tie breaker at least for second place. Regardless, Neymar might still feel the wounds left by Mexico during the 2012 Summer Olympics gold medal game.
Group F has Argentina, Nigeria, Bosnia and Iran. Nigeria and Bosnia are fighting for second place. With Messi, Higuain, Aguero and company, the team managed by Mr. Sabella should have no problems moving on with a perfect record.
Start the arguments: which group is really the Group of Death – Is it B, D or G??
In Group D you have 3 former champions facing each other in the group stage. You have Uruguay, England and Italy playing for 2 spots. The one that ties to Costa Rica will most likely be eliminated.
In Group B, we are given a repeat of last World Cup Final right off the bat!! Not only that, the lucky #2 that get to advance out of Group B, get a date with Brazil in the next round.
Group G is tantalizing. You would be forgiven for thinking that it’s Germany and Portugal’s group to lose, but the USA and Ghana are not to be taken lightly and can cause serious problems. For example, the USA is bringing their most talented generation at their most mature level, and with Mr. Klinsmann leading the charge, they dominated the CONCACAF qualifications, sending Mexico to fight for a spot through the playoffs. And who can forget that game in 2010 between Ghana and Uruguay. Remember Luis Suarez being sent off for trying to be a goalie?
And don’t forget, CR7 will want to dominate this tournament. They are not playing North Korea anymore, so scoring goals against solid teams should motivate him. And the same thing could be said about Germany. Even though Sami Khedira might be out, Germany has enough depth to be considered the one that takes #1. How would the former team mates Ozil and CR7 handle the pressure to lead their teams to the #1 spot?
Group C has Colombia with Radamel Falcao, Rodriguez and company as top seed, but Ivory Coast should have reached a technical level that could finally help them move on to the next round. Greece scored 3 goals in 1 game during the playoffs. Three Goals, 1 Game! We know they play one of the most organized defenses in the world, but if they score at least one goal, they can cause serious trouble. We don’t have enough information about the current Japanese team, but if they play like the women’s side, they might be fun to watch.
Group H has Belgium, with a new generation of players that are considered the up and comers in Europe right now. Russia, with Fabio Capello as head coach, is considered the other team to take a spot to the next round, depending how South Korea plays.
But below you get to see the groups. Take a look at it. Let us know what you think and take our poll!
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