Barclays Premier League 2014-2015 Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur

This was a good game between Manchester United and Tottenham. There were many great plays. The 1st good play came in minute 19. Juan Mata made a pass to Radamel Falcao whose shot was saved by Hugo Lloris. Two minutes later Harry Kane made a pass to Andres Townsend and De Gea saved his left-footed shot. Only 1 minute later Juan Mata took a free kick that deflected off the post. Robin Van Persie rebounded but a last minute clearance by Vlad Chiriches caused Tottenam to preserve their tie. You'd already know by now that this was a game with any chances. In minute 39 Van Persie receives a through ball from Michael Carrick, fakes a shot against Lloris, but the French keeper put a stop to his shot and then cleared the ball. Then in inute 45 Lloris is just able to tip out a far-range shot from Ashley Young. After that Manchester United started getting sloppy. They couldn't put any more shots in and the game ended that way. My man of the match is Hugo Lloris. Thanks to his outstanding goalkeeping Manchester United didn't win and Tottenham picked up a point. This was a very weird game; so many chances, yet it ended in a scoreless draw.  

Barclays Premier League 2014-2015 Southampton vs. Chelsea

This was a well-fought game. Chelsea, who had gone on a 5 game winning streak since their defeat to Newcastle, takes on Southampton, an underdog team that is in 4th place. The game started off in minute 8 when Fabregas takes a corner. Fraser Forster feels comfortable jumping up to punch it out but fails. John Terry tries to reach Forster's height but the ball hits the wrong side of his head and the abll goes backwards. Then in minute 17 Dusan Tadic gives a high through ball to Sadio Mané. Mané runs down the center and then comfortably chips it over Thibaut Courtois to score the 1st goal. That was a good goal, well-played-out and strong. The lead didn't last too long, though, as Chelsea got a last minute 1st half equalizer. Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin fouls Diego Costa but he stays strong and passes to Fabregas. Fabregas chips it to Eden Hazard, who evades 3 defenders and takes a shot past Fraser Forster. In minute 55 a common thing happened for Chelsea. Fabregas got booked for diving. Chelsea is known for flopping. Nemanja Matic, Diego Costa, Willian, and now Fabregas have all gotten yellows for diving. It was a clear flop, so the referee did a good job. In minute 87 Schneiderlin gets ssent of for a 2nd yellow card and Southampton lost hope off a victory. The game ended 1-1. My man of the match was Hazard. He scored 1 goal, and dominated the mifield. He traumatized the Southampton defense with exellent passes and dribbles and was a key player in this hard-fought tie.    

Barclays Premier League 2014-2015 Chelsea vs. Stoke City

This was an interesting game between Chelsea and Stoke City. The game started out in minute 2 when Fabregas takes a corner. After moving around in the area John Terry gets something on it and scores to the left corner. That was Terry's 1st goal of the season. After playing for many years in Chelsea, the whole squad knows that he is the best on the team for that; pushing his way through the box and scoring headers. The next goal came in minute 78. Willian was running down the sideline and then passed it to John Obi-Mikel. Mikel ran around a midfielder and passed to Eden Hazard. Hazard played it out to Fabregas who does a fake shot then slips it past Asmir Begovic. That's how the game ended. My man of the match was Fabregas. Assisting 1 and scoring one, Fabregas added another of each to his 14 assists and 1 goal.

Lionel Messi To Manchester City? Sergio Busquets To Chelsea?

Messi To Manchester City?

Lionel Messi has been at Barça for 10 years now, and has received 4 Ballon D'ors, has both the La Liga and the Champions League records for most goals, and is only 27. He said he wanted to stay at the Catalan club forever but rumours say that he is linked to a Premier League move. Manchester City are trying to bring Messi to England. Sources say that Manchester City are approaching a £200 million transfer for La Pulga and £500k a week. As January 1st approaches, Messi could be a future Man City man.

Sergio Busquets To Chelsea?

Chelsea new summer signing Cesc Fabregas has the record for the most assists in the Premier League right now. To think that he barely found room on the FC Barcelona starting XI and now is a star at Chelsea is pretty peculiar to think. This January Chelsea are looking for more. Jose Mourinho is looking to sign Sergio Busquets from the Catalan club. Apparently Busquets doesn't like Luis Enrique and is stalling a contract renewal. With rumours of John Obi-Mikel's departure, Chelsea surely could use Barça's No.5.

Raheem Sterling to Real Madrid? Bale To Manchester United?

Sterling To Madrid?

Real Madrid are eyeing the transfer of Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling this January. They are on a tight budget with summer transfers of Toni Kroos for £24 million pounds and James Rodriguez for £63 million but they can get some money by selling Gareth Bale and already have cash from the hefty £59.7 million pound transfer of Angel Di Maria to Manchester United. 

Bale To Manchester United?

Manchester United got off to a wrong start in the Premier League but are now standing in 3rd place and are 7 points behind 2nd place Manchester City. This Saturday when they face Newcastle they have a chance to build a stronger lead to West Ham who face 1st place team Chelsea. They still need an incentive to get better and a star like Bale would help the team. Chelsea is also looking for the Welshman but I think Louis Van-Gaal's side will win the race as Jose Mourinho is not looking to spend to much money. 

