Wetalksport

18/06/2014

Five best goals so far in Brazil 2014

The World Cup's opening
group games have produced
several goals of breathtaking
quality. The following are
five of the best so far
according to Reuters.
Robin van Persie (Netherlands 5 Spain 1)
A stunning goal to match a stunning result
as the Netherlands came from behind to
thump world champions Spain in Salvador.
With Spain leading 1-0 through Xabi
Alonso's 27th minute penalty, Van Persie
sprung the offside trap to launch himself in
the air and meet a raking cross from left
wing back Daley Blind.
Goal! Van Persie (Holland) - 44th min
Duration: 0 min, 28 sec
Goal! Spain 1, Holland 1. Van Persie
(Holland) header in the box scores.
The Dutch captain's diving, looping header
caught Spain keeper Iker Casillas in no
man's land and dipped below the bar to tie
the score at 1-1.
"It was a brilliant goal, I have to be fair," said
Van Persie. "It was a bit of a gamble but just
before the pass I saw Iker Casillas out of his
goal. It was a header, really a lob-header,
but a great goal."
Lionel Messi (Argentina 2 Bosnia 1)
Argentine number 10 Messi picked the
perfect time to score his first goal at the
World Cup finals for eight years.
Goal! Messi (Argentina) - 65th min
Duration: 0 min, 43 sec
Goal! Argentina 2, Bosnia and Herzegovina
0. Lionel Messi scores.
With Argentina leading 1-0 but struggling to
put World Cup debutants Bosnia away, the
four times World Player of the Year lit up the
Maracana in the 65th minute, dancing past a
defender, playing a one-two with Gonzalo
Higuain before striking home a sweet left-
foot shot that went in off the post.
It was Messi's first goal at the finals since he
scored in Argentina's 6-0 win over Serbia &
Montenegro almost eight years ago to the
day.
Haris Seferovic (Switzerland 2 Ecuador 1)
FIFA World Cup 2014: Switzerland v Ecuador
Duration: 4 min, 4 sec
Highlights of the Fifa World Cup 2014 match
between Switzerland and Ecuador from
Est�dio Nacional Man� Garrincha.
Seferovic finished off a breathtaking box-to-
box counter-attack in stoppage time to give
Switzerland a thrilling 2-1 win over Ecuador,
but excellent refereeing by Ravshan Irmatov
also played a part in the goal.
Valon Behrami's brilliant block tackle in his
own box got the move underway, and Uzbek
official Irmatov allowed him to continue his
surge into Ecuador territory despite almost
being bowled over by a bodycheck.
As the flowing move continued and the ball
was fed out wide, Seferovic stole in across
the Ecuador defence to clip home Ricardo
Rodriguez's cross and round off a
tremendous team goal that sent Swiss fans
into raptures.
Goal! Clint Dempsey (USA) - 1st min
Duration: 0 min, 25 sec
Goal! Ghana 0, USA 1. Dempsey left footed
shot scores.
Clint Dempsey (United States 2 Ghana 1)
The American took 30 seconds to put his
side 1-0 up against Ghana, recording one of
the fastest goals at a World Cup.
Dempsey, who became the first US player to
score at three World Cups, picked the ball up
from a throw-in outside the Ghana box, and
surged towards goal.
Showing terrific balance at full stride, the US
skipper zigzagged past two defenders into
the area and struck a left-foot shot in off the
far post.
Dempsey's goal was the fifth fastest at a
World Cup. Turkey's Hakan Sukur holds the
record for the fastest goal which he netted
after 11 seconds against South Korea in
2002.
Goal! Robben (Holland) - 80th min
Duration: 0 min, 37 sec
Goal! Spain 1, Holland 5. Arjen Robben
(Holland) left footed shot scores.
Arjen Robben (Netherlands 5 Spain 1)
Dutch winger Robben capped a rampaging
performance against shell-shocked Spain by
outsprinting the defence from inside his own
half, tying goalkeeper Iker Casillas up in
knots and firing home with his left foot.
Media reports say the 30-year-old reached
37kph during his sprint, the fastest ever
recorded by Fifa in a game. Olympic sprint
champion and world record holder Usain Bolt
has been clocked at just under 45kph.
Robben's goal was the perfect bookend to
the Dutch scoring after Robin van Persie tied
the game at 1-1 with his superb diving
header in the first half.

