I got to watch most of all three games yesterday, because the summer free from school started not just for my son, but for me, also.
Thus, I got to see most of the second half of Brazil and Costa Rica, and then all of the Nigeria-Iceland contest, as well as pretty much all of the Switzerland-Serbia match.
So, let me review the games from yesterday:
Brazil 2, Costa Rica 0 - For most of this game, almost right to the end (and at least right to the end of the regular 90 minutes, before the extra time session was added on), it looked like Brazil just was not having the kind of day that they needed. Costa Rica's defense was suffocating them, but they also just experienced some bad luck. They came close numerous times, and were clearly the aggressors. Costa Rica hardly even had any serious opportunities to score, while Brazil had chance after chance. It was just that nothing seemed to be going for them.
And then, just like that, magic happened for Brazil. Philippe Coutinho finally broke through in the first minute of extra time, seeming to clinch a narrow escape win for Brazil.
There was still several minutes of extra time left, though. But Costa Rica's offense looked pitiful almost all game long, and that did not change during the extra time. They seemed to lack a sense of urgency, and it was Brazil that held possession for most of the time, and Brazil that created the best scoring opportunities.
Perhaps it was fitting, then, that they broke through yet again, as Neymar, who had come close before, finally broke though himself to score for Brazil in the seventh minute of extra time to ice the game.
Finally, Brazil looked like Brazil of old, and perhaps the memories of that embarrassment at home during the last World Cup, particularly the infamous 7-1 drubbing, are finally fading for Brazil and their fans.
For the first time, Brazil looks like one of the favorites, and they seem on track to clinch qualifying for the next round. This loss, on the other hand, officially eliminated Costa Rica from the elimination round.
Nigeria 2, Iceland 0 - This was yet another game that was locked in a defensive battle through the first half. If anything, it felt like Iceland had every reason to be happy with the outcome for the first 45 minutes, and then for the early part of the second half.
But when it ended, Iceland's dreams ended hard with them. They are not officially done, but this loss felt like a splash of cold water harshly waking Iceland up from their hopeful dreams.
For much of the first half, it felt like Iceland was establishing their tempo, and enjoying their kind of game. They had some scoring opportunities, and looked like a team that had an excellent shot of winning. Failing that, it was easy to picture them tying, which would have been a victory of sorts for them.
In the second half, however, it was a different story. Conditions were hot, which favored Nigeria, since it never seems to get very hot at all in Iceland. Then, Nigeria's Ahmed Musa broke through with a goal to put his side up, 1-0.
Suddenly, the game felt very different. Nigeria had gotten the first goal, and Iceland began to look and feel like a team that had to take chances, try to make things happen to get back into it. That allowed Nigeria to mount some strong counterattacks, which perhaps made another goal inevitable. Musa broke through again in the 75th minute, virtually icing the game.
Iceland looked worn, tired, and beaten. It was hot, and they looked uncomfortable in the heat, and being so far behind, and suddenly looking like the largely inexperienced team that they are. Nigeria is a country with literally over 200 times the people of Iceland, and their players are tremendously athletic. Eventually, Iceland's luck was going to run out, and it happened against a strong and energetic club that was far more comfortable in the hot conditions than Iceland itself was.
Interestingly, all six of Nigeria's World Cup wins have come against European teams. This was their widest margin of victory since they beat Germany by the same score back in the 1994 World Cup.
As for Iceland, this was their first out and out loss in the group stage of a major world tournament. They had not lost any thus far at either the Euro two years ago, or at the World Cup, until the loss to Nigeria yesterday.
The win was just what Nigeria needed, as they now prepare to face Argentina. Iceland, meanwhile, will prepare for red hot Croatia, with flickering prospects of qualifying for the elimination round.
Switzerland 2, Serbia 1 - This was, far and away, the most exciting game of the bunch from yesterday. It was quite evenly matched, and it was not clear until almost the very end who would come out the winner.
Initially, Serbia seemed to have the advantage in the early part of the game. They had the better scoring chances, and broke through first for the 1-0 lead with a goal by Aleksandar Mitrović. For a while thereafter, it seemed like the Swiss were just hanging on for dear life, trying desperately to avoid falling behind 2-0, which felt like a deficit that they simply would not be able to overcome.
But they hung on. And when they finally gained the momentum, they were able to completely turn the game around on Serbia.
Granit Xhaka broke through in the 52nd minute to tie the game up. It seemed that the momentum completely turned around with this one goal. While Serbia had seemed to be playing better, more organized football prior to that, and seemed always on the verge of expanding on their lead to make it a virtually insurmountable one, this goal allowed Switzerland to grab the momentum.
They never let it go.
Switzerland's colorful and flashy striker, Xherdan Shaqiri, started making things happen. He got closer and closer to breaking through and scoring a goal, keeping the pressure on Serbia. Then, in what felt like an inevitability by that point, he finally broke through in the 90th minute for a dagger in the heart kind of goal. You could almost feel the air go out of Serbia with that one.
Both Xhaka and Shaqiri went a little too far with their celebrations, and FIFA is now investigating disciplinary measures against both.