   

The Three Ballon D'or Finalists

January 18th is almost here, and FIFA have selected the 3 finalists: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), and Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid). All 3 of them have had amazing years. Neuer was the starting goalie for World-Cup-Winning Germany and won the Golden Gloves. Messi broke both the UEFA Champions League and the La Liga goalscoring records this year, and won the Golden Ball. Cristiano Ronaldo has had an amazing season, with an average of over 1.75 goals per game. All of them deserve this win, but I think more than anything it should go to Lionel Messi. Messi broke 2 records this season, plus the Golden Ball in Brazil. My 2nd choice would be Neuer. He went 920 straight minutes without conceding any goals and won the Golden Gloves. CR7 has also had an incredible season, but did not receive any awards from Fifa. He deserved it last time, after being named UEFA Player Of The Competition, but he didn't get it. As the big day approaches, who will go home with a trophy? Neuer, Ronaldo, or Messi?

Lionel Messi: La Liga Record Is His

On Saturday, November 22nd, Lionel Messi broke the La Liga goals record of 251. This feat was achieved by Telmo Zarra, in the 1950s. Messi scored three goals in Barça's 5-1 win over RCD Espanyol. He was thrown up in the air by his companions, and lights flashed all over the stadium. His 1st goal that broke Zarra's record was a right-footed tap to Neymar's cross. I think what Neymar did was very nice. He could've easily shot and scored for himself but he passed to Messi so he could have the achievement. I think Messi deserved this achievement. After 10 years, players coming and going, Messi, Xavi, Mascherano and Dani Alves were the only ones who never left their team. I have to say this was probably easier for Messi to break this record than it was for Zarra. Zarra didn't have great players beside him, like Messi did. Getting assists from Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Neymar, and other players it was easier for Messi to break this record than Zarra. Messi is a great player with fabulous skills. The quality in his passes and shots is tremendous. He can be against 3 defenders, find the one way to get past them, and score. He can pass very well, and has had 11 assists and 20 goals so far this season.

Chelsea: Rockstar Season

As the season continues, Chelsea is still showing off their tremendous skills. From quality players like Eden Hazard, Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Oscar, and more Chelsea is continuing to excel in the season. They "won" the summer transfer season, scoring Fabregas, Costa, and Drogba and selling David Luiz and Romelu Lukaku. As a free transfer, Drogba is doing an excellent job for The Blues, from scoring goals and assisting well. As for the out transfers, Diego Costa completely replaced Lukaku, as he wasn't that good for Chelsea anyway, with a profit of over 18,000,000 pounds. Chelsea would be even better with David Luiz but it was worth the hefty transfer fee. During the midweek win vs. Derby County, players like Hazard, Luis, and Schurrle just told Derby County from the start that they were going to lose. Manager Jose Mourinho has done an amazing job this season with Chelsea, and is saying that he is taking it easy in the January transfer season. Chelsea is in a very good shape right now. Manchester City are not far behind them, though, so I think they should take advantage of Aguero's injury to build a gap between the two teams. This will be hard for Chelsea, because their next three games are away. They face Stoke City, then Southampton, then Tottenham Hotspur, and then their home derby vs. West Ham. Manchester City, on the other hand, have 3 games home in the next 4 fixtures. Whatever game Chelsea plays, they make it a very entertaining one to watch and a hard one for the other team to win. Many of Chelsea's players are young and have at least 4-5 more years. Chelsea is expected to win the season and then next one, too. They are on fire.

Barclays Premier League 2014-2015 Arsenal vs. Newcastle United

Arsenal and Newcastle, 2 teams that are 6th and 8th place so far, face off. Newcastle had gotten a lot of public media interest for being the 1st team to beat Chelsea since March and were looking forward to continuing their winning streak. The game started off in minute 15 as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain intercepts a pass. The ball goes right to French striker Olivier Giroud who passes it to Alexis Sanchez, on the left wing. Giroud calls for the return and Sanchez displays a great cross back to the Frenchman and he heads it in. It was a well-set-up play. Newcastle almost scored the equalizer, when Jack Colback takes a free kick that is headed by defender Michael Williamson. Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny makes a very nice save and the ball rebounds to Papiss Cisse, only for his shot to be denied by Szczesny agin before it is cleared.   The next goal came in minute 54, as Santi Cazorla makes  a pass to Sanchez on the left. Sanchez makes a nice defence-splitting pass back to Cazorla, who evades Fabricio Coloccini's tackle and chips it over Jak Alnwick. Not only 4 minutes later, Oxlade-Chamberlain is running up the middle before making a pass to Hector Bellerin. Bellerin crosses the ball to Giroud right near the right post, who chips it way over Alnwick. Newcastle come back in minute 63, when Colback wins a free kick just outside the area. He crosses it to Ayoze Perez at chest-level, and Perez heads it into the far post. The last goal came in minute 88 when Cazorla gives a through ball to Danny Welbeck. While Welbeck gets it, Paul Dummett shoves him to the ground. Cazorla takes the penalty, chips it to the center, and Arsenal wins 4-1.  
http://player.arsenal.com/schedule/live/player/5758-newcastle-utd-h-highlights?quality=high

