FIFA14 Day 17 Report: Robin van Persie turns petulant teen and Robbens diving around has turned even some of their ardent fans into budding cynics as Huntelaar makes his mark on the game with Mexico showing heart, and how!! Shredded to see them go out after putting up such a doughty performance. 10-man Costa Rica shoot Greece out of the WC14 with a meandering game ending in a penalty shootout. 1) Netherlands vs Mexico (2,1): Coming from behind would have been an incredible story if Mexico had been the winners but it was not to be. A scrappy Oranje crew set about the Mexicans with more than just good football to turn the game edgy and, at times, distasteful. The thing is, they didnt have to... what with all that talent sitting on the bench. The managers moment of swapping Robin with Huntelaar was one more proof of that. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Wesley Sneijder scored late goals to give Netherlands a 2-1 victory over Mexico and a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals. Once again, the Netherlands needed a break, and just as in their group stage match against Australia, they fought their way back from behind. More so than in the match against Australia, however, it felt like the Dutch needed a dose of luck as much as they needed their skills against Mexico. Before Wesley Sneijder equalised by thumping the ball past a seemingly invincible Guillermo Ochoa, the Mexican goalkeeper, the Netherlands situation was almost reminiscent of Euro 2008, when a still young Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie—who had just broken through at club level—ran riot during the group stage matches against Italy (3-0) and France (4-1). In the quarter-final, however, the all-conquering Dutch team suddenly looked lost against Russia. Against all expectations, the Netherlands lost 3-1 and were sent home. Having turned things around, the Netherlands then marched on to victory by winning a penalty, which Klaas-Jan Huntelaar converted. This is where luck played its part, perhaps. Even so, it was a lucky break partly made possible by the tactical tinkering done by manager Louis van Gaal, who once again changed from a 5-3-2 to a 4-3-3 formation in the second half. During a World Cup, it is difficult, if not completely impossible, to play well from the very first match until the final showdown in the final. Every now and then, you need a bit of luck, and the Netherlands received their fix Sunday. Ochoa had kept his team in the match with two great saves in the second half, but he was beaten by Sneijders powerful drive and guessed wrong when diving in an attempt to stop Huntelaars penalty. The Mexicans had conceded only one goal in three group matches and looked like they would keep another clean sheet until the late collapse. It was heartbreak again for Mexico, which has now reached the second stage of the World Cup six straight times without winning. The last time the team made the quarterfinals was when it hosted the tournament in 1986. After the final whistle, the Mexican players collapsed, distraught on the turf while many of their fans were in tears. Mexico coach Miguel Herrera blamed the referee for the loss, saying Robben dived to earn the penalty. If even Lady Fortuna is an ally, theres no way of telling how far the Netherlands will come, but by winning matches like this, Oranje is making it very difficult not to count them amongst the contenders for the World Cup. Likely, the Netherlands squad, and Van Gaal, will realise this as well. Surely, the Dutch players will feel like they have received a huge boost from Sundays nerve-racking spectacle. Ahead of the quarter-final, the Dutch will undoubtedly look at the ordeal they survived and realise they are on a truly special campaign. The Dutch, fluctuating from their awe-inspiring performance against Spain to this scrappy, blood-stained win against Mexico, have had their big break, and now theyll want to go all the way. Van Gaals post match byte says it all: Yes, we escaped, but we showed that we could create more chances with 4-3-3, and the players handled this shift very well. Yes, yes... that and fewer drama queens on the field, please! 