18/06/2014

Why Chile can eliminate Spain.

A draw will probably do for Chile to progress
at the expense of Spain when they clash in
Group B on Wednesday but their style
doesn't readily lend itself to conservatism.
Their game is not about keeping the
opposition out, it's about taking the game to
them.
"I don't think anything will make us lose
intensity," coach Jorge Sampaoli said last
week. "It is necessary to stand up against
any opponent we have. If we played
differently, we'd lose our identity."
There is no chance Chile will ever play
cautiously and eke out a point. That would
be a betrayal of the coach's methods which
he has worked hard to restore. Chile have
played like this before. This type of football
was an identifiable Chilean quality under
Marcelo Bielsa. They lost their way to an
extent under his replacement Claudio Borghi
but Sampaoli, a devoted student of Bielsa,
has instilled those characteristics all over
again.
Tempo is now Sampaoli's trademark. He is
not a man to compromise his principles.
Whether it's Australia or Spain, their
unrelenting rhythm will not be altered.
Chile, unlike Spain, don't tend to overload the
midfield; they overload the final third. It's all
about getting the ball forward quickly to the
feet of Jorge Valdivia, Arturo Vidal, Eduardo
Vargas or Alexis Sanchez.
"We need players who are very nimble and
quick to break through defences," Sampaoli
said. Marcelo Diaz, in midfield, is the
embodiment of the coach's ideals. He never
plays a pass Sampaoli wouldn't want him to.
Diaz remains totally committed to
Sampaoli's style. It was ingrained on him
and many of his international colleagues
during their days together at Universidad de
Chile, where they won national and
continental titles. Sampaoli knows the
players well and commands loyalty.
In their first Group B match, a 3-1 win over
Australia in Cuiaba, they swarmed around
the beleaguered Socceroos from minute one.
Their football pulsating like the stands
containing their raucous supporters.
They were 2-0 up against an over-matched
opponent within 15 minutes before their
standards slipped on Friday night. "To take
on our other rivals, we must make our
matches more complete," the coach admitted
after the victory.
It is a quick turnaround to the Spain game
and it's not that long since these sides met
for the last time although how much can be
taken from that 2-2 friendly draw last
September in Geneva is debatable. Chile
were close to full-strength whereas Spain
started with only three players who are likely
to play from the outset in the Maracana.
Sergio Ramos, Xavi and Pedro played, while
some fringe players staked their claims for
World Cup consideration. Ramos and Xavi
didn't fare well on the night. A lapse in
concentration saw Ramos play Vargas
onside for the opening goal. Xavi was
overpowered in midfield. "We will find certain
weaknesses and induce errors," Sampaoli
said before the tournament.
The South Americans have confidence and
belief. They are fearless.
"We want to be just as difficult for them as
they are for us," said Sampaoli. "Spain and
the Netherlands can be tackled by us."
They will relish the opportunity to not only
seal their own qualification but to also
eliminate the champions.
Chile have every right to be considered as
contenders in their own right for this
tournament. "We have players willing to
tackle big commitments like this one,"
Sampaoli said. "Our thrust will be greater
than our impediments."
There could of course be the Spanish
backlash. They are three points and six
goals behind Chile and need to close both of
those gaps before their last group match
against Australia. Spain lost their first game
at World Cup 2010, but beat Chile in the
group stage before going on to lift the trophy.
Sampaoli's men may have been unlucky to
have the win snatched from them in Geneva
as it showed that the best teams always find
a way. Chile play so intensely that lulls are
inevitable. There is an idealistic quality to
their football. Spain will be patient enough to
parry the blows and attempt to seize chances
of their own.
"Spain lost, but I don’t know if that’s a good
thing or a bad thing," said goalkeeper
Claudio Bravo. "We face a wounded rival
now and that’s always dangerous.
"But all we are thinking about is winning this
game. We need to play with intensity, take
our chances and play without fear. If we are
clear about our own ideas, we can win the
game."