Barclays Premier League 2014-2015 Manchester United vs. Liverpool

This was a very good game between two good teams: Manchester United vs. Liverpool. Although Liverpool had a very bad start this season, their team consists of very good players, who can't seem to find the net too often. As for Manchester United, they also had a bad start but now are 3rd place in the league and have a 4-game winning streak. The game started out in minute 12, when Ecuadorian midfielder Antonio Valencia nutmegs Joe Allen and sends a pass to Wayne Rooney, who shoots into the left corner, as goalkeeper Brad Jones dives to the right. Manchester United continued with a goal in minute 40. Ashley Young makes a cross intended for Robin Van Persie and Van Persie heads it off-target but Juan Mata with perfect positioning heads it in at the last second doubling the lead for the Red Devils. Liverpool almost scored one though, as a faulty pass from John Evans leads Raheem Sterling to a one-on-one with David De Gea. De Gea saves it, as he doesn't fall for Sterling's trick. Liverpool gets another golden chance in minute 68. Philippe Coutinho makes a very nice through ball to Sterling. Sterling avoids a slide tackle by Phil Jones before turning around and passing to Italian Mario Balotelli. Balotelli had just been fined by FA for posting a racist and anti-Semitic post on Instagram. He was signed by Liverpool this summer for 16 million pounds and was still looking forward to his 1st premier league goal. Unfortunately for him, De Gea was in goal. He dived high to the right, tipped the ball off a bit, and the ball cannoned off the crossbar. The third goal was defined in minute 71 when John Evans takes the ball away from Kolo Toure and passes it to Mata. Mata runs down the field and then passes to Rooney on the left wing. Rooney's cross to Van Persie is intercepted and poorly cleared by Dejan Lovren. Mata receives the ball again, passes to Van Persie, and Van Persie scores with an "open" half-goal as Brad Jones wasn't expecting that change of play. That is how the game ended. My man of the match was David De Gea. He had 8 fabulous saves, and if it wasn't for his skill Manchester United probably would've lost.
 

Barclays Premier League 2014-2015 Chelsea vs. Hull City

This game is an interesting game. Chelsea, after ending their 14 game unbeaten run with 2-1 defeat to Newcastle, take on Hull City, who have not won a game in 9 matches. The game started off in minute 7 when John Obi-Mikel takes the ball from Hull City midfielder Sone Aluko and then passes it to Nemanja Matic. I thought that it was a foul because Mikel used his hand to push Aluko down to the ground. Anyway, Matic plays it wide to Brazilian midfielder Oscar on the left. Oscar jukes past Hull City defender James Chester and delivers a beautiful cross for Eden Hazard who heads home to the left side. Chelsea was dominating in the game by possession and shots on target. Then in minute 60 just as Filipe Luis was about to shoot from a bit outside the area, Tom Huddlestone puts in a very strong tackle. This was a very risky move, since he already had been given a booking 45 minutes earlier. He bent Luis' ankle and got sent off immediately. Not just 2 yellows, but a yellow and then a direct red. After that the game was practically Chelsea's. Hull City manager Steve Bruce adjusted the formation so that the Tigers were missing a defender, not a midfielder. But Chelsea kept putting the pressure in, and finally a goal came in minute 68. It all started with a corner, as Willian makes the short pass to Hazard. Hazard's cross is cleared by David Meyler, but Hazard recuperates from midfield. He runs all the way down and passes to Branislav Ivanovic and looks for the return. Ivanovic lets all the players keep running before making a perfectly-placed heel pass back to Hazard. Hazard makes a through ball to Spanish attacker Diego Costa, and he scores his 12th goal of the season, 2nd in the league behind Sergio Aguero. The game ended that way. My man of the match is Eden Hazard. He scored the opener with a beautiful header, and later assisted one to Diego Costa. He was very involved in plays, replacing the suspended Cesc Fabregas.    
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqDj7JtvhRM

Friendly Match Argentina vs. Germany

This was a interesting game. It was also a repeat of the 2014 World Cup final, that had happened not 2 months earlier. Germany had a poor squad, and that was because a lot of the players who had led the Germans to the cup were away on club duty and did not want to fly all the way to Germany for a friendly. Only 4 of the players who started in the world cup final actually played in this game. Argentina also didn't have a lot of players. For example Lionel Messi, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Ezequiel Garay, and Gonzalo Higuain didn't play, marking a weaker line in the offensive and the defensive sides. The game kicked off in minute 20 when Sergio Aguero receives an outstanding pass from attacking- midfielder Angel Di Maria and with the side of his foot he chips it into the high post making the lead 1-0 for the Argentinian side. In minute 40 Di Maria receives a through ball from Pablo Zabaleta and crosses to 23 year-old Argentinian forward Erik Lamela. Lamela makes an outstanding volley to the back post, clearly unstoppable for Manuel Neuer. Joachim Low must've realized that with Neuer at the goal the German side wouldn't be able to win so after half time he subbed in the subsitute goalie Roman Weidenfeller. Only 2 minutes after half time Di Maria shoots an outstanding free kick to Federico Fernandez who heads the ball in the goal after it hits the inside post. Argentina was leading   3-0 in the 47th minute so you can tell this was sweet revenge for them, and especially for Di Maria who had been injured during the final. To make matter even worse for Germany,  only 2 minutes later, Di Maria again was running down the side of the field and performed a beautiful chip over Weidenfeller scoring the 4th for "La Albiceleste". In minute 52 Germany shoots a corner kick. Martin Demichelis does a lousy job protecting the goal and doesn't stop a ball right next to him by Andre Schurrle, who makes the score 4-1. In minute 57 Joachim Low makes two substitutions that will change the game; Mario Gotze for Mario Gomez , and Thomas Muller for Schurrle. Right away you began to notice changes in Germany's midfield and attacking line. Like for example the long through balls that got passed the German midfield, Muller intercepted. Germany fought hard, until in minute 78 Mario Gotze takes a bouncing shot which deflected off Fernando Gago so Sergio Romero couldn't see where the ball was going and dived way too late. That's how the game ended. I am happy for Argentina. Friendly or no friendly, after being eliminated by Germany in three straight world cups, I think Argentina really needed this. In my opinion, Argentina had the two extremes in the game; best and worst player. My best player by far was Angel Di Maria. He was unstoppable this game; setting up 3 goals and scoring 1. Finally my worst player was Martin Demichelis. In the 1st half he made so many errors and was really lucky that Romero saved him so many times. Marcos Rojo also had an outstanding game. He set up the long pass to Di Maria when he scored and stole the ball so many times from the German team.               