2) Costa Rica vs Greece: (1,1) (5,3): Keylor Navas and Michael Umana were the heroes as 10-man Costa Rica defeated Greece 5-3 in a penalty shootout to advance to the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals in a dramatic round-of-16 match at the Arena Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil. Bryan Ruiz put Costa Rica ahead in the 52nd minute, but the Ticos were unable to hold out with 10 men after Oscar Duarte was sent off midway through the second half for his second bookable offence. With moments left in stoppage time, Sokratis Papastathopoulos grabbed a dramatic equaliser for Greece, sending the match to extra time with the score level at 1-1 after 90 minutes. Neither team scored in extra time, and in the shootout, both teams converted their first three attempts before Joel Campbell put Costa Rica ahead 4-3. Navas then saved against Theofanis Gekas, setting the stage for Umana to slam in the decisive spot-kick. It was far from easy, and it wasnt the prettiest fixture of this round of 16 thus far, but Costa Rica continued to weave history with a penalty shootout win over Greece. Jorge Luis Pintos men extend their World Cup stay following a fight against all the odds that saw them endure 54 minutes of the 120 played with 10 men, following the second-half send-off of Oscar Duarte. This wasnt the same confident Costa Rica we saw against Uruguay and Italy, their threat perhaps now more known to the World Cup opposition after the shock at how impressive they were in those outings. However, Pintos men were still a laudable presence for great stretches, the counter-attacking tactics that have got them this far still impressing at the right times. With the win, Costa Rica continued their unlikely run in Brazil, advancing to the quarter-finals for the first time in four World Cup appearances. Drawn into a group with former champions Uruguay, Italy and England, the Ticos were given little chance to advance to the knockout stages. Now, Jorge Luis Pintos side are among the last eight and will take on the Netherlands on Saturday in Salvador. With both Costa Rica and Greece defending well early, the first half passed with few chances. Costa Ricas Christian Bolanos blasted over from a tight angle in the eighth minute, and Greeces Lazaros Christodoulopoulos dragged a shot wide four minutes later. The best chance of the half came in the 37th minute as Greeces Jose Holebas picked out Dimitrios Salpingidis with a curling cross from the left. Salpingidis directed a volley on target, but Navas saved with his trailing leg to keep the match scoreless at half-time. Greece created the first chance of the second half, Georgios Samaras heading straight at Navas from a Holebas free-kick in the 47th minute. Five minutes later, though, Costa Rica took the lead after the vaunted Greek defence momentarily lost concentration. Bolanos set up the chance, rolling a cross from the left flank to an unmarked Ruiz at the edge of the box. With his first touch, Ruiz scuffed a slow-moving—but well-placed—shot that sneaked into the bottom corner past a motionless Orestis Karnezis. Leading 1-0, Costa Rica quickly went searching for more. Moments after the goal, the Central American side appealed for a penalty after Vasilis Torosidis cleared a high ball into Greeces box with an outstretched fist. Then, in the 54th minute, Bolanos had a shot blocked on the left side of the box following fine interplay with Celso Borges. Greece received a lifeline in the 66th minute as Duarte, who had been booked late in the first half, received his marching orders for his second yellow card following a foul on Holebas. Christodoulopoulos created another moment of danger in the 88th minute, wriggling past Junior Diaz down Costa Ricas left flank before crossing dangerously into the middle. Costa Rica were exposed, but the ball bounced off Kostas Mitroglou and into Navas arms. It turned out to be only a brief let-off for Costa Rica, though. In the first minute of stoppage time, Greece once again produced a moment of late magic to pull level. Papastathopoulos both started and finished the goal, first setting up Gekas, whose initial shot was saved by Navas. The rebound fell back to Papastathopoulos, who bounced his finish in past Navas for a dramatic equaliser. The Greeks almost grabbed a late winner as well, but Navas was able to tip over Mitroglous flicked header in the third minute of stoppage time. Level at 1-1 after 90 minutes, the match went to extra time. After earning new life with the late equaliser, Greece posed the bigger threat in the first half of extra time. Gekas headed wide in the 94th minute from Mitroglous pass, and Konstantinos Katsouranis had a shot blocked from a tight angle seven minutes later. With the match headed for penalties, Greece came agonisingly close to the winner in the closing moments of extra time. Greece coach Santos was sent to the stands before the spot-kicks began, with every one finding the net until Navas denied Gekas with Greeces fourth of the night. Gekas created the chance with a headed pass into the path of Mitroglou on the right, but Navas produced yet another save to deflect Mitroglous volleyed attempt wide of the goal. It was the games last big chance, and in the penalty shootout, the Greeks once again found it too difficult to beat the impressive Navas.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 00:56:59 +0000
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