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Showing posts with label after. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

David Luiz collapses in tears after the Humiliation of the 7-1 of the Brazil World Cup

7-1 defeat of Brazil in the semifinal of the Cup World stunned the world and left the host country in shock, and nowhere is that more clearly show that face of captain David Luiz.

Luiz has consoled after the game in normal skipper Thiago Silva, who was serving a suspension.

But the tears continued to flow for Luiz, who has struggled to compose himself at the time wherever it was called to an interview focused on the ground.

Speaking later in the Press Conference, Luiz, now of Paris Saint-Germain, has apologized to the nation.

[Vine, h/t Twitter]

World Cup Semifinal Results 2014: Final Score, Latest Fixture Info After Day 27

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The first semifinal of the 2014 FIFA World Cup was nothing short of a debacle for the hosts Brazil. That term hardly does justice to what transpired for the Selecao, as Germany blitzed Brazil with five goals in the first 30 minutes, advancing to the final with ease by a score of 7-1.

Neymar's absence due to a fractured vertebra, along with captain Thiago Silva's suspension, subtracted too much from Brazil's side for the home hopefuls to have any chance at further World Cup glory. Adding further insult to injury, Miroslav Klose passed a Brazilian legend in Ronaldo for the all-time goals mark in this acclaimed international tournament:

Ronaldo himself chimed in as to what went wrong for his native team, per Jack Lang of the Daily Mirror:

Credit Germany for capitalizing on an ideal situation, but also for executing flawlessly on the attack to demoralize a disoriented Brazil that looked lost without Silva leading the defensive effort.

The Daily Telegraph's Henry Winter felt no combination of any semifinalist could topple Germany on Tuesday:

Now take a look at the updated fixture information after Day 27, along with a brief look ahead at the second semifinal between Argentina and the Netherlands.

Note: Statistics and information are courtesy of FIFA.com unless otherwise indicated.

2014 World Cup Semi Final Results and FixturesSource: ESPN.com

Netherlands vs. Argentina Preview

Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

The Argentina attack will be counting as much on Lionel Messi as ever without the services of winger Angel Di Maria, who is sidelined with a thigh injury. Messi is like Brazil's Neymar, so at least La Albiceleste has the benefit of their best player eager to prove himself on the World Cup stage.

Dutch manager Louis van Gaal discussed how his side is approaching the match and how it pertains to Messi's legacy, per The Guardian's Owen Gibson:

We are playing against Argentina. We always refer to teams and not individual players. We have a plan ready for Argentina. [...] If you score so many goals, you have an added value. At the most important stage [Messi] can always pull it off.

[...] In principle he’s always found it difficult to show that at international level. He wants to do that at this tournament and we want to stop him doing that, so that’s going to be quite a challenge.

The report also mentions that Dutch star scorer Robin van Persie has a stomach bug that could impact his play in the semifinal. That will hinder Van Gaal's flexibility in manufacturing goals. Overcoming that is tough, because Oranje couldn't score in regulation or extra time before a gritty shootout victory over Costa Rica in the quarterfinals.

The Netherlands figure to have an edge in possession thanks to an edge in the midfield created by Di Maria's absence. Holland sport the likes of Daley Blind, who can shut down Argentina's offense before it gathers form and help Wesley Sneijder's efforts to lead the counterattack.

All eyes will be on Messi, who can redeem his shortcomings on the international stage in the past by putting home a goal and getting Argentina to a World Cup final.

Van Gaal's Netherlands squad has been more dominant, as opposed to the one-goal margins Argentina have continued to win by. In the end, though, that accumulated weathering of adversity, combined with Messi's heroics, will be enough to push Argentina to the final in a far more even match than the first semifinal.

How hard it must be for Brazil to recover for a third-place consolation match. Even the team that loses the second semifinal should be able to secure third place, but the Dutch will be hurt to have made another deep run and fall short after losing the 2010 final to Spain.