Fifa World Cup Group H

Group H

                                MP   W   D   L   GF   GA   +/-   Pts

BELGIUM               3      3     0   0     4      1      3      9 

ALGERIA                3     1      1   1     6     5      1       4   

RUSSIA                   3      0     2   1     2      3     -1      2

SOUTH KOREA     3      0     1   2     3      6     -3      1

Fifa World Cup Group G

Group G

                    MP   W   D   L   GF   GA   +/-    Pts 

GERMANY        3      2    1    0     7      2      5       7
USA                    3      1    1    1     4      4      0       4
PORTUGAL      3       1    1    1     4      7     -3       4
GHANA             3       0    1    2     4      6     -2       1

Fifa World Cup 2014 Group F

Group F

                                                    MP   W   D   L   GF   GA   +/-   Pts

ARGENTINA                               3     3     0   0     6       3      3     9  

NIGERIA                                      3     1     1   1     3       3      0     6

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA      3     1     0   2     4       4      0     3

IRAN                                             3     0     1   2     1       4     -3    1

Fifa World Cup 2014 Group E

Group E

                                 

                                                MP   W   D   L   GF   GA   +/-   Pts    

FRANCE                  3      2    1    0     8      2      6      7

SWITZERLAND     3      2    0    1     7      6      1      6

ECUADOR              3      1    1    1     3      3      0      4

HONDURAS           3      0    0    3     1      8      -7     0

Fifa World Cup 2014 Group D

Group D

                       

                      MP   W   D   L   GF   GA   +/-   Pts 

COSTA RICA        3     2    1    0     4      1       3     7

URUGUAY            3     2    0    1     4      4       0     6

ITALY                    3     1    0    2     2      3      -1    3

ENGLAND             3     0    1    2     2      4      -2    1

Fifa World Cup 2014 Group C

Group C

                               MP   W   D   L   GF   GA   +/-   Pts

COLOMBIA            3     3     0   0     9       2      7      9   

GREECE                 3     1     1   1     2       4     -2      4

IVORY COAST      3     1     0   2     4       5     -1      3

JAPAN                    3     0     1   2     2       6     -4      1

Fifa World Cup 2014 Group B

GROUP B

        

                                   MP   W   D   L   GF   GA   +/-   Pts

NETHERLANDS        3      3    0    0    10     3      7      9

CHILE                         3      2    0    1     5      3      2      6

SPAIN                         3      1    0     2    4      7      -3     3

AUSTRALIA              3      0    0     0    3      9      -6     0

Fifa World Cup 2014 Group A

Group A

                            

                          MP  W  D  L  GF  GA  +/-  Pts                                 

BRAZIL             3     2   1   0    7     2     5     7

MEXICO            3     2   1   0    4     1     3     7

CROATIA          3     1   0   2    6     6     0     3

CAMEROON     3     0   0   3    1     9    -8     0

Fifa World Cup 2014 Awards

Last World Cup Man Of The Match: Mario Gotze
Golden Ball: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Golden Boot: James Rodriguez (Colombia)
Golden Glove: Manuel Neuer (Germany)
Young Player Award: Paul Pogba (France)
Fair Play Award: Colombia

Fifa World Cup 2014 Team Of The Tournnament

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Germany), Sergio Romero (Argentina), Jasper Cillessen (Netherlands)


Defenders: Thiago Silva (Brazil), Marcos Rojo (Argentina), Mats Hummels (Germany), Stefan De Vrij (Netherlands), Ron Vlaar (Netherlands), Ezequiel Garay (Argentina), David Luiz (Brazil), Daniel Van Buyten (Belgium)


Midfielders: James Rodriguez (Colombia), Toni Kroos (Germany), Phillip Lahm (Germany), Oscar (Brazil), Wesley Sneyder (Netherlands), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Javier Mascherano (Argentina), Paul Pogba (France)


Strikers: Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Thomas Muller (Germany), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Karim Benzema (France), Neymar Jr. (Brazil), Robin Van Persie (Netherlands), Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina)

Fifa World Cup 2014 Round Of 16 Belgium vs. USA

This is the eighth round of 16 between Belgium and USA. This game was a very even game. Belgium had a bit more chances, but USA goalie Tim Howard saved all the shots. up to minute 90 there was no score. In minute 95 Kevin De Bruyne shoots it to the inside post, right over Howard's leg making the lead 1-0 for Belgium. In minute 105 Romelu Lukaku receives an overlap pass from De Bruyne and slams the ball into the net, doubling the lead for Belgium. Two minutes later Michael Bradley makes a long pass from midfield to Julian Green, and Green chips it over the goalie without the ball touching the ground. 2-1. That's how the game ended once extra time was over. Belgium is now going to face Argentina in the quarter finals.    

