Group Stage Ends With Surprise Advances

In what is gradually becoming the most exciting World Cup of the modern era, the group stage came to an end with the trend of surprise results continuing which meant elimination for some highly ranked countries.

A
Brazil continued their quest to win the trophy on home soil with a comfortable 4-1 win over Cameroon who end the group stage without a win and went behind in the 17th minute to a strike from in-form Brazilian striker Neymar but the Africans responded well and levelled in the 26th minute with a goal from Matip.

Neymar's second strike regained the lead for Brazil in the 34th minute and they were in firm control just four minutes into the second half when Fred made it 3-1 and left Cameroon with a huge task to prevent ending with no points. Fernandinho sealed the win in the 84th minute to confirm a comfortable passage into the last 16 for the host nation.

Mexico confirmed their place in the last 16 with a 3-1 win against Croatia in what was a tight game until the final quarter with the sides still level at 0-0 when Marquez gave the Mexicans the lead in the 72nd minute with a quick second from Guardado within three minutes.

Croatia's hopes of levelling ended just seven minutes later when Hernandez made it 3-0 but there was some mixed consolation for the Europeans as Perisic made it 3-1 but the joy was in vain as Rebic was dismissed inside two minutes and the Mexicans held on for the win.

B
Despite already being eliminated, Spain ended the defence of their title with a 3-0 win over Australia with Villa putting them in front in the 36th minute followed by strikes from Torres in the 69th minute and third and final goal from Mata with eight minutes remaining to wrap up the win and end the group on a high.

Holland and Chile faced off in the battle to top the group having both already qualified and with 15 minutes to go, it was Holland who looked set to win the group on goal difference but only seconds after coming off the bench, Fer gave the Dutch the lead with Depay sealing the win and top spot in the final minute of the 90.

C
Colombia confirmed top spot with a comfortable 4-1 win over Japan who needed a win to qualify but fell behind after only 17 minutes when Cuadrado converted from the penalty spot before responding right on half-time to level through Okazaki. Colombia regained the lead with a goal from Martinez in the 55th minute and all but ended Japan's hopes with Martinez's second strike in the 82nd minute before Rodriguez continued his scoring spree with the fourth in the 89th minute.

As Japan had lost, it was Greece that claimed the second qualifying spot from the group with a 2-1 over Ivory Coast with Samaris putting the Greeks in front in the 42nd minute but the Ivorians responded well and levelled with a strike from Bony with 16 minutes remaining but their hopes were dashed in the final minute when Samaras converted from the penalty spot to secure the win.

D

Costa Rica claimed a surprised top spot as they played out a 0-0 draw with already eliminated England who finish bottom of the group while in the other game between Italy and Uruguay, the final qualification place was at stake.

Both sides had good chances to take the lead but Italy's hopes suffered a blow just before the hour mark as Marchisio was dismissed but the main talking point from the game came in the 79th minute when Suarez and Chiellini challenged for the ball in the Italian box and the Uruguayan looked to have bitten the Italian defender on the shoulder before going down holding his mouth.

Bizarrely, no card was given to either player but a post-match review would surely see an extensive ban for the Suarez if a bite was confirmed, the situation caused further unrest as Godin headed the South Americans in front just two minutes later with a goal that proved to be the winner meaning that Uruguay advanced.

Since the game, Suarez has been expelled from the tournament and also banned from any football activity for the next four months which will impact on his return to Liverpool and could be a factor in any title challenge next season.

E
Ecuador knew a win would put them into the next phase but sadly were unable to fulfil such a requirement as they were unable to breakdown a France side who had already qualified and drew 0-0.

Switzerland took advantage and claimed the second qualifying spot with a comfortable 3-0 win against Honduras with a stunning hat-trick of strikes from Shaqiri who has been courted by a number of top sides and whose stock has risen after strikes in the 6th, 31st and 71st minutes to send the Swiss into the last 16.

