With the initial group phase having drawn to a close this week, one of the so far best tournaments in living memory has proven rich in goals, upsets and excitement.
Hosts and pre-competition favourites Brazil concluded their Group A fixtures with an at times unconvincing 4-1 win over Cameroon but will struggle against Group B runners-up Chile judging on current form during their last 16 knock-out clash on Saturday.
Those opponents were topped by Holland who recorded three straight wins and now face hard-to-beat Mexico on Sunday. Group B also featured the shock exit of title holders Spain who proved to be only a shadow of their former selves.
While Columbia dominated Group C, England followed Spain in taking a very early bath following their second consecutive defeat at the hands of Luis Suarez – inspired Uruguay leaving the South Americans to join Group D winners Costa Rica in the next round.
However, Suarez may play no further part in the tournament if found guilty of yet another ‘biting’ controversy during Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Italy, the defeat also prompting manager Cesare Prandelli to resign on the spot.
There was no such drama in that afternoon’s other match as England waved goodbye to Brazil following a tame 0-0 draw with Costa Rica.
France, Messi-dependent Argentina and Belgium look certain to progress from Groups E, F and H respectively, leaving the ultra-competitive Group H which awaited its decisive last set of matches on Thursday evening.
Hitherto impressive Germany were brought back down to earth when scraping a 2-2 draw with vibrant Ghana whilst opening game victims Portugal kept their slim hopes of qualification alive thanks to an injury time equaliser from substitute Sylvestre Varela in a captivating encounter with the USA which also finished 2-2.
That set of results dictated that manager Paulo Bento’s team had to beat Ghana while hoping for a wide margin German win over the USA in the other match played simultaneously – however, were Germany boss Joachim Löw and predecessor Jürgen Klinsmann – now in charge across the Atlantic – to have agreed to a tacit non-aggression pact favouring a draw between the two sides, anything achieved on the pitch by the Portuguese will have been rendered meaningless.
By Skip Bandele
