FIFA14 Day 19 Report: The lesser fancied teams are all going out in a blaze of glory, and how! The big boys are left scrapping and fighting tooth and nail to cling to the last vestiges of their pride and reknown. The Argentina game was no different. The Belgium game nearly went to script, though... Andrew Stephens: Methinks, I got this one, bud :) 1) Argentina vs Switzerland (1,0): Angel Di Maria sent Argentina into the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals with an extra-time winner against Switzerland in a tense round-of-16 match at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo. With both teams scoreless in the 118th minute, the match seemed destined for penalties before Lionel Messi led a lethal Argentina counter, laying off for Di Maria to slot home the winner. Switzerland substitute Blerim Dzemaili then hit the post with a header in the dying moments, setting up a tense finale before Argentina held on for the 1-0 victory. The win sent Argentina into the quarter-finals for the third straight World Cup, with the Albiceleste set to take on either Belgium or the United States on Saturday in Brasilia. But to maintain their quest for a third title—and first since 1986—Alejandro Sabellas side will have to improve offensively after being shut down for most of the 120 minutes by Switzerland. The Europeans shackled Messi in particular for the majority of the match, with the Argentine superstar failing to record a shot until midway through the second half. Following the pattern already set in the round of 16, the first half was tight, with neither team scoring in the first 45 minutes. Switzerland created the first big chance in the 28th minute, Xherdan Shaqiri working himself free on the right before pulling back for Granit Xhaka in the middle. Xhaka directed his first-time shot on goal, but Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero saved. One minute later, Argentinas Ezequiel Lavezzi scuffed a half-volley on target from a tight angle on the right. Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio was well positioned, though, and saved easily. Switzerland had another good chance in the 39th minute after Fabian Schar passed to Josip Drmic in acres of space behind Argentinas defence. With Romero hesitating to come off his line, Drmic tried to chip the goalkeeper, but his soft shot fluttered harmlessly into Romeros hands. Argentina began to ratchet up the pressure in the second half, with Marcos Rojo stinging Benaglios palms with a shot from a tight angle on the left in the 59th minute. Three minutes later, Benaglio tipped Gonzalo Higuains looping header over the bar, and in the 67th minute Messi finally registered his first shot—a dipping volley that fizzed just over. Argentina introduced Rodrigo Palacio for Lavezzi with 16 minutes left in regular time, and the substitution nearly paid off quickly. In the 75th minute, Messi picked out the Inter Milan man with a cross into the centre of the box, but Palacio sent his free header off target. The South Americans were looking truly dangerous, and Messi came close again three minutes later, sidestepping defenders before shooting low at the near post. Benaglio saved again, but the ball squirmed free before Switzerland hacked clear desperately. Still scoreless after 90 minutes, the match went into extra time. The first chance of the added period fell to Argentina, Benaglio saving Palacios header in the 94th minute. Then, in the 109th minute, the Swiss goalkeeper tipped over Di Marias bullet shot from the edge of the box. But for all of Benaglios heroics, Messi and Argentina wouldnt be denied for much longer. Breaking quickly following a turnover in midfield, Messi tore through the Swiss defence before laying off for Di Maria on the right. With his first touch, Di Maria calmly slotted in at the far post to finally break the deadlock. Switzerland werent quite finished, though. In the closing minutes, Dzemaili rose highest to direct a header off the foot of the left-hand post. The ball then rebounded back to Dzemaili, but the ball bounced off him before he could react and trickled just wide of the same post. Improbably, there was one more chance for the Swiss in the fifth minute of extra time, but Shaqiris free-kick from just outside the box slammed off the Argentina wall to seal the South Americans win. 2) Belgium vs USA (2,1) Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku scored in extra time to send Belgium into the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the United States in a tightly contested round of 16 match Tuesday night at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil. Following 90 scoreless minutes, during which U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard excelled, Belgium finally found the net, as De Bruyne finished a quick counter started by Lukaku, who entered as a substitute at the start of extra time. The same two combined on Belgiums second goal as well, Lukaku slamming in De Bruynes cross after the Red Devils caught the U.S. on the counter again. The U.S. pulled a goal back in the 107th minute through 19-year-old substitute Julian Green to set up an exciting finale. Howard finished with 16 saves, the most ever recorded by a goalkeeper in World Cup history. His counterpart Thibaut Courtois, however, made a vital save in the 114th minute to deny the U.S. an unlikely equalizer following a clever free kick. With the win, Belgium advanced to face Argentina in the quarter-finals on Saturday in Brasilia. The winner of that match will play either the Netherlands or Costa Rica for a spot in the final. Despite the loss, the U.S. will leave the tournament with a sense of optimism after advancing from the so-called Group of Death and playing Belgium close for 120 minutes. For all the games later drama, it didnt feature a single goal for the first 90 minutes. The first chance fell to Belgium less than a minute into the game as De Bruyne picked out Divock Origi with a defense-splitting pass. Origi then blew past Omar Gonzalez and shot low at Howard, who saved with his legs. The U.S. settled in slowly and created a chance in the 21st minute following fine interplay between Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley. But after receiving the return pass from Bradley inside the box, Dempsey curled a shot too close to Belgium goalkeeper Courtois, who saved easily. Belgium then had two good chances in quick succession, with both set up by Jan Vertonghen. First, the left-back led a 23rd-minute counter, laying off for De Bruyne, who shot wide. Three minutes later, Vertonghen ran free on the left before crossing dangerously into the middle. But with Marouane Fellaini lurking, DaMarcus Beasley hacked the ball clear. The U.S. were forced into making a substitution in the 32nd minute after right-back Fabian Johnson limped off with a hamstring injury. He was replaced by DeAndre Yedlin. Howard had no time to relax, though. In the 79th minute, he saved Eden Hazards dipping shot, and six minutes later he tipped over a high drive from Origi. In the 88th minute, Hazard blasted into the side netting. s extra time neared, the U.S. called on Howard yet again to push away a mishit shot by Vincent Kompany. All the good work nearly paid off in stoppage time, as the U.S. almost grabbed an unlikely winner. Jermaine Jones won a header in Belgiums box, directing the ball into the path of Chris Wondolowski. With the goal at his mercy, Wondolowski sliced his shot well off target—though he had been ruled offside anyway. In the break before extra time, Belgium introduced Lukaku to lead the attack in place of Origi. Within three minutes, the substitution paid off. Leading a counter in the 93rd minute, Lukaku used his strength to hold off Matt Besler before steaming into the box and passing to De Bruyne. After beating two defenders with a couple of touches, De Bruyne finished low at the far post past Howard. The Belgians keep the minnows in the hunt as the tournament moves into the last 16.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Jul 2014 01:02:36 +0000
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