F

Argentina had already sealed a safe passage into the last 16 but were made to battle in a 3-2 win over Nigeria despite leading inside three minutes with a strike from Messi with Nigeria levelling from the restart with a goal from Musa.

Messi struck again just before half-time to give the Argentine's a lead at the interval but alike earlier on, Musa levelled just two minutes into the second half for 2-2 but when Rojo headed Argentina ahead in the 50th minute, there was no response from the Nigerians and the South Americans held on for the win.

Bosnia missed out on qualification but still ended on a high after a 3-1 win over Iran with Dzeko putting them ahead in the 23rd minute before Pjanic added a second just before the hour but Iran gave themselves hope when Goochannejhad struck in the 82nd minute only to have the joy spoiled by Vrsajevic's strike a minute later that wrapped up the win.

G
Portugal needed a huge goal difference swing to qualify as they took on Ghana and despite a 2-1 win it proved not to be enough to qualify, Boye hit into his own net to give the Portuguese the lead on the half-hour but Ghana levelled just before the hour mark with a strike from Gyan.

Ronaldo sealed the win for Portugal in the 80th minute but their heavy defeat to Germany in game one proved to be the difference between qualifying and exiting and that meant the game between USA and Germany saw both advance to the last 16 with the Germans ending on a high with a 1-0 thinks to a winning goal from Muller in the 55th minute.

H
Belgium completed a perfect group stage with a 1-0 win over South Korea but were dealt a blow just before the interval when Defour was dismissed and got lucky in the 77th minute when Vertonghen latched onto a rebound to tap home and seal the win.

Algeria sealed a safe passage into the last 16 after a 1-1 draw with Russia despite going behind in the sixth minute to a goal from Kokorin as they responded well and got the crucial leveller on the hour mark from Slimani to advance.

Shock Exits And Advances

After an exciting and unpredictable first round of matches, round two continued the trend with three of the 16 games featuring more than four goals with one stunning match ending in a seven goal thriller.

A
The match between Brazil and Mexico saw two good attacking and defensive sides face-off and come away with a point each after a 0-0 draw where evenly matched. However, the group's other game was far from even as Croatia stormed to a 4-0 win against Cameroon with Olic giving his side the lead after only 11 minutes.

Cameroon's hopes of levelling suffered a blow when Song was dismissed in the 40th minute and their task was made worse when Perisic doubled the lead for Croatia. Mandzukic added a third just after the hour with the win sealed in the 73rd minute by Mandukic's second and Croatia's fourth to leave Cameroon winless after two games while Croatia kept up their hopes of advancing.

B
Holland made it two wins in a row with a 3-2 win against a battling Australia with Robben putting the Dutch in front in the 20th minute only to see his effort cancelled out in stunning style with a potential  goal of the tournament from Cahill just a minute later.


Australia went in front in the 54th minute with when Jedinak converted from the penalty spot but Holland levelled four minutes later when Van Persie struck and then completed the comeback in the 68th minute when Depay put them 3-2 with what was the winning goal and put them in a great position to advance while Australia sadly were eliminated.

Australia's elimination was confirmed due to Chile securing a 2-0 win against Spain which meant the Spanish were also eliminated in the biggest shock of the tournament so far, Vargas put the South American's ahead in the 20th minute with the win confirmed just before half-time when Aranguiz struck a crucial second.

C
Colombia continued their good start to the tournament with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast but the sides played a really tight game until the deadlock was finally broken in the 64th minute when Rodriguez put the Colombian's in front with Quintero adding a second six minutes later to put them in control.

Gervinho game the African's hope when he pulled one back in the 73rd minute but were unable to draw level as Colombia held on for the win. Greece and Japan drew 0-0 with the Greek's doing well to claim a point after having Katsouranis sent off after only 38 minutes.

D

England's hopes of advancing hung by a thread after a 2-1 defeat to Uruguay with Suarez putting the South American's in front in the 35th minute, a lead that lasted until 15 minutes from the end when Rooney finally scored his first every World Cup goal only to have the joy dampened by Suarez's second with five minutes left of the 90.