Should Argentina indeed pull through, their task ahead is tall. In light of how well Germany played in the semifinal, they look unstoppable and poised to win the World Cup. With that incredible performance, though, comes raised expectations. If Messi and Co. barely advance yet again, Argentina will enter as underdogs and thus have a lot of support in pursuit of their first World Cup title since 1986.

Prediction: Argentina 2, Netherlands 1

World Cup 2014 Scores: Semi-Final Results, Updated Bracket After Day 27

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You thought the Seattle Seahawks' dismantling of the Denver Broncos during the Super Bowl was a blowout. You thought the San Antonio Spurs crushed the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. 

So what did you think of Germany's performance in the World Cup semi-final against Brazil Tuesday?

Germany eviscerated the hosts to the tune of 7-1, but it was the stretch from 23 minutes to 29 minutes that was absolutely astounding.

Germany poured in four goals in six minutes and absolutely sucked the energy out of the entire stadium. In fact, they sucked the energy out of the entire country of Brazil.

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

We are now down to three remaining teams, and an updated World Cup bracket can be found below and at ESPN FC.

Bleacher Report

The goal that started that incredible stretch out for Germany came off the foot of Miroslav Klose, which gave him the all-time World Cup record for goals scored. FIFA World Cup's official Twitter page congratulated the German superstar:

Klose commented on his mindset for this World Cup before the game, via ESPN FC:

One strike is not enough for me. I need to add more. I've got brutal mind, always prepare for everything. I don't take any offence [when not starting], I know that I can always help the team, in whatever way. I am ready, you already saw that against Ghana.

Clearly, Brazil missed the injured Neymar and the suspended Thiago Silva, but pinning the result of this match on those absences would be completely unfair to the German side. 

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Germany were absolutely ruthless in the first half and never backed off the attack. They controlled the ball, took advantage of just about every single goal-scoring opportunity and showed why they are one of the most dominant teams in the world.

Not even the brilliant Neymar could have done much to stop them on Tuesday.

Given the 5-0 lead at half-time, Germany sat back for much of the second half and received some excellent goalkeeping from Manuel Neuer. Just for good measure, they added another two goals in the second half even when they were sitting back defensively, while Oscar scored the lone goal for Brazil when the game was well in hand at 90 minutes.

Dario Lopez-Mills/Associated Press

Any time a blowout on such a significant stage occurs in any sport, it's always interesting to put it in historical perspective. Paul Carr of ESPN and ESPN Stats & Info did just that during the first-half spurt from the German side:

The flip side of the German elation, of course, was the shock and disappointment from the Brazilian fans. To lose a match like this is one thing, but to do it in front of your own supporters on this stage makes the result sting all the more.

Bleacher Report noted that there were plenty of tears flowing, while Sam Borden of The New York Times pointed out that some Brazilian fans were doing their best Miami Heat fans impersonation:

Perhaps the only way to deal with a blowout like this is with a sense of humor, as Jordan Brenner of ESPN and Bleacher Report UK tried to do:

The goals for the German side came from Thomas Mueller (11 minutes), Klose (23 minutes), Toni Kroos (24 and 26 minutes), Sami Khedira (29 minutes) and Andre Schurrle (69 and 79 minutes).

While they got their names in the box score, it was an absolute team effort from the opening minute. The midfielders and offense were unstoppable in the first half, and Neuer and the rest of the defense held their ground after intermission.

Even USA coach and former German national team player Jurgen Klinsmann weighed in:

Next up for the dominant Germans is a date in the World Cup final against the winner of Wednesday's showdown between Netherlands and Argentina.

It's often easy to get caught up in the moment after a performance like we saw from Germany Tuesday and assume they are going to win the entire thing, but they have been completely ruthless and efficient throughout the entire World Cup.

In early matches, such as those against the United States, France and Algeria, the defense came to play and shut down the opposing attack.

Then there was the match with Portugal when the offense came out and poured in four goals (to go along with the shutout of Portugal's attack).