Fifa World Cup 2014 Round Of 16 Argentina vs Switzerland

This is the 7th round of 16. Switzerland,  after finishing as the runner-up after France in Group G, takes on Argentina who won all 3 games by 1 point leads. Even though most people thought Argentina was going to crush Switzerland I didn't. I think this world cup was really weird. Spain didn't pass, and Costa Rica finished 1st in the "group of death". This was a great game with a lot of shots for both teams. There were no goals in the 90 minutes of regular time so the game had to go to overtime. In minute 118, 2 minutes before the game would go to penalties Lionel Messi makes a beautiful pass to Angel Di Maria who shoots it past Benaglio and scores a beautiful goal. Of course Di Maria received all the credit which I thought was unfair. All Di Maria did was shoot the ball with a pass right to his feet. But Messi actually did the whole thing. He evaded 2 defenders and made a really nice pass to Di Maria who scores. That's how the game ended, Di Maria almost scoring when Benaglio goes all the way up front. Argentina earned a spot vs. the winner of USA and Belgium in the quarter finals.

Fifa World Cup 2014 Fact-Book

• James Rodriguez's 1st goal vs. Uruguay earns top goal
• Sabella resigns as Argentinian coach
• Rueda to replace as Colombian coach
• Luiz Felipe Scolari resigns as Brazilian coach
• Lahm raises his last international cup as he resigns from international football 
• Steven Gerrard retires from international football
• Carles Puyol hands out cup to Germany
• Mario Gotze latest scorer in world cup   

Fifa World Cup 2014 Round Of 16 Germany vs. Algeria

This was a very good game between Germany and Algeria in the round of 16. Algeria, as you probably guessed the underdogs, was able to hold Germany back. Just after the break, Islam Slimani heads the ball and scores a beautiful goal but he was offside by a foot so the goal was violated. The game ended like that and went to overtime. Joachim Low must have talked to Germany spewed up hope because in minute 92 Andre Schurrle does a Ronaldo chop (a kind of play where you slide your right foot through your left foot and kick the ball) and scores. Then in minute 120 Schweinsteiger shoots and it hits the wrong side of Algerian defender Esseid Belkalem and goes right to Mesut Ozil who shoots it and scores. One minute later Islam Slimani receives a pass from Sophiane Feghouli and scores. That's how the game ended. I think the loss was due to Esseid Belkalem who passed it right to Ozil so he could score the winning goal.

Fifa World Cup 2014 Round Of 16 France vs. Nigeria

This is the 5th round of 16 between France and Nigeria. France played much better than the Super Eagles but none of the beautiful shots were goals until minute 79 when the Nigerian goalie charges up on a corner kick and the ball goes straight to Pogba who heads it in. It was weird since France had so many really good shots but the one shot that wasn't really that good went in. Skipping ahead to minute 92 when Valbuena crosses it to Griezmann and it looks like he shot it in but it actually hit the Nigerian defender, Yobo. Griezmann nods his head to when Valbuena jumps on him. That's how the game ended. The Super Eagles went home; and France will be facing the winner of Germany and Algeria.

Fifa World Cup 2014 Round Of 16 Costa Rica vs. Greece

This is the 4th round of 16 between Costa Rica and Greece. This was a pretty good game. After the break in minute 52 Ruiz gets a shot on the ground that crosses the net. The Greek goalie, Orestis Karnezis was probably in shock since he could've easily saved it but he didn't move an inch. So that was what I like to call a "given goal". In the late 2nd half Duarte gets his 2nd yellow card of the game and Costa Rica is playing with 10 men. Just 1 minute before Costa Rica would win Soraktis slammed the ball through the net marking extra time for this astonishing game. There were no goals in extra time so the game went to penalties. Costa Rica scores, Greece scores. Costa Rica scores, Greece scores. Costa Rica scores, Greece scores. The score is 3-3. Costa Rica scores, Greece misses. now it's all up to Costa Rica. If they score, they advance. If they miss, Greece has the chance to tie up the game and keep it to extra-penalties. He directs, he takes a lead, he shoots, he scores!! Costa Rica advances to the quarter finals vs. Netherlands!!

Fifa World Cup 2014 Round Of 16 Netherlands vs. Mexico

This is the third round of 16 match between Netherlands and Mexico. In the beginning of the game I think Mexico played better given on the possession, 54-46. Just after the break Giovanni Dos Santos gets a really nice shot outside the area making the lead 1-0. After that Mexico started to go downhill. They were able to hold the lead until minute 88 when Arjen Robben makes a corner kick to Wesley Sneyder who bombs it to the left corner and scores. But that wasn't enough for Netherlands. In minute 94 Rafael Marquez slide tackles Arjen Robben in the area making it a penalty which Huntelaar scores. 1 minute later the game ended and Netherlands won. My man of the match was Andrea Ochoa. If it weren't for him Netherlands would've won 5-1 instead of 2-1. Netherlands are playing in the quarter finals vs. the winner of Costa Rica and Greece.

Fifa World Cup 2014 Round Of 16 Brazil vs. Chile

This is the round of 16 between Brazil and Chile. In minute 18 Neymar shoots a corner kick to Thiago Silva who heads it to David Luiz and he scores. I think it was a nice goal, 3-person teamwork. In minute 32 Marcelo does a bad throw-in that goes to Humberto Suazo and he crosses to Alexis Sanchez, who shoots it to the corner for the equalizer. Late into the second half Marcelo gives a long pass to Fred and he scores but unluckily for Brazil, the ball hit Fred's hand when he jumped up to get the ball so the referee called it a handball. The game ended like that and went to overtime, still no score. After that the game went to penalties. The game ended 3-2 Brazil, Jara, Pinilla, and Sanchez missing their penalty shots. Brazil is playing vs. the winner of Uruguay and Colombia.  