England's last hope hung on Italy defeating Costa Rica but the Italians were stunned just before the break as Ruiz put the Costa Ricans in front and in a superb position to advance. The lead held and alike their opening win over Uruguay, Costa Rica has secured a shock win over the favoured Italians ans as a result became the first team to qualify for the last 16 which meant England were eliminated as a result.

E
France continued their free-scoring form in a seven goal thriller against Switzerland that saw two goals in as many minutes from Giroud and Matuidi put the French in control after 18 minutes and a win looked to be sealed before half-time when Valbuena struck a third.

France extended their lead to five with two goals in six minutes from Benzema and Sissoko and looked to have wrapped up a comfortable win but Switzerland had other ideas and looked to stage a late comeback with goals from Dzemaili and Xhaka but their charge came to late as they lost 5-2.

Ecuador gave themselves a good chance of qualifying with a 2-1 win against Honduras but had to come from behind when the Costly put the Honduran's ahead in the 31st minute. Valencia equalised for Ecuador just three minutes later before striking the winning goal in the 65th minute.

F
Argentina left it late to secure a second successive win as Iran looked to be on for a famous point with the sides drawing 0-0 going into i jury time but their hearts were broken right at the end as Messi struck to hand all three points to the South Americans.


Nigeria put themselves in a good position to qualify after a 1-0 win over Bosnia who as a result are eliminated after Odemwingie struck the only goal of the game in the 29th minute.

G
Hands down the best group of this round was in this group as both games ended in four goal thrillers with Germany and Ghana facing off first and the Germans going ahead with a strike from Gotze in the 51st minute only to have his effort cancelled out inside three minutes by Ayew.

Ghana went in front in the 63rd minute when Gyan stunned the German defence but the when Klose levelled in the 71st minute he equalled the record for World Cup goals of 15 shared with Ronaldo (Brazil) and the sides claimed a point each.

Portugal and the USA in a 2-2 draw that saw the Portuguese lead after only five minutes via a goal from Nani who gave them a lead that lasted long into the game and until the 64th minute when Jones levelled for the American's who then went in front with nine minutes to go through Dempsey but their hopes of a first win were dented by a last-gasp equaliser from Varela.

H
Belgium secured a narrow 1-0 win over Russia to secure their place in the last 16 after a 88th minute winner from Origi left the Russians with a slim hope of advancing themselves. Algeria gave themselves a great chance of advancing with a 4-2 win over South Korea with two goals in as many minutes just before the half-hour mark from Slimani and Halliche putting them in control with a third added by Djabou in the 38th minute.


South Korea reduced the deficit in the 50th minute through Heung-min but Brahimi regained the Algerian's three goal lead in the 62nd minute only for South Korea to come back again ten minutes later with a strike from Ja-cheol but Algeria held firm and claimed a well-deserved win.

World Cup Of Surprises

Now that the first round of games has finished, there have been many surprises including the fact that Portugal, Spain and England have scored only two goals between them while Germany and Holland have combined to strike nine times.

A
Brazil and Croatia kicked off the tournament with the hosts going behind to a bizarre own goal from Marcelo only to level with what should be the first of many goals for Neymar just before the half-hour mark. Croatia pushed to go back in front but went behind after conceding a controversial penalty which Neymar converted for his second strike of the evening. The gloss was put on the win in added on time when Oscar struck a superb third.

Mexico got their campaign off to a perfect start after a 61st minute strike from Peralta was enough to secure the three points over Cameroon with the two winning sides set to meet in the next game while Cameroon will take on Croatia.

B
Chile looked to have started with good confidence as they took a 2-0 lead against Australia inside 15 minutes after goals from Sanchez and Valdivia but Australia hit back through Cahill in the 35th minute to give themselves hope. However, Australia's hopes of levelling were dashed right at the end as Beausejour sealed a 3-1 win in the 90th minute.

