Costa Rica 1, Italy 0
This result was shocking! Admittedly, despite their earlier upset victory last week against Uruguay, I never would have expected this team to be capable of beating a team of the caliber of Italy.
But that is exactly what they did yesterday, with terrific defensive play.
Italy has long been one of the powerhouse countries in the sport, just behind Brazil, and perhaps a little ahead of Germany and Argentina. Hell, they won the World Cup tournament just eight years ago, for that matter, in 2006, against France! It was the fourth time in history that they won this thing, too, just behind Brazil's five.
Yet, their title defense four years ago was a surprising disaster for them. They drew their first two games, then lost a shocker to Slovakia.
So, you knew that they wanted to make sure to get things right this time around. And when they beat England in the first contest, you kind of figured that they were back.
But, not so fast! Their offense was kept in check all day yesterday by a crafty Costa Rican side. And even though they only really screwed up once all day, it was enough to cost them very dearly, as a goal in the 44th minute by Bryan Ruiz put Costa Rica up, 1-0. It was all the scoring that would be seen in this game, and that would ultimately be the only goal of the day by either side.
Italy dominated the time of possession battle, but still were unable to get anything past the tough Costa Rican defense, and goalie Keylor Navas.
And Costa Rica, shockingly, had pulled off what nobody thought that they would be capable of pulling off! They also, in effect, won the group with the victory, something that few people could have predicted. I surely did not!
Italy has long been one of the powerhouse countries in the sport, just behind Brazil, and perhaps a little ahead of Germany and Argentina. Hell, they won the World Cup tournament just eight years ago, for that matter, in 2006, against France! It was the fourth time in history that they won this thing, too, just behind Brazil's five.
Yet, their title defense four years ago was a surprising disaster for them. They drew their first two games, then lost a shocker to Slovakia.
So, you knew that they wanted to make sure to get things right this time around. And when they beat England in the first contest, you kind of figured that they were back.
But, not so fast! Their offense was kept in check all day yesterday by a crafty Costa Rican side. And even though they only really screwed up once all day, it was enough to cost them very dearly, as a goal in the 44th minute by Bryan Ruiz put Costa Rica up, 1-0. It was all the scoring that would be seen in this game, and that would ultimately be the only goal of the day by either side.
Italy dominated the time of possession battle, but still were unable to get anything past the tough Costa Rican defense, and goalie Keylor Navas.
And Costa Rica, shockingly, had pulled off what nobody thought that they would be capable of pulling off! They also, in effect, won the group with the victory, something that few people could have predicted. I surely did not!
France 5, Switzerland 2
France looked ridiculously good in this match yesterday, particularly on offense!
There were chances early on for both teams, and it did not take long for France to capitalize on one of it's chances, when Olivier Giroud opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a nice header to put France up, 1-0.
The French had barely finished their celebrations, when play resumed again, and they incredibly went right back to work and scored almost immediately, with beautiful passing that ultimately resulted in a stunning goal by Blaise Matuidi. Just like that, France was up, 2-0 in just the 18th minute!
The Swiss were playing with a sense of urgency after that, and had some nice chances and near misses, but nothing was working for the flustered Swiss against the French defense.
Then, rather shockingly, Mathieu Valbuena scored in the 40th minute to give France a 3-0 lead by the half. The Swiss looked deflated, and a French win looked inevitable by the time that the two teams walked off the field for the halftime break.
But the French meant business. They came here to play, and their attack offense was relentless. It broke through again in the 67th minute, when French star Karim Benzema got one in the back of the net again to provide France with a 4-0 lead.
Not much later, in the 73rd minute, Moussa Sissoko scored his first ever World Cup goal to provide France with a stunning 5-0 lead!
As time wound down, the Swiss were able to show a bit of a fighting spirit, as their defense tightened up.
They were also able to get on the scoreboard, as Blerim Dzemaili finally got one in in the 81st minute off of a nice free kick that sailed right in between the narrow space between the French defenders, and just out of reach of the French keeper,
The Swiss got yet another goal in the 87th minute by Granit Xhaka, a beautiful goal that made it 5-2.
From that point on, the Swiss played with a sense of urgency, but it was too little, too late. Time was quickly running out, and France's defense held Switzerland without a goal. In fact, in the final seconds of the match, France was on the attack again, and Benzema was able to get one into the net, although it officially came after time had expired, and so did not count.
There were chances early on for both teams, and it did not take long for France to capitalize on one of it's chances, when Olivier Giroud opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a nice header to put France up, 1-0.
The French had barely finished their celebrations, when play resumed again, and they incredibly went right back to work and scored almost immediately, with beautiful passing that ultimately resulted in a stunning goal by Blaise Matuidi. Just like that, France was up, 2-0 in just the 18th minute!
The Swiss were playing with a sense of urgency after that, and had some nice chances and near misses, but nothing was working for the flustered Swiss against the French defense.
Then, rather shockingly, Mathieu Valbuena scored in the 40th minute to give France a 3-0 lead by the half. The Swiss looked deflated, and a French win looked inevitable by the time that the two teams walked off the field for the halftime break.
But the French meant business. They came here to play, and their attack offense was relentless. It broke through again in the 67th minute, when French star Karim Benzema got one in the back of the net again to provide France with a 4-0 lead.
Not much later, in the 73rd minute, Moussa Sissoko scored his first ever World Cup goal to provide France with a stunning 5-0 lead!
As time wound down, the Swiss were able to show a bit of a fighting spirit, as their defense tightened up.
They were also able to get on the scoreboard, as Blerim Dzemaili finally got one in in the 81st minute off of a nice free kick that sailed right in between the narrow space between the French defenders, and just out of reach of the French keeper,
The Swiss got yet another goal in the 87th minute by Granit Xhaka, a beautiful goal that made it 5-2.
