• Home
• Reports
  • Preview
  • Group A
  • Group B
  • Group C
  • Group D
  • Group E
  • Group F
  • Group G
  • Group H
  • Last16
  • Quarter Finals
  • Semi Finals
  • 3rd Place
  • Final
• Squad Lists
  • Algeria
  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Belgium
  • Bosnia
  • Brazil
  • Cameroon
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Croatia
  • Ecuador
  • England
  • France
  • Germany
  • Ghana
• Squad Lists
  • Greece
  • Honduras
  • Iran
  • Italy
  • Ivory Coast
  • Japan
  • Mexico
  • Netherlands
  • Nigeria
  • Portugal
  • Russia
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • Uruguay
  • USA
• Fixtures
• Best XI

25 June 2014

HONDURAS 0
SWITZERLAND 3 (Shaqiri 6, Shaqiri 31, Shaqiri 71)

Shaqiri's switch to trequartista was a phenomenal success. Standing on the right corner of the penalty box he spun onto a Lichtsteiner pass, took a couple of steps then smashed a shot into the top left corner. Bernardez slipped when attempting to cut out an Inler through ball and Drmic centre for Shaqiri to storm past Figueroa and beat Valladares. Rodriguez hacked Bengtson's shot off the line after he rounded Benaglio and shot at an empty net. Djourou shoved over Palacios in the box but the refs weren't likely to do the Hondurans any favours after their thuggery against the French. Rodriguez found Drmic with a long ball out of defence and he centred for Shaqiri's hat-trick goal, the 50th World Cup hat-trick.

Attendance : 40,322
Assists : Lichtsteiner, Drmic, Drmic


ECUADOR 0
FRANCE 0

There can be summed up as follows. Sakho should have been sent off for elbowing Minda. Valencia was sent off for going though Digne. Giroud should have been sent for elbowing Achilier. France had a million shots but most were straight at Dominguez but nonetheless his positioning was superb.

Attendance : 73,749
Assists : n/a


20 June 2014

HONDURAS 1 (Costly 31)
ECUADOR 2 (Valencia 34, Valencia 65)

Beckeles punted a longball downfield, Guagua headed the ball against Costly he ran through before beating Dominguez with a fiercely struck low drive. Honduras' first World Cup goal for 32 years. Three minutes later Paredes' speculative shot took a wicked deflection off Carlos and landed perfectly for Valencia to tap-in at the back post. Valencia headed in his second from a superb Ayovi free kick.

Attendance : 39,224
Assists : n/a, n/a, Ayovi (fk)


SWITZERLAND 2 (Dzemaili 81 fk, Xhaka 87)
FRANCE 5 (Giroud 17, Matuidi 18, Valbuena 40, Benzema 67, Sissoko 73)

Giroud got high above the Swiss defence to head in a Valbuena corner. Seven seconds after the restart Benzema intercepted Behrami's hospital pass and played in Matuidi on the overlap though Benaglio should have saved his shot at the near post. Benzema missed a 32nd minute penalty but France took a three goal half-time lead with an awe inspiring counter attack. Giroud headed a Swiss corner to Benzema, he cheeked inside Lichtsteiner and passed to Varane, Varane hit a fabulously weighted ball, taking out three players when finding Giroud in space down the left, Giroud ran hard and centred to the back post for Valbuena to tap-in. Magnificent.

Pogba, surprisingly benched and on as a second half sub, hit a great pass with the outside of his right foot to Benzema, who darted between Djourou and Senderos before volleying between Benaglio's legs. Sissoko finished off a glorious passing move for France's fifth. Six passes started with Pogba stealing a ball in the Swiss half and Evra and Valbuena moved the ball onto Matuidi, Matuidi looked to play a one-two with Benzema but he spotted Sissoko free in space on the right of the box and the Newcastle midfielder took his shot first time with the inside of his right foot, sending the ball spinning in off the right post. MAGNIFIQUE. The Swiss scored two late goals. Benzema feebly jumped over a low Dzemaili free kick, betraying his goalkeeper and six minutes later Xhaka caught a fantastic Inler pass with a crisp left foot volley.

I'm not sure France will win the World Cup but I'd suggest there's a very good chance they'll win the Euros in two years time. The basis of every great team is a strong midfield and in Pogba and Matuidi they have two of the best in the World. This is a team packed with power, pace and athleticism in all areas and now everyone is weighing in with goals. France were bombing forward until the final whistle, when Benzema had another stunning goal chalked off by the killjoy referee. Of the European teams so far they have looked the fittest though maybe the conditions haven't been as extreme as those in other cities.

Attendance : 51,003
Assists : Valbuena, Benzema, Giroud, Pogba, Benzema, Shaqiri (won fk), Inler


15 June 2014

FRANCE 3 (Benzema 45 Pen, Valladares 48 og, Benzema 72)
HONDURAS 0

The Hondurans tried to kick the French into submission and should have had more than one red card. The despicable Palacios fouled Pogba then stamped on his left shin, Pogba kicked out in retaliation, barely making contact, and Palacios feigned having a heart attack. Both players were booked. Pogba exacted revenge when making the most of a shoulder tackle from the sorry bastard Palacios and the ref, possibly making up for his earlier mistake, showed him a red. The cheating scumbag Hondurans made Benzema wait an age to take the penalty, it mattered not.

Cabaye intercepted a hospital pass and hit a magnificent crossfield pass to Benzema, who caught the ball on the bounce with a brilliant left foot volley that clipped the right post before bouncing across goal and in off Valladares. The crap German goal-line system, the one used in the EPL is significantly better, took an age to confirm a goal, confusing matters by showing the ball hitting the right post before showing it crossing the line. Figueroa hacked down Valbuena to concede a free kick, Valbuena pulled the ball back to Debuchy, his shot cannoned off several players and from a tight angle Benzema thundered home the rebound. Fantastic shot and the best Benzema has played in a big game. Garrido slammed his studs into Matuidi's knee, only earning a yellow. Izaguirre, a sorry excuse for a human being, attempted to rake his studs down Valbuena's shin but he stepped away, this draw a horrified shriek from Linekar in the BBC studio. Izaguirre was given nothing more than a stern talking to from the feeble officials who did little to clamp down on the Hondurans savage thuggery. The French did well not to react but someone needs to pay the Ecuadorians a visit in their dressing room and do a Tonya Harding (the beating not the porn video).

Attendance : 43,012
Assists : Pogba (won pen), n/a, Evra


SWITZERLAND 2 (Mehmedi 48, Seferovic 93)
ECUADOR 1 (Valencia 22)

Two brilliant dead balls, two headed goals. Ayovi's inswinging free kick was headed in by midget Valencia. Substitute Mehmedi (which of course should be spelt Mehdi) scored within minutes of replacing Stocker. The game seemed to be heading until a minute from time then Ecuador decided three points were better than one. Valencia (the Man United winger not the Pachuca striker) ran down the right and pulled back a centre, Arroyo dithered over a shot despite having the goal at his mercy, Behrami stripped him of the ball and as he tried to bring it out of defence he was checked by Gruezo the ref waved the advantage as he got to his feet and raced forward before passing out wide to Seferovic, he switched play to the opposite flank before breaking into the box, Rodriguez rolled a centre inside Guagua and Seferovic tapped in at the near post. Brilliant counter attack and brilliant refereeing by Irmatov.

Attendance : 68,351
Assists : Ayovi (fk), Rodriguez (ck), Rodriguez