18/06/2014

Brazil 2014 in pictures

18/06/2014

Capello refuse to blame Akinfeev for his blunder against South Korea.

The Italian backed his shot stopper
after he committed an embarrassing
error to allow South Korea to take a
second-half lead in their Group G
encounter
Fabio Capello refused to blame Igor Akinfeev
for his blunder against South Korea , insisting
that a top-quality keeper is entitled to make
mistakes.
The Russians fell behind after 68 minutes
when Lee Keun-ho's long-distance drive
was fumbled by the CSKA Moscow shot-
stopper before Aleksandr Kerzhakov rescued
a point for the Eastern Europeans.
Capello, speaking after the game, which was
played the day before his birthday, said that
there was no need to dwell on the incident
and threw his full support behind his player.
"A keeper always has the chance to make a
mistake," the 68-year-old Italian told Sport
Ekspress.
"We can accept a mistake from a great
goalkeeper, which is what Akinfeev is.
"We were more restricted than we usually
are. And only after a conceded goal did the
team play as well as they could. But even in
the first half we had four chances in front of
goal.
"However we did manage to avert the threat
of our opponent. And at 1-1, we did
everything to score a second goal.
"I thanked the players after the match for the
reaction to the goal going in. This is the best
birthday gift I could have had.
"The team has the will and is capable of high
quality. During the break, I pointed out the
errors, goals and objectives and the players
have used my instructions during the
match."
Russia have won the right to host the 2018
World Cup and, though Capello confessed he
is already looking forward to the tournament,
he was guarded about his side's prospects
unless changes are made in Russian
domestic football.
"I do not have a magic wand," the Italian
continued when asked if they could win in
2018.
"Coffee grounds cannot help me guess. I will
say what I have now. There are young
interesting players that will come soon. But I
need help from the federation.
"This applies to the limit on foreign players.
At the moment a team can play seven
foreigners at a time, so I only have a choice
of 64 players for the Russia national team."

18/06/2014

Ochao the goalkeeper that stoped Brazil

On Tuesday evening, Guillermo Ochoa
enjoyed the most memorable evening of his
career to date as he produced a string of
excellent stops to shut out Brazil and edge
Mexico towards the knockout stages of the
World Cup.
But the custodian’s career has been one of
staggering ups and downs, most notably
when he was embroiled in a drugs issue that
threatened his career only three short years
ago.
In the interim, the goalkeeper has played for
the relatively obscure Ajaccio in France’s top
flight – a strange location for a player of
such quality to have spent such a lengthy
portion of his career.
Yet Ochoa moved to the Corsican side out of
a sense of loyalty, as they were the one side
who stuck by him when the drugs issue
tarnished his reputation.
Ajaccio were correct to. The unusually high
quantities of clenbuterol found in his blood
during a routine doping test, along with five
team-mates, were found to be caused by
contaminated meat. As a result, the 28-year-
old was allowed off on the charge.
Ochoa could easily have manufactured a
move away from Stade Francois-Coty after
only one year of his deal, but such was his
feeling of gratefulness towards the island
minnows, he would remain until they were
finally relegated to France’s second tier at
the end of this season. It was a sad way to
end an affair of such mutual appreciation.
At times it had seemed that the Mexico No.1
was single-handedly keeping an otherwise
unremarkable side up. Perhaps his most
memorable performance for the Corsican
side came at Parc des Princes last August,
where he produced a breath taking array of
stops before conceding late in a match that
finished 1-1. Ochoa made 13 saves that day
– his side only mustered one shot.
It is remarkable, then, that is has taken him
so long to see action in a World Cup, let
alone to have drawn such widespread
recognition for performances that have
already put him in poll position to be the
competition’s top shot-stopper.
Ochoa first appeared in the Mexico squad in
2005 at the age of 20, but though he went to
both World Cups in Germany 2006 and the
next one in South Africa, he would be
frustrated at being limited to a role on the
bench – a particularly controversial call
given he had played many of the qualifying
matches for the 2010 tournament.
Having debuted for America as a teenager, he
had built a strong reputation in Mexico and
was set for a move to Europe when his life
was shaken by revelations he had failed a
drugs test during the 2011 Gold Cup in
Charlotte.
The ramifications were great, and though
Ochoa and his cohorts were eventually
excused a ban as it was ruled they had
involuntarily ingested the substance via
contaminated meat, the Mexico side will not
eat beef during this World Cup for fear of a
repeat incident.
"Given what happened, we have decided we
will not eat red meat," coach Miguel Herrera
confirmed in March. "We’ve also been telling
the players for the last month and a half not
to eat beef and they’ve paid heed."
After this blow, Ochoa has responded in a
formidable fashion, showcasing his
superhuman reflexes and magnificent
athleticism to spectacular ability as he
thwarted a Neymar header in particularly
formidable style on Tuesday.
Indeed, he now boasts clean sheets in his
two World Cup matches, having greatly
enhanced his reputation in the process and
going a great distance to eradicate the black
mark that previously dogged his career.
Follow Robin Bairner on #