Fifa World Cup 2014 Round Of 16 Colombia vs. Uruguay

This is the round of 16 between Colombia and Uruguay. Uruguay was not said to do very well as their best player Luis Suarez, had been suspended for 9 Fifa World Cup games and 4 months of any league after biting Giorgio Chiellini in the arm. In minute 28 a great play came. Radamel Falcao heads the ball that goes directly to Coates, who heads it out which goes back to Radamel Falcao. Falcao heads the ball to 22-year-old Colmbian star James Rodriguez just outside the area. James gets it, stops it with his chest, and then without the ball hitting the ground he takes a left footed shot that tips Uruguayan's goalie Fernando Muslera's hand, then hits the crossbar and goes in. I think that was the best goal yet. Everything from Falcao's 1st header up to the James' beauty strike was made without the ball even touching the ground. Right now every Uruguay fan hates Suarez for being suspended because he could've really helped Uruguay score some goals. But that wasn't enough for James. In minute 50 just after the break he receives a pass from Radamel Falcao and scores another goal. That's how the game ended. Colombia will be versing Brazil in the quarter finals.  

Fifa World Cup 2014 Holland vs. Costa Rica

This was a very close game. Costa Rica was a big underdog but after becoming 1st in the group of death with England, Italy, and Uruguay, they were said to be a threat to the major teams. Holland played better but the game still went out 0-0. Then came overtime, still no score. After that the game went to penalties. Holland made a goalie substitution since Tim Krul was better (and barely taller) at catching penalties than Jasper Cillenssen. Krul saved 2 shots, so he technically won the game for Holland. Holland won 4-3, and they are versing Argentina in the semi-finals.

Fifa World Cup 2014 World Cup Quarter-Finals Argentina vs. Belgium

This is the world cup quarter finals between Belgium and Argentina. In minute 8 Messi evades 2 defenders, then passes to Angel Di Maria, who tries to cross but fails. The ball goes to Gonzalo Higuain who strikes it to the corner and scores. This is what I think Argentina needs. The early lead at the beginning of the game so they can know that worst case scenario, they have the lead. The game ended that way, Di Maria getting injured just before the 1st half ended. Argentina earned a spot in the semi-finals vs. the winner of Costa Rica and Holland.

Fifa World Cup 2014 Finals Argentina vs. Germany

This is the world cup finals between Argentina and Germany. If you think of it it's like the World Cup Finals Series Game 3 since in their two World Cup Final confrontations (1986 &1990) Germany and Argentina had each won one. The competition was so intense 100,000 Argentinians and 25,000 Germans flew to Rio De Janeiro to watch the game. The beach near Maracana was filled with people. They had put a giant screen there. You couldn't move half a foot without bumping into somebody. This game was said to be very uneven as Germany had crushed Brazil 7-1 and Argentina had beat Holland 4-2 by a close game of penalties. In minute 21 Thomas Muller heads the ball really wildly to Gonzalo Higuain who shoots the ball with the wrong side of his foot and misses. But he "returned the favor" in minute 30 when he receives a cross from Lionel Messi and shoots it over Manuel Neuer scoring a goal. I have to admit even when I was watching the game I did fall for the trap but Higuain was an inch away from the goalie but wen I saw the replay I knew he was offside. So when the referee called offside I wasn't surprised. Right before the end of the first half, Muller received a corner kick pass and hits the post which bumps off Ozil and is so close from being a goal before Romero gets it. Joachim Loew starts shouting but Goal Line Technology (the new system used by Fifa to debate goals that look on the line. They way they do it is simply by turning the picture downwards 270 degrees and see if the ball crossed the line.) called it a miss. But there was no need to argue since it was offside anyway. In minute 55 the referee made a horrible mistake. Marcos Rojo made a long pass to Higuain but Manuel Neuer jumped in front of him and caught the ball. The referee called a foul on Higuain because he hit the goalie's chest with his shoulder. I thought that was really unfair. Higuain didn't push the goalie, the goalie jumped over him and kicked him down to the ground. I thought that should be a yellow card for Neuer and a penalty for Higuain but the referee called horribly. He called a foul for Germany and Higuain got injured and had to be taken out for Rodrigo Palacio. So you Argentina fans can thank Fifa for that. The game ended like that and went to overtime. The Argentinians were getting a little tired so Sabella had to take out Ezequiel Lavezzi and Enzo Perez. In minute 113 the winning goal from Mario Gotze came. Andre Schurrle made a high through ball to Gotze and he shoots the ball from the side. I think Romero made a mistake when he dived to the left because the only way the ball could have gone in through the left was if Gotze crossed but there was nobody open in the area. Gotze shot to the right, and the ball crossed the net. The game ended like that. As a retirement gift, Spanish defender Carles Puyol was given the gift of handing the Cup to Germany. This was Phillip Lahm's last trophy for Germany as he retires from international football. And Lahm raises the cup.