From that point on, the Swiss played with a sense of urgency, but it was too little, too late. Time was quickly running out, and France's defense held Switzerland without a goal. In fact, in the final seconds of the match, France was on the attack again, and Benzema was able to get one into the net, although it officially came after time had expired, and so did not count.
Switzerland actually won the time of possession battle convincingly, but they just were not able to solve the French defense. Also, France made much more of the offensive opportunities that they were provided.
France's defense was stifling, until they seemed to let up a bit in the last ten minutes of the game. French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris looked poised and in control
Amazingly, the game could have been even more lopsided, except for some solid saves by Swiss keeper Diego Benaglio.
With this win, France now appears in great shape to take the group, and they have all but officially qualified for the elimination round.
Ecuador 2, Honduras 1
It was a relatively sloppy game, but Ecuador managed to come from one goal down to beat Honduras, remaining alive in this tournament.
The game was looking like a very defensive, low scoring affair early, and neither team seemed capable of breaking through the puzzle of the other team's defense.
Until, that is, Carlo Costly gave Honduras a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute, their first goal in a World Cup game since 1982. Most of the players on the field had not yet even been born the last time Honduras had scored a goal in the World Cup. They were also around ten minutes shy of the record scoreless streak in World Cup play set by Bolivia, of around 519 minutes. Luckily, they can breathe a little bit more easily, not having established a new record for futility in World Cup play. That is the kind of dubious record that no one wants.
More importantly, the goal saw Honduras suddenly up in the game, and believing that they could win!
But Enner Valencia was able to answer quickly for Ecuador, scoring his first of two goals in the 34th minute to tie the game back up. Enner Valencia scored both of Ecuador's goals on this day.
Neither team looked very comfortable on the offensive end. Ecuador seemed a touch more comfortable, and they had some near misses. But ultimately, Valencia was able to provide just enough firepower to give Ecuador just enough goals to win this contest with his two goals. The first one, in the 34th minute, tied a game that Honduras had been leading.
The final one came in the 65th minute, to provide Ecuador with it's first lead of the game, at 2-1. That would also ultimately prove to be the final score, as Ecuador held Honduras off to preserve the win.
This game looked surprisingly statistically throughout much of the match, although Ecuador looked like the more polished team. Honduras was, at times, sloppy with their few chances. They are a very physical team, and punished Ecuador in their win much like they physically punished France days before. But ultimately, they were just unable to score enough goals to entertain any serious thoughts of winning.
The game was looking like a very defensive, low scoring affair early, and neither team seemed capable of breaking through the puzzle of the other team's defense.
Until, that is, Carlo Costly gave Honduras a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute, their first goal in a World Cup game since 1982. Most of the players on the field had not yet even been born the last time Honduras had scored a goal in the World Cup. They were also around ten minutes shy of the record scoreless streak in World Cup play set by Bolivia, of around 519 minutes. Luckily, they can breathe a little bit more easily, not having established a new record for futility in World Cup play. That is the kind of dubious record that no one wants.
More importantly, the goal saw Honduras suddenly up in the game, and believing that they could win!
But Enner Valencia was able to answer quickly for Ecuador, scoring his first of two goals in the 34th minute to tie the game back up. Enner Valencia scored both of Ecuador's goals on this day.
Neither team looked very comfortable on the offensive end. Ecuador seemed a touch more comfortable, and they had some near misses. But ultimately, Valencia was able to provide just enough firepower to give Ecuador just enough goals to win this contest with his two goals. The first one, in the 34th minute, tied a game that Honduras had been leading.
The final one came in the 65th minute, to provide Ecuador with it's first lead of the game, at 2-1. That would also ultimately prove to be the final score, as Ecuador held Honduras off to preserve the win.
This game looked surprisingly statistically throughout much of the match, although Ecuador looked like the more polished team. Honduras was, at times, sloppy with their few chances. They are a very physical team, and punished Ecuador in their win much like they physically punished France days before. But ultimately, they were just unable to score enough goals to entertain any serious thoughts of winning.
I think we can safely say Les Bleus are back at this point. I have no idea how far they'll go, but it's clearly night and day compared to the debacle from four years ago. I haven't seen France play with this kind of determination in a major tournament since 2000, the last time they won the Euro. This almost assuredly means they avoid a Round of 16 showdown with Argentina, which is great because you want to face teams like that as late as possible in a tournament. Assuming France wins the group, whoever finishes second will then probably have to play Argentina, at which point I suspect they'll be packing their bags and heading home shortly afterwards. Allez les Bleus, and hats off to a valiant Costa Rican team that continues to shock the world.
ReplyDeleteThe game that France put together yesterday was simply beautiful. Wonderful passing and execution that kept the Swiss side flustered and unable to cope all afternoon long. The final score was lopsided, yet it was not as close as the score indicated, and it could have been worse, as France missed some beautiful scoring opportunities early. Just an overall very solid performance from France! Allez les Bleus, indeed! But Switzerland, despite being a serious opponent, are not quite of the caliber of teams that France is likely to play in elimination round if they can keep playing like this, like their neighbor, Germany, or Italy (although Italy has looked less than dominant so far). Or, for that matter, the hosts, Brazil, or Argentina, the team you mentioned specifically. Still, a solid start, and France is undeniably playing very well so far. I watched the entirety of both the France-Switzerland game, and Ecuador-Honduras, and the level of play was significantly less in that second game. France has an excellent chance at winning that final game, and moving on with a head full of steam. Allez les Bleus!
ReplyDelete