Still, the Swiss are celebrating at the moment, having earned a huge win, following their impressive tie against the Brazilian side. Now, with this win, the Swiss appear headed for the elimination round. They will next take on Costa Rica, and they will be very heavily favored to win. Switzerland is one of the hottest teams in this tournament, having suffered just one defeated in their last 24 matches, and they won 17 of those games.
And then, just like that, magic happened for Brazil. Philippe Coutinho finally broke through in the first minute of extra time, seeming to clinch a narrow escape win for Brazil.
There was still several minutes of extra time left, though. But Costa Rica's offense looked pitiful almost all game long, and that did not change during the extra time. They seemed to lack a sense of urgency, and it was Brazil that held possession for most of the time, and Brazil that created the best scoring opportunities.
Perhaps it was fitting, then, that they broke through yet again, as Neymar, who had come close before, finally broke though himself to score for Brazil in the seventh minute of extra time to ice the game.
Finally, Brazil looked like Brazil of old, and perhaps the memories of that embarrassment at home during the last World Cup, particularly the infamous 7-1 drubbing, are finally fading for Brazil and their fans.
For the first time, Brazil looks like one of the favorites, and they seem on track to clinch qualifying for the next round. This loss, on the other hand, officially eliminated Costa Rica from the elimination round.
Nigeria 2, Iceland 0 - This was yet another game that was locked in a defensive battle through the first half. If anything, it felt like Iceland had every reason to be happy with the outcome for the first 45 minutes, and then for the early part of the second half.
But when it ended, Iceland's dreams ended hard with them. They are not officially done, but this loss felt like a splash of cold water harshly waking Iceland up from their hopeful dreams.
For much of the first half, it felt like Iceland was establishing their tempo, and enjoying their kind of game. They had some scoring opportunities, and looked like a team that had an excellent shot of winning. Failing that, it was easy to picture them tying, which would have been a victory of sorts for them.
In the second half, however, it was a different story. Conditions were hot, which favored Nigeria, since it never seems to get very hot at all in Iceland. Then, Nigeria's Ahmed Musa broke through with a goal to put his side up, 1-0.
Suddenly, the game felt very different. Nigeria had gotten the first goal, and Iceland began to look and feel like a team that had to take chances, try to make things happen to get back into it. That allowed Nigeria to mount some strong counterattacks, which perhaps made another goal inevitable. Musa broke through again in the 75th minute, virtually icing the game.
Iceland looked worn, tired, and beaten. It was hot, and they looked uncomfortable in the heat, and being so far behind, and suddenly looking like the largely inexperienced team that they are. Nigeria is a country with literally over 200 times the people of Iceland, and their players are tremendously athletic. Eventually, Iceland's luck was going to run out, and it happened against a strong and energetic club that was far more comfortable in the hot conditions than Iceland itself was.
Interestingly, all six of Nigeria's World Cup wins have come against European teams. This was their widest margin of victory since they beat Germany by the same score back in the 1994 World Cup.
As for Iceland, this was their first out and out loss in the group stage of a major world tournament. They had not lost any thus far at either the Euro two years ago, or at the World Cup, until the loss to Nigeria yesterday.
The win was just what Nigeria needed, as they now prepare to face Argentina. Iceland, meanwhile, will prepare for red hot Croatia, with flickering prospects of qualifying for the elimination round.
Switzerland 2, Serbia 1 - This was, far and away, the most exciting game of the bunch from yesterday. It was quite evenly matched, and it was not clear until almost the very end who would come out the winner.
Initially, Serbia seemed to have the advantage in the early part of the game. They had the better scoring chances, and broke through first for the 1-0 lead with a goal by Aleksandar Mitrović. For a while thereafter, it seemed like the Swiss were just hanging on for dear life, trying desperately to avoid falling behind 2-0, which felt like a deficit that they simply would not be able to overcome.
But they hung on. And when they finally gained the momentum, they were able to completely turn the game around on Serbia.
Granit Xhaka broke through in the 52nd minute to tie the game up. It seemed that the momentum completely turned around with this one goal. While Serbia had seemed to be playing better, more organized football prior to that, and seemed always on the verge of expanding on their lead to make it a virtually insurmountable one, this goal allowed Switzerland to grab the momentum.
They never let it go.
Switzerland's colorful and flashy striker, Xherdan Shaqiri, started making things happen. He got closer and closer to breaking through and scoring a goal, keeping the pressure on Serbia. Then, in what felt like an inevitability by that point, he finally broke through in the 90th minute for a dagger in the heart kind of goal. You could almost feel the air go out of Serbia with that one.
Both Xhaka and Shaqiri went a little too far with their celebrations, and FIFA is now investigating disciplinary measures against both.
Still, the Swiss are celebrating at the moment, having earned a huge win, following their impressive tie against the Brazilian side. Now, with this win, the Swiss appear headed for the elimination round. They will next take on Costa Rica, and they will be very heavily favored to win. Switzerland is one of the hottest teams in this tournament, having suffered just one defeated in their last 24 matches, and they won 17 of those games.
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