Fifa World Cup 2014 "Loser's Final" Brazil vs. Holland

This is the Fifa World Cup 3rd place match, or, as I like to call it, the "loser's final". Brazil, (still without Neymar) after losing 7-1 vs Germany and creating pandemonium everywhere, takes on Holland, who lost 4-2 in penalties vs Argentina after Argentinian goalie Sergio Romero saves Ron Vlaar's and Wesley Sneyder's shots. I have to say the Fifa committee did a very bad job choosing referees because this Algerian referee technically won the game for Holland. It all started in minute 2 when Arjen Robben receives and overlap pass from Robin Van Persie and is just outside the area when Thiago Silva, (who had been suspended last game) brings him down to the ground. Normally, that would just be a foul, but since Thiago Silva was the last man standing he received a yellow card and called a penalty. I think what he did was wrong, as all the cursing Brazilian fans did in the stadium. A foul is always judged by where it started, not where it ended. But since Arjen Robben was running at 16 M.P.H, he fell in the area, and the referee called it a penalty. I think he should've given Thiago Silva a red card and Holland a free kick right outside the area but the referee did the opposite. Van Persie took the penalty and scored. I don't know why Robben never likes to take penalties. He did the same in the game vs. Mexico when he let Huntelaar take the shot. Maybe he doesn't like having all the pressure on him. If you miss a shot while people are marking you, it's okay, it's not your fault. But if you miss an open shot (like a penalty) especially a decisive one like vs. Mexico everyone will be super mad at you. Skipping up to minute 17, when Arjen Robben gives a terrible cross that went right to David Luiz who heads the ball terribly, right to Daley Blind, and he scores. Again, the referee made a terrible call. Arjen Robben was right next to the offsides referee and anyone could see that he was offside by a mile but the referee didn't say anything. That's how the first half ended. In the second half Brazil won possession 58 to 42 but they couldn't get good shots on target. The only shot they had was when David Luiz had a nice strike but Jasper Cillnessen caught it easily. I think it was like the game vs. Germany because when the other team scores several goals at the beginning of the game, they are in shock and can't play well. Holland kept coming strong, and in minute 93 Arjen Robben makes a pass to Dirk Kuyt, who crosses it to Wijnaldum who shoots to the corner and scores. In the last minute Holland made a goalie change so Michel Vorm could experience what it was like to be a player in the world cup for a minute. Holland got their medals, and Brazil went back home sad and disappointed.    

Fifa World Cup 2014 Top 10 Goals

1. David Luiz (Brazil) vs. Colombia, 2nd goal for Brazil
2. James Rodriguez (Colombia) vs. Uruguay, 1st goal for Colombia
3. Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland) vs. France, 1st goal for Switzerland
4. Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland) vs. Honduras, Switzerland's 1st goal 
5. Lionel Messi (Argentina) vs. Iran 1st goal
6. Memphis Depay (Holland) vs. Australia, 2nd goal for Holland
7. Tim Cahill (Australia) vs. Holland, 2nd goal for Australia
8. Graham Zusi (USA) vs. Portugal, USA's 1st goal
9. Claudio Marchisio (Italy) vs. England, Italy's 1st goal
10. Thomas Mueller (Germany) vs. USA 1st goal

Fifa World Cup 2014 Quarter-Finals Brazil vs. Colombia

This is the 2nd world cup quarter-finals. Brazil vs. Colombia. To my opinion, it was a very even game. Colombia did very well, but Brazil barely held them back. The game started in minute 8 when Neymar shoots a corner kick. The ball went right to Colombian defender Cristian Zapata but David Luiz made a very smart play. He was taller than Zapata, and he saw that if it didn't hit Zapata it would go directly to Thiago Silva. So he faked a jump and then moved Zapata out of the way so the ball went to Thiago Silva and he scored. Even though I was rooting for the Colombian team, Brazil deserved that goal. Neymar had dribbled all the way since midfield, only for his beautiful shot to be declined by the Colombian goalie, David Ospina. Skipping ahead all the way to minute 43 when Juan Zuniga trips on Neymar and knees his back, badly injuring him. I think that was not on purpose since Zuniga tripped but Neymar would be missing the semi-finals if Brazil won. After half-time in minute 69, when Mario Yepes slide tackles David Luiz, he is granted a free kick 35 yards away. Now David Luiz is usually a powerful shooter, usually from far distances, but nobody expected him to have that good of a shot. Beats the wall, to the back post, and GOOAAL!! What a beautiful shot! Best goal in the world cup!! Eight minutes later, Julio Cesar tripps Bacca for a penalty taken by Colombian star James Rodriguez which Julio Cesar deflects and clears the ball. In the last minute Brazilian defender Hernanez pushes Zuniga in the the area getting a great opportunity for the Colombians. James Rodriguez scores, and Brazil still leads 2-1. the game ended that way. My man of the match was David Luiz. 35 yard free kick, smart assist, it's surprisingly hard to top that. Brazil will have to face Germany without Neymar and Thiago Silva, but they didn't know what was waiting for them.

Fifa World Cup 2014 Quarter-Finals France vs. Germany

This was a very interesting game. France, after finishing 1st in their group with two wins and one tie and eliminating Nigeria 2-0 takes on Germany, who beat Algeria 2-1 in the 119th minute because of Algerian defender Esseid Belkalem's error. The game kicked off to a rough start for France as Thomas Mueller heads the ball to the top right corner beating Hugo Lloris as Germany leads 1-0 in minute 13. For me, even though Mueller scored the player of the game was Mathieu Valbuena. He had so many close chances but German goalie Manuel Neuer blocked every single shot. The game ended 1-0, even though I think France played better. France shoud've won, but Germany earned a spot in the semi-finals vs. the winner of Brazil and Colombia.

