DUTCH OVERCOME EXTREME ELEMENTS TO STUN MEXICO!

Story by Patrick Kamanga (pgkamanga73@gmail.com)

DUTCH OVERCOME EXTREME ELEMENTS TO STUN MEXICO!

Flying Dutchmen

By overcoming an excellent Mexican team and extreme elements, the Dutch justified their case for the tag of tournament favourites.

After all, this was a game that pitted the best attack against the most miserly defense at these finals.

If football fans around the world had any doubts as to the quality of this Dutch team, then this win over a well organized and resolute Mexican outfit was the confirmation required to affirm not only their quality but their character too.

The Dutch came into this game clearly disadvantaged by the weather and climatic conditions of Brazil's north eastern city of Fortaleza. The furnace like conditions exacerbated by the humidity favoured the Mexicans and it showed early in game.  

To compound their situation, the Dutch lost dependable anchorman Wesley De Jong to an early injury. He was replaced by Bruno Martins Indi to throw Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal’s game plan in disarray.

The Mexicans were attempting to overcome a 28 year hoodoo, with the 1986 edition being the last time they made it to the quarter final stage of the World cup hence their determined show in the first half.
The Latin Americans exhibited the will to break this trend by pinning the Dutch for most of the first half, pressing and denying them space within which their forwards, especially Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie thrive. 

Searing conditions took their toll on all

The cooling break at the midway point of the first half was quite a welcome respite as the heat and humidity had already started wearing down the Europeans.

Sensing the Dutch vulnerability, the El Tri came into the second half with all guns blazing and their efforts were rewarded when build up play found Giovanni Dos Santos just outside the Dutch 18 yards, whose left footed volley rifled past the Dutch goalie into the bottom left corner in the 47^th minute. 

Dos Santos made no mistake with this strike

What a game! The extreme weather and Mexico's dominance belied the late drama that would occur. 
After scoring their goal however, the Mexicans stopped playing and sat on their laurels thereby inviting their opponents to come at them, an invitation the Dutch readily took with open arms!

Ochoa continued his heroics keeping off a point blank DiVrij header

By the time second cooling break was taking place in the 75^th minute, the Dutch were in ascendancy and the Mexicans were clearly living dangerously with goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa’s quick reflexes saving their blushes severally. The point blank save from Stefan DiVrij’s headed ball from a corner in particular cemented his case for the Goalkeeper of the tournament award. 

Van Gaal cleverly utilized the cooling breaks to adjust tactics

With Ochoa making his case, Dutch coach Van Gaal left no doubt that he is a tactical genius and contender for Coach of the tournament award. Having started the game with the 5-3-2 system he’d been utilizing, he utilized the cooling breaks on either half to cleverly change tactics switching to a 4-3-3 then finally resorted to a 4-4-2 when he made a critical substitution bringing in a second striker Klaas-Jan Hunterlaar to compliment Dirk Kuyt for the weather beaten Robin Van Persie. 
Van Gaal has exhibited courage, and never backs down from making brave changes nor trying out ingenious adjustments to cope with changing circumstances. This is testament to his indomitable character which clearly came out in the way his players battled in the second half.

That striker to striker change in particular proved pivotal and was the turning point of the game.

Another key change was that of Memphis Depay who along with Wesley Sneijder took total command of the midfield.

With Arjen Robben running riot with his dizzying runs on the right wing, the Dutch laid siege in the Mexican half and it was only a matter of time before the Mexicans cracked.

Ochoa turned villain when he misjudged the trajectory and flight of the ball and mistakenly came out for a corner kick, then tried to recover his position on realizing his mistake. The headed clearance landed squarely on the path of Sneidjer who unleashed an artillery round that whistled past a forest of legs and a stranded Ochoa smashing into the net for Holland’s 87^th minute equalizer. To illustrate the sheer power of this volley, if the ball and the Mexican net could both speak, they would have earnestly asked “what the hell did we ever do to deserve this brutality!?”

Sneijder cannons a thunderbolt to gain parity

The Dutch were not done yet as they were not settling for another blistering half hour of extra-time in the cauldron like conditions! 

They upped the ante and were deservedly rewarded when Robben again made one of his signature runs going deep into the Mexican box. On getting to the by-line, he cut back and attempted to make a bee line through an obstacle course of Mexican legs inviting a lunge from central defender Juan Marquez. 

Robben made Marquez rue making contact

Though minimal, the contact from Marquez was enough to both send Robben tumbling on the turf and convince Portuguese referee Proenca to award a penalty deep in injury time.