16/06/2014

Germany dismantled Portugal

16/06/2014

All eyes on Germany v Portugal game.

Group G heavyweights
Germany and Portugal will
trade blows in the blazing
midday heat of Salvador on
Monday with goal machine
Cristiano Ronaldo fit to take on the three-
time World Cup winners.
Portugal talisman Ronaldo's participation
had been in doubt after struggling with
tendinosis in his left knee.
Germany, second in Fifa's world rankings
behind Spain, will be at full strength after
several key players, including keeper Manuel
Neuer and captain Philipp Lahm, recovered
from injuries.

16/06/2014

Match feature: Nigeria v Iran

Nigeria will go into their first
group game against Iran
looking to bury the ghosts of
World Cup past by winning
their first game at the
football showpiece event for the first time
since France1998 .
Coach Stephen Keshi, in particular will look
to make history as the first Nigerian to
captain and coach a Nigerian team to the
World Cup finals by nicking a first win in six
attempts as the Super Eagles look to lay a
marker in Group F of the 2014 Fifa World
Cup.
Iran will be lead by Portuguese coach Carlos
Queiroz, who is a proven tactician and has
molded a strong defensive unit with Team
Melli.
The Iranian team have been set up to be
difficult to beat and usually use the counter-
attacking style of play to devastating effect.
The 61-year-old Portuguese coach, who has
had stints in England, Spain, the United
States, Japan and South Africa, will be
leading Iran into their first World Cup since
2006 and will look to build on their recent
progress with a strong showing against
Nigeria and other Group F teams.
Previous meetings:
Nigeria and Iran have clashed only once at
full international, with the Africans coming
out tops at the 1998 Carlsberg International
Invitational tournament held in Hong Kong
Ahmed Garba's 50th minute effort was the
only goal as Nigeria defeated Iran at the
Hong Kong Stadium ,on their way to
clinching the invitational tournament ahead
of Chile and a selected Hong Kong XI.
Match day squads
Nigeria:
William Okpara, Jero Shakpoke, Ganiyu
Ajide, Pascal Karibe Ojigwe, Kingsley
Obiekwu, Uche Okafor, Henry Onwuzuruike,
Gabriel Okolosi, Otiji Amaechi, Emmanuel
Ebiede, Garba Ahmed
Iran:
Ahmadreza Abedsadeh, Mehdi Pashazadeh,
Naim Saadavi, Reza Rezaei-Manesh,
Mehrdad Minavand, Afshin Peyrovani,
Farshad Falahatzadeh, Mehdi Mahdavikia,
Hamidreza Estilli, Alireza Mansourian, Ali
Asghar Modir Roustar
Form going into the game:
Nigeria:- D D D L
Iran:- D D D W
Team news:
Nigeria:
Defender Elderson Echiejile, who has been
ruled out of the tournament, has been
replaced by Ejike Uzoenyi, while Kenneth
Omeruo, who sat out the loss to United
States has made progress and is expected to
start against the Iranians.
Iran:
Queiroz has the full complement of his squad
to chose from as there are no major injury
worries. Veteran skipper Javad Nekounam
will lead from the midfield ably supported by
Dutch-born forward Reza Ghoochannejhad.
What they said:
Mikel (Nigeria)
"We know we're the African champions and
people expect us to do well, to represent the
African continent. That's a bit more extra