Fifa World Cup 2014 Semi-Final Argentina vs. Holland

This is the 2nd semi-finals. Holland, after beating Costa Rica in a close game of penalties, takes on Argentina, who hasn't won a game by more than a one goal difference. This was a really close game. Since Argentina's star midfielder Angel Di Maria had injured himself early on in the game vs. Belgium this was said to be the best game so far. The game had a lot of close tries like Maxi Rodriguez in minute 90 when he bombed but Jasper Cillnessen barely tips it out. Wesley Sneyder has a one-on-one with the goalie in minute 73 but Romero dives at the right moment to the right side. The game was followed by extra-time, still no score. After that the game went to P.K.s. Argentina's order was Messi, Garay, Aguero, Maxi Rodriguez... Holland's lineup was Vlaar, Robben, Sneyder, Kuyt... Vlaar takes his shot to the right corner. Argentinian goalie Romero deflects the ball and sends the ball forward and Messi scores to the left while Cillessen dives to the right. Robben nails the ball to the bottom left corner and Garay shoots straight down the middle. Wesley Sneyder gets a beautiful corner shot but the bit of Romero's goalie gloves tip the ball out of bounds. Sergio Aguero shoots to the left corner beating Cillessen, who dived to the right. Dirk Kuyt gets a low shot to the very right corner, so Argentina leads 3-2. This is the forth round, Maxi Rodriguez shoots. If he scores, Argentina advances to the finals vs. Germany. If he misses, Holland has the chance to score and keep the game to extra penalties. Maxi Rodriguez takes a lead. He aims. He shoots. Hits the goalie... touches the crossbar... goes down and GOOAAL!! Argentina faces Germany in the finals. It will be a 1986 World Cup Final/1990 World Cup Final revenge. Meanwhile, Holland will face Brazil in the "loser's final".

Fifa World Cup 2014 Semi-Finals Brazil vs. Germany

This was probably the poorest game the Brazilian team ever played in World Cup history. Brazil, who was Neymar-dependent, was sad after Neymar had been injured against Colombia in the quarter-finals and, on top of that, the captain Thiago Silva was missing, too. These 90 minutes were the worst the hosts of the world cup themselves were going to experience. Thomas Mueller kicks off the game in minute 11 nailing the ball into the right corner with his knee. In minute 23 Miroslav Klose shoots. Hits off Julio Cesar, comes back to Klose, and Germany leads 2-0. Only 43 seconds later in minute 24, Tony Kroos receives a through ball from midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, extending the lead by another goal. Two goals in two minutes, that's as far as it gets, you would assume, but you would be wrong. Not two minutes later, Miroslav Klose makes a dangerous area pass to Tony Kroos, who makes the lead 4-0. The German side are now laughing their heads off, since a 26 minute 4-0 lead is not something you'd normally expect against Brazil. To make matters worse for Brazil, in minute 29, Sami Khedira receives a one-on-one with the goalie and makes the 5-0 lead. After half-time in minute 69, Chelsea midfielder Andre Schurrle gets an angle shot that hits the cross-bar and then bounces back in, clearly unstoppable for Julio Cesar. Andre Schurrle scores again, 10 minutes later with a cross right to his feet. In minute 90, Brazil midfielder Oscar scores making the lead 7-1, but the Germans didn't care. They were moving on to the finals and had broken a World Cup record. They are playing vs. the winner of Argentina & Holland in the Fifa World Cup Final, in the stadium of Rio De Janeiro. As for the humiliated Brazil; they will be facing the loser of Argentina and Holland in the "loser's final".

Chelsea F.C. vs. Bayern Munich

This is the UEFA Supercup 2013 between Chelsea and Bayern Munich. This is also rivals between coaches Guardiola and Mourinho which used to be on Barcelona and Real Madrid. In minute 23 Andreas Torres nailed an awesome shot to the left corner marking the first goal of the match. But Bastian Schweinsteiger scored an equalizer in minute 48 after the break. The match ended like that and went to overtime. In minute 108 there was an amazing goal by Eden Hazard on the line of the area making Chelsea have a 2-1 lead with the end of overtime just around the corner. In minute 122 Bayern goalie Manuel Neuer went up to midfield and headed the ball all the way across the field. The Bayern players took that as a signal and all charged to the area to score. 10 seconds before Chelsea would win Arjen Robben slammed the ball through the net marking P.K.s for this astonishing game. The Chelsea lineup was David Luiz, Oscar, Lampard, Cole, Lukaku. The Bayern Munich lineup was Alaba, Kroos, Lahm, Ribery, Shaqiri. David Luiz scores, Alaba scores. Oscar scores, Kroos scores. Lampard scores, Lahm scores. Cole scores, Ribery scores. Lukaku misses. Now it's all up to Shaqiri to win the cup and best team award. He directs, he takes power, he shoots, he scores!! Bayern Munich has won! Lukaku really wants to kill himself for losing the Supercup for the team that didn't get lucky at the end; that actually worked hard. Like most of the times on their ex-teams, Guardiola once again triumphs over Mourinho.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXGjgyBPiD4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXd-v_gB-9g

Fifa World Cup 2014 Qualifying Teams

In Africa:
Algeria, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana

In Asia:
Australia, Japan, Iran, South Korea

In Europe:
Belgium, Croatia, France, Greece, Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, England, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain

In North and Central America:
Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, USA

In Oceania:
New Zealand has won but will have to play a play-off with the fourth elected team in North and Central America.

In South America:
Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia



http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/index.html

Facts

• Cristiano Ronaldo wins the Ballon D'or
• FC Barcelona crushes Real Madrid in La Liga by 13 pts.
• Lionel Messi recovers from injury
• Bayern triumphs over Chelsea in a last minute penalty miss by Lukaku
• Mourinho joins Chelsea