Hunterlaar, who was making his first appearance at this tournament made no mistake from the spot kick, burying it on the right while sending Ochoa diving in the opposite direction to complete a famous comeback and break Mexican hearts. 

When the final whistle went, the Mexicans clearly stunned didn’t seem to know what hit them!

Mexicans inconsolable from the lose

Game, set, and match! The Dutch are in the quarter finals!

HOSTS LUMBER INTO QUARTERS!

Story by Patrick Kamanga (pgkamanga73@gmail.com)

HOSTS LUMBER INTO QUARTERS

Brazil counting on divine intervention

The World cup hosts Brazil limped into the quarter finals after winning a tense post-match penalty shootout against a well organized and determined Chile. The disjointed Selecao produced a show that can accurately be described as “agricultural” at best and seemed to hang by the skin of their nails at times especially towards the end of regular time and extra time, overcoming moments of intense pressure. 

Julio Cesar's penalty saving heroics saved Brazil

Chile’s pressing game completely disoriented the Brazilians giving them absolutely no time and space from which to build up their game which then forced their back line to resort to some very unsavory long balls punted prospectively towards their forward line 

Chile will rue a missed opportunity, coming into this game with a dismal historical record, with a rare opportunity at righting matters but they let it slip through their fingers after having the Brazilians on the ropes for lengthy periods of the game.

 

If Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar was the hero then their striker Hulk was surely the villain, representing everything that is wrong with the Brazilian team.

Hulk like his fellow forwards was incredibly bereft of ideas on how to break down the resolute Chilean defense and resorted to diving and gesturing at the match officials expecting lenient favours. 

Hulk celebrates an attempted "hand of God" moment

To worsen his case, he was guilty of the silly blunder that gifted the Chileans the equalizer when he lazily played the ball back to Marcello from a throw in deep within their half, allowing Eduardo Vargas the chance to sneak in and quickly thread the ball to Alexis Sanchez in the Brazilian box. Thiago Silva and David Luiz were also culpable for not holding a tight line, Sanchez then utilized the acres of space and ample time given to pick a spot, lobbing the ball past a helpless Cesar in goal. 

Chile's equalizer, Hulk's handy work

To cap this poor show, Hulk who has the menacing facial looks and muscular build of a Samoan rugby winger, then used his massive right bicep to control the ball then sliced it with the outside of his left boot on to the bottom right corner of the net for his disallowed goal in the second half.  

His “hand of God moment” was not to be as the hawked eyed referee; Englishman Howard Webb was not fooled as he’d spotted the infringement and duly rewarded Hulk with a yellow card. He then withstood remonstrations and pressure from the Brazilian players and coaching staff, plus the deafening boos from the crowd. 
Howard Webb deserves a lot of credit for the way he handled himself and the game because any average referee would have definitely succumbed and caved in to the constant and desperate demands and coercion from the home team, which would have unfairly influenced the outcome of the match.

Contrasting post match reactions

One endearing image from this game was of players from both teams hunched over after the penalty shootout, emotional and in tears, with Neymar in particular shedding tears of relief from the shear pressure that he and this teammates are under and the Chileans clearly inconsolable from the finality of having being eliminated.

To cut a long story short, Brazil barely survived their first real test and fans everywhere are wondering whether they will hold up against a world class opponent. 
It is most neutrals’ wish that they get as far as possible for the tournament’s sake but there’s only so far they can push their luck.

To be fair to Brazil, they are just but victims of their own success and therefore their supporters at home and football fans around the world are merely expecting them to live up to their lofty reputation which the current team simply isn’t cut out for. 
A major upset of seismic proportions is therefore ominously looming.

If Chile’s offense caused Brazil problems, then they definitely must be scratching their scalps trying to figure out how they'll stop the Los Cafeteros whose dynamic midfield and lethal finishing has proven unstoppable thus far. 

Colombian team, the Los Cafeteros will test Brazil's mettle

Brazil’s quarter final opponent Colombia demonstrated how serious they are with a sublime performance against a subdued Uruguayan outfit. 
Their midfield trio of Teofilo Gutierrez, Juan Cuardardo and wonder kid James Rodriguez has so far steamrolled past all opposition and boast a treasure trove of 11 goals between them.

Rodriguez is the revelation of the tournament so far and is clearly charging towards a Golden Boot award or Young Player of the tournament award at the very least. He leads the score charts with a total haul of 5 goals heading to the quarter finals. 
This young player has exhibited maturity way beyond his years. The manner with which he scored Colombia’s opening goal was breath taking to say the least. 