pressure but it's pressure that we love. We
love to be African champions."
Carlos Queiroz ( Iran)
"This is our 'Mission Impossible' once, twice
and three times, but this is what makes the
tournament attractive."
Players to watch:
Nigeria:
Victor Moses:
The Chelsea winger has arguably been
Nigeria's stand out performer in the build up
to the World Cup as the Super Eagles
struggled in their preparatory games.
Blessed with pace, the former Crystal Palace
player can be a handful for opposing
defenders to deal with. He will be Nigeria's
main attacking threat against Iran as the
Super Eagles look to end their no-win
hoodoo.
Vincent Enyeama.
First choice for both club and country,
Enyeama goes into the tournament as the
best African player in the French top division,
which will do a lot for his confidence.
A tremendous shot-stopper, he has clearly
improved his ability to deal with crosses
which were his Achilles heels. Brazil 2014
will be his third World Cup appearance and is
among the most experienced member of
Coach Stephen Keshi's squad.
Iran:
Steven Beitashour:
The American-born defender is a late comer
into Queiroz squad, and will be playing his
first international tournament for Team Melli
after making his debut last October.
A full back that loves to bomb forward,
Beitashour was drafted at the number 30
pick in the Major League Soccer draft in 2010
by the San Jose Earthquakes and will hope
to continue his steady rise with a decent
showing in his first World game against
Nigeria.
Ashkan Dejagah:
The poster boy of Iranian footballer who had
a good season with Barclays Premier League
side, Fulham despite the London team being
relegated.
Dejagah is a combative midfielder who also
plays in advanced midfield positions where
he sets himself to be among the goals for
club and country. Queiroz will surely rely on
him to provide the front line with needed
support to trouble Nigeria.
Odd tale:
A survey conducted before the start of the
2014 Fifa World Cup by Yougov, an online
survey firm showed that Iran alongside
Argentina and the United States are the most
hated teams at the tournament.
NIGERIA SQUAD
GOALKEEPERS: Vincent Enyeama, Austin
Ejide, Chigozie Agbim
DEFENDERS: Joseph Yobo, Juwon
Oshaniwa, Godfrey Oboabona, Azubuike
Egwuekwe, Kenneth Omeruo, Efe Ambrose,
Kunle Odunlami
MIDFIELDERS: John Obi Mikel, Ogenyi Onazi,
Ramon Azeez, Michael Uchebo, Reuben
Gabriel, Ejike Uzoenyi
FORWARDS: Peter Odemwingie, Ahmed
Musa, Shola Ameobi, Emmanuel Emenike,
Babatunde Michael, Victor Moses, Uche
Nwofor
IRAN SQUAD:
GOALKEEPERS: Daniel Davari, Alireza
Haghighi, Rahman Ahmadi
DEFENDERS: Hossein Mahini, Steven
Beitashour, Pejman Montazeri,
JalalHosseini, Amir-Hossein Sadeghi,
Ahmad Alenemeh, Hashem Beikzadeh,
Mehrdad Pouladi
MIDFIELDERS: Javad Nekounam, Ghasem
Hadadifar, Bakhtiar Rahmani, Ehsan Hajsafi,
Andranik Teymourian, Reza Haghighi,
STRIKERS: Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Reza
Ghoochannejhad, Ashkan Dejagah, Masoud
Shojaei, Karim Ansarifard, Khosro Heydari.

16/06/2014

Ready for the big stage

16/06/2014

15/06/2014

France 3 : Honduras 0

15/06/2014

First goal line goal, that was wow!,