Spain and Holland faced off in a rematch of the 2010 final but what took place in the next 90 minutes was to be the shock of the tournament so far as despite going ahead in the 27th minute with an Alonso penalty, Spain went in level at the break after Van Persie levelled in the 44th minute.

However, the second half was a different story as Spain capitulated with goals from Robben (53) and De Vrij (65) putting the Dutch in control at 3-1 before Van Persie and Robben sealed a brace each in the 72nd and 80th minutes to seal a 5-1 demolition of the defending champions.

C
Colombia began with a comfortable 3-0 win over former European champions Greece with Armero putting the South Americans in front after only five minutes, Gutierrez made it 2-0 just before the hour mar with the win confirmed in the final minute with a strike from Rodriguez.

Ivory Coast joined the Colombians on three points after a 2-1 win over Japan though it was the Japanese that went in front after a goal from Honda in the 16th minute but two goals in the space of as many minutes after the hour mark gave the Africans the win as Bony (64) and Gervinho (66) completed the comeback.

D
Uruguay came into the tournament with high hopes of repeating their semi-final charge from 2010 but suffered a huge blow in their opening game despite a Cavani penalty giving them the lead in the 24th minute as two goals in three minutes before the hour gave the Costa Ricans a 2-1 advantage as Campbell (54) and Duarte (57) put them in control and the win was sealed six minutes from the end when Urena scored just minutes after coming off the bench.

England's World Cup campaign got off to a bad start as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Italy with the Italians going in front in the 35th minute via a nice strike from Marchisio only to be pegged back by a leveller from Sturridge just two minutes later. England's push for a winner saw them leave themselves wide open for Balotelli to head home for a 2-1 lead that gave the Italians a winning start.

E
France made the perfect start to their campaign with a 3-0 win over Honduras with the game turning just before half-time when Palacios was dismissed and when Benzema converted the resulting penalty, the French led 1-0 into the interval. The lead was extended just three minutes into the second half when Valladares hit into his own net and the win was completed in the 72nd minute when Benzema struck for a second time.

Switzerland left it late to claim a 2-1 win over Ecuador with the South Americans leading in the 22nd minute after a goal from Valencia but the Swiss levelled just three minutes into the second half through Mehmedi and completed the comeback right at the death as Seferovic struck a last-gaps winner.

F
Argentina began their charge for the final with a 2-1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina with an own goal from Kolasinac deflecting into his own net after only three minutes, Messi made it 2-0 in the 65th minute but the Bosnians setup a tense finish when Ibisevic pulled a goal back in the 85th minute but the Argentine's held on for the win.

Iran and Nigeria played out the first goalless draw of the tournament which ensured both sat above Bosnia with a point each after the first game.

G
Germany made a stunning start to their campaign with a 4-0 thrashing of Portugal with a Muller penalty putting them in front after only 12 minutes with Hummels adding a second in the 32nd minute but Portugal's hopes of a comeback were dealt a huge blow five minutes later when Pepe was dismissed and Germany took advantage with a third just before half-time from Muller.

The win was completed in the 78th minute as the Bayern Munich midfielder completed his hat-trick and struck Germany's fourth to seal a superb victory. USA began with a 2-1 win against Ghana and made a stunning start as Dempsey scored inside the first minute. Ghana looked to have sealed a draw with an 82nd minute leveller from Ayew but their joy was soured four minutes later by a winning goal for the Americans from Brooks.

H
Algeria let a 1-0 lead slip to go down 2-1 to Belgium but the Belgians had work to do after going behind to a penalty from Feghouli in the 25th minute but a leveller in the 70th minute through Fellaini gave the Belgians hope before the comeback was complete with ten minutes to go when Mertens struck the crucial winner.

Russia came from behind to seal a 1-1 draw with South Korea after the Koreans had taken a 68th minute lead through Lee only to have their joy curtailed by a leveller from Kerzhakov just six minutes later and with neither side able to find a winner, they came away with a point each.