Rodriguez's goal of the tournament

Sandwiched between two walls of Uruguayan players totaling seven, he chested a headed pass from Aguilar, demonstrating great spatial awareness and technique and smashed an audacious 20 meter volley that grazed a helpless Muslera’s finger tips before kissing the underside of the crossbar for the goal of tournament candidate! James (pronounced Hames) was not done yet; as he again got on to the right end of another headed pass this time from Cuardardo to stab a brace past the confused Uruguayan defense in the 65^th minute.

Colombia’s game is three dimensional as they’ve also exhibited compactness in defense and a workman like team ethic that has proven difficult to break, conceding a miserly 3 goals against a tally of 11 goals scored.

Well, Brazil better pray harder, this time they may not get off the hook!

ROUND OF 16! LET THE REAL GAMES BEGIN!

Story by Patrick Kamanga (pgkamanga73@gmail.com)

ROUND OF 16! LET THE REAL GAMES BEGIN!

Its either you win or you go home!

With the advent of the round of 16, the remaining teams at FIFA World cup in Brazil offer very interesting match ups.

Some of the teams that have made it to the elimination rounds have surprised many, as well as some of the teams that got eliminated. 
Costa Rica has been quite the revelation at this tournament while Chile has been exciting, following the invincible Dutch out of the tough group B.

With some major scalps such Spain, Italy, England, and Portugal all heading home rather unceremoniously the round of elimination contains a heavy “Latin American” feel laden with teams from the host continent and the Central American region.

Europe’s challenge will be led by two of the best sides from the northern hemisphere, Germany and Netherlands with the unpredictable but utterly talented Belgians carrying the “dark horses” tag.

History is in favour of Latin American representatives as no side from Europe has ever won in the Americas.

BRAZIL vs. CHILE

NETHERLANDS vs. MEXICO

COLOMBIA vs. URUGUAY

COSTA RICA vs. GREECE

FRANCE vs. NIGERIA

ARGENTINA vs. SWITZERLAND

GERMANY vs. ALGERIA

BELGIUM vs. U.S.A

BRAZIL vs. CHILE

Brazil has largely been unconvincing, lacking creativity in their midfield relying mostly on Neymar’s magic, some lenient refereeing and the fanatical support of their partisan home crowd to get them through.

Topping a group that included Mexico, Serbia, and Cameroon this Brazilian outfit has seemed average at best. 
Most experts have been hoping that they were just warming up and would get better as the tournament progresses.

Part of the problem was a lack of an engaging and competitive schedule because as the hosts, Brazil had an automatic berth which spared them the hustle of going through the qualifying rounds.

They’ve had to rely mostly on the Confederation cup and international friendly matches to mold their team as well as gauge their strength. Going by their form at the Confederation cup last year, one would not be faulted for concluding that they probably peaked sooner than would have benefited them as far these finals are concerned.

With the hopes of the over 300 million football mad population lying on their hands, the “Selecao” better wake up from their slumber. Losing at this early stage is not an option as that would ignite an already volatile and chaotic situation caused by riots and demonstrations by the host country’s poverty stricken majority who are protesting the exorbitant cost of hosting the tournament at the expense of more pressing social programs.

Against Chile, Brazil will rely mostly on their breaks because Chile is the kind of side that plays high on the field, utilizing a 3-5-2 formation which the hosts should be able to poke holes at.

That said however, Chile are a well drilled side with players that can hurt Brazil considering how shaky their defense has been thus far.

 History is heavily in favour of Brazil with Chile’s last win over their opponents occurring almost 15 years ago. 
It will also be interesting to see how Brazil holds up against their first real quality opposition so far.

NETHERLANDS vs. MEXICO

This will be quite an interesting contest pitting two tactically resolute sides.

Mexico, like Chile utilizes the 3-5-2 formation and is one of the few sides able to apply it to perfection. 
Netherlands on the other hand are a very versatile side with Louis Van Gaal showing that he can switch systems depending on circumstances. His preferred formation is the 4-3-3 but on losing dependable midfielder Kevin Strootman to a cruciate ligament injury on his left knee, other options had to be considered.

Due to this, Van Gaal switched to a rather defensive 5-3-2 formation that ruthlessly curved out the Spaniards for a famous 5-1 win on the counterattack.

What Van Gaal has been able to do different with this squad is enhance team unity and keep his players motivated unlike other Dutch outfits of the recent past whose individualism and in-fighting worked to their demise. He has forged a team from a core inexperienced young players and a number of seasoned veterans.

Mexico has been one huge revelation at this tournament, having failed to even make it through the CONCACAF zone qualifiers, no one had expected them to play this well leave alone qualify for the knockouts! They started the tournament on a high, completely outplaying Cameroon and getting two clear goals unfairly denied by poor officiating.