The final will not be nearly as easy as Tuesday's game with Brazil was, but the Germans have to be considered the favorites at this point.

It would take some serious magic from Lionel Messi or Arjen Robben to exploit Germany's stout defense, which means we could be in store for a defensive battle. 

After all, it's nearly impossible to imagine Argentina or Netherlands coming out as disorganized on the defensive end as Brazil did Tuesday.

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Monday, July 7, 2014

DeAndre Yedlin linked to Roma and Liverpool after World Cup success

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DeAndre Yedlin, Eden Hazard DeAndre Yedlin of the USA vies with Belgium's Eden Hazard. Photograph: Xinhua News Agency/REX

Several of the USA World Cup players returned to Major League Soccer action this weekend, many to heroes' welcomes. For some, the rumour mill was already churning.

Seattle's 20-year-old home-grown prodigy DeAndre Yedlin, whose fearless substitute performances as a speedy attacking right-back caught the eye in Brazil, has been the subject of a number of enquiries. The Sounders' general manager, Adrian Hanauer, acknowledged “lots of interest” in the player and felt obliged to point out that Yedlin was in Seattle “for now”.

As it stands, the front-runners for Yedlin are Roma – the American-owned (one of their directors, Brian Klein, is from Seattle) Serie A team who first came across the player when he featured for the MLS All-Stars against the Italians last summer.

The club worked closely with the league, which owns players' contracts, in 2013, not just on the All-Star game logistics but on best-practice initiatives such as an adaptation of the “Don’t cross the line” anti-discrimination campaign.

Despite reports that Yedlin may be going on trial with Liverpool, the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport has claimed that a Roma deal is nearly done. Most likely, such a deal would see Yedlin seeing out the MLS season with Seattle before going on loan to Genoa, where he would see enough game time to satisfy work-permit requirements while being developed for the senior Roma squad.

If the transfer were to go through it would likely represent a good deal all round – the MLS structure means such fees go direct to the league but clubs get a proportion in so-called allocation money which can be used to strengthen a squad or offset the salary cap. That amount is increased in the case of home-grown players such as Yedlin, whose development the league is trying to incentivise.

For the buyer, US players are increasingly seen as good value, even with the World Cup driving up their price. One former Roma player and USA mainstay, Michael Bradley, claims US players are still undervalued, particularly by coaches who prefer the “brand recognition” of, for example, Argentinians.

Matt Besler Belgium's Daniel Van Buyten, right, shoots as United States' Matt Besler, left, tries to block. Photograph: Felipe Dana/AP

Yedlin’s personal brand is on a post-tournament high, but he is far from the only USA player attracting interest. Matt Besler, the Sporting Kansas City centre-back whose defensive solidity stood up to some severe tests in Brazil, is attracting attention, as is his SKC midfield team-mate Graham Zusi.

Besler has generated “enormous interest”, according to his club, and could be on the move within the next 10 days according to his agent, Eddie Rock, with offers on the table from Bundesliga and Premier League clubs.

Yedlin and Besler both have a decision to make. Besler is a Kansas City native and club captain, and Rock confirmed that a third option on the table for him is Sporting making him a designated player. Clubs are allowed up to three such players, for whom only a portion of wages count against the salary cap – a clause introduced when David Beckham joined the league.

Besler is genuinely drawn to the idea of the MLS champions building a dynasty around him, as the sport grows in the US. This puts him in line with a number of US national-team players who returned to MLS at the start of the season, prior to the World Cup.

Yedlin is part of a growing crop of young players for whom MLS has always been around, and who speaks unselfconsciously of supporting the team for which he plays.

Not that he is likely to turn down the lure of Roma, should a deal be made, though in another aspect of the deal that would have been almost impossible to visualise just a few years ago, he may have to adjust to smaller crowds. An expected 67,000 will turn out in Seattle next week, to see the Sounders play the Portland Timbers.