They then matched the much fancied Brazil all the way on their second game, asking many a question of their more illustrious opponents and producing a class act in goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa who made six world class saves to deny Brazil and maintain parity.

They produced a memorable second half on their last game against Serbia, winning 3-1. Like his Dutch counterpart, Mexico’s coach Miguel Herrera enjoys a healthy rapport with his players manifested in his wildly theatrical and highly animated touchline celebrations as well as remonstrations.

COLOMBIA vs. URUGUAY

This is a very evenly matched contest pitting two South American neighbours.

 With their talismanic striker Luiz Suarez having packed his bags and headed home after being banished for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, Colombia will fancy their chances against this ageing but highly tactical Uruguayan side.

Led by Argentine tactician Jose Pekerman, Colombia thus has the slight edge with a youthful side that is quite enterprising and creative with the duo of Juan Cuardardo and Jose Quintero expected to provide the extra impetus from the midfield.

Uruguay however are a battle hardened platoon of many wars. It will be interesting therefore to see how veteran coach Oscar Washington Tabarez sets out his side to deal with this threat. Uruguay is expected to play a compact defensive style, relying heavily on the counterattack. This is where Suarez’s presence will surely be missed.

COSTA RICA vs. GREECE

Costa Rica has been the surprise package for this tournament having masterminded the elimination of both England and Italy.

With a rather drab Greek outfit who sauntered into the knockouts facing a fast paced, energy packed Costa Rican outfit, with a lethal offense to match this contest can only go one way.

FRANCE vs. NIGERIA

France maneuvered their way out of a rather easy group and this game will be their first real test.

Nigeria started their challenge on a low note against a lackluster Iranian outfit but improved on subsequent matches. They gave a good account of themselves against the might of the Argentines on their last group game, with Messi’s magic ensuring the South Americans surmounted the group.

This French team lacks the finesse of other French sides of yore therefore Nigeria will be the deserving test they require to gauge their true potential.

ARGENTINA vs. SWITZERLAND

It just hasn’t clicked for the Albiceleste who’ve relied mostly on the wizardry of Lionel Messi to carry them through the group stage.

Boasting of arguably the best offense at the tournament, Argentina’s strike force has been rather sterile and disappointing thus far.

Coach Alejandro Sabella also stands culpable of poor judgement and might rue having left out experienced striker Carlos Teves who had a phenomenal season at Juventus, picking Sergio Aguerro instead who had an injury plagued season, potentially denying Messi the support he craves upfront with Gonzalo Higuain, Fernando Gago, Angel Di Maria and Ezequiel Lavezzi all failing to gel and produce the expected fireworks.

This will be a true David vs. Goliath contest with Switzerland the overwhelming underdogs! If Argentina has written off Switzerland, they will have done that at their own peril. Coached by veteran German tactician Ottmar Hitzfield, Switzerland are largely an unknown quantity that relies on team work and a workman like style of play.

GERMANY vs. ALGERIA

Algeria will come into this game with one thing and only one thing on their mind, revenge!!

The last time these two sides met was in the 1982 edition in Spain, where a vastly talented and flamboyant Algeria shocked the then West Germany 2-1. With Algeria deserving to advance from their group, West Germany and Austria colluded to plot a malicious ploy and proceeded to conjure a result that favoured both "Germanic" neighbours thus locking out Algeria.

That shameful act is what caused the FIFA rule books to be altered in favour of the current system where all the closing group matches are played simultaneously to prevent match fixing or pre-arranged outcomes.

Algeria plays a typical Mediterranean style of football that relies on one touch passing and ball possession. 
Germany on the other hand is the master of “the transition football”, relying on speed and precision.

Algeria has proven vulnerable on set pieces and crosses from the wings conceding 3 goals from such situations. 
This fact will not have passed the German radar and with their height advantage and wing play, they should exploit that glaring weakness to the maximum.

Germany is the clear favourite.

BELGIUM vs. U.S.A

This is another fairly matched contest with a talented Belgian side facing a tactically resolute U.S side.

Belgian coach Marc Wilmots has a beautiful problem, having a vastly talented squad to choose from. That however has proven to be more of a headache than an advantage with Wilmots tinkering and changing his lineup, seemingly unsure of his best eleven.

That is a fact that the American tactician, former Germany striker Jurgen Klinsmann will set to take advantage of. 
He has shown a knack for setting out a team that is very difficult to break down and that ably hurts teams on the counterattack which will be a real test for the shaky Belgian defense.

Belgium will have to be at their very best to win this game.