Brazil Had Many Chances Against Mexico But Did Not Prove Worthy as Candidate To Raise The Cup

Needing a tie against Brazil to nose ahead of Croatia in the race for second in Group A, Mexico duly got one, holding the Selecao to a 0-0 draw in Fortaleza. This was hardly a repeat of the tournament's other 0-0 scoreline, however — it was a thrilling ride that saw both teams create (and waste) great chances to go ahead.

How did El Tri manage to hold the favourites scoreless? It had a lot to do with the outstanding performance of 'Memo' Guillermo Ochoa in goal, but perhaps more to do with the Selecao's flaws, which are becoming more obvious by the game.

Brazil (4-2-3-1): Julio Cesar; Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Marcelo; Luiz Gustavo, Paulinho; Oscar, Neymar, Ramires; Fred.

Mexico (3-5-2): 'Memo' Guillermo Ochoa; 'Maza' Francisco Rodriguez, Rafael Marquez, Hector Moreno; Paul Aguilar, Hector Herrera, Jose Vazquez, Andres Guardado, Miguel Layun; Giovani dos Santos, Oribe Peralta.

We've seen 3-5-2 versus 4-2-3-1 already in this tournament, and just like in the first half of Argentina's win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, the latter shape dominated play in the centre of the pitch but failed to find the net. That's probably where the similarities end, however. Alejandro Sabella's Argentina were looking to roll their opponents over, while here, Mexico's 3-5-2 was hoping to draw Brazil's fullbacks forward and hit them on the counterattack.

Ramires receiving a yellow card against Mexico, Photo credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

With Hulk injured, Luiz Felipe Scolari had a selection dilemma on the right wing. He chose Chelsea midfielder Ramires for the role, overlooking the likes of Bernard and Willian — the latter is particularly amusing because Willian is a regular starter ahead of Ramires at club level — and that decision backfired rather spectacularly, with Ramires contributing little but a yellow card before being hauled off at halftime.

Oscar was fielded on the left wing but constantly drifted inside to help keep possession in midfield, resolving one major issue from the Croatia game, but at the same time Oscar's movement left Brazil without a genuine threat on the left barring Marcelo's runs up the pitch — it was a sacrifice of control in the centre for attacking penetration. Against Croatia, Oscar attempted seven crosses as a right winger, but here he only tried three.

Brazil dominated possession, and despite Mexico coming close a number of times with speculative long-range efforts, it was clear which side was on top of the match: the hosts created the bulk of the real scoring chances, and Mexico (perhaps surprisingly, considering 

Dani Alves' aggressive positioning) weren't able to work any of the flank overloads that had served them so well against Cameroon. El Tri's first and only shot from inside the penalty area came in the 78th minute, by which point Memo Ochoa had made half a dozen saves.

"La Celeste" Makes a Stand This Thursday Against The British, After Falling 3-1 At The Hands of Costa Rica

Uruguay defender Diego Lugano has described the Group D meeting with England on Thursday as 'life or death'

Still smarting from a shock opening defeat, Uruguay’s coach and captain said on Monday they were working on how to annul England’s speedy strikers in a “life-or-death” Group D clash.

Although the 2010 World Cup semi-finalists Uruguay were surprisingly beaten 3-1 by Costa Rica on Saturday, many considered England hard done by in a 2-1 defeat by Italy after one of their best attacking performances under Roy Hodgson.

“England deserved better luck,” Uruguay’s coach, Óscar Tabárez, said after a training session at the team’s hotel in rolling countryside outside the town of Sete Lagoas.

“The English attackers showed their great technical potential. They’re fast in decision-making and running. We have to limit them, because they are going to repeat that offensive style against us,” he added.

Also known for their attacking prowess, Tabárez declined to confirm if striker Luis Suárez would start against England. The Liverpool forward has recovered from knee cartilage surgery but is short of match fitness and practice.

“It’s a possibility he will play, I can’t say more,” said Tabárez , known as El Maestro or “the Teacher” at home.

“It’s a tough game but not impossible. We need a victory in order to progress, they do too.”

Uruguay’s captain, the defender Diego Lugano, familiar with the English style from the Premier League where he plays for West Bromwich Albion, said the team was doubly motivated after their disappointing debut.

“It’s life or death on Thursday. We’re up against two of the best in the world now [England and Italy]. It’s an enormous challenge,” said Lugano, a veteran of the 2010 finals in South Africa where Uruguay finished in fourth place.

Expected to breeze past Costa Rica, the South Americans were devastated after their capitulation.

“We were annoyed, furious, disappointed,” Lugano said. “But you have to be mature and understand this is football, mistakes cost you hard. Now we’re united again. Our faith is intact. 

We mustn’t lose our heads, lose our way. We must keep having fun and dreaming.”

England will be hoping the scintillating Suárez does not make it for Thursday, but even without him Uruguay have another of the world’s best strikers, Edinson Cavani, at their disposal.

“We hope Luis is fine and plays but if not, then it’s up to the rest of us,” Lugano said. “The English players are fast and strong. That demands a lot of the defenders. It’s not going to be easy. We have to improve.”

Netherlands with doubles from Robben and Van Persie taught Spain the meaning of sweet revenge

The Netherlands earned sweet revenge on Spain on Friday at the Fonte Nova in Salvador, hammering Spain 5-1 to put an emphatic coda on their loss in the 2010 World Cup finals.

Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben both scored twice, and Stefan de Vrij added one to pace the Netherlands after an early and controversial penalty had staked Spain an early lead. And believe it or not, the Dutch could have had a few more. It was the heaviest loss ever suffered by a reigning champion, and it leaves Spain staring at an early exit. Spain hadn't lost in a Cup match in such a shambolic fashion since 1950 -- fittingly enough, that was against hosts Brazil.

This was the first group stage meeting between the previous World Cup's finalists in history, a seemingly dry fact belied by the rancor of that game. Then, Spain needed extra time to down a Dutch side that should have been reduced to ten men after Nigel de Jong infamously delivered a karate kick to Xabi Alonso's midsection in Johannesburg, South Africa. That was a dirty show from Holland, and no one had forgot it; the question coming in was whether or not they could overcome that bitter history.

Indeed, they could.

''We trained that way. And this is definitely down to him,'' the Manchester United striker said of the coach who will take over at his club next season. ''If you see how he prepared us, and how he predicted the game would go, and you see how it went - unbelievable.''

''With strikers like Van Persie, Robben and Sneijder behind them, things like this can happen,'' the coach said.

Holland played an unusual five-man back line today that deployed three in front of keeper Jasper Cillessen and used wingbacks to clog the midfield. It forced Spain into playing longer balls over top -- frequently with native Brazilian Diego Costa as the end target -- but it also revealed the limitations of both sides. That Dutch trio looked callow; Spain at times looked unable to influence matters at all. But as for Costa, booed every time he got near the ball by a Salvador crowd that had not forgotten where he grew up, he was good enough to win Spain's opening goal.

On the 15th minute, Costa was toppled by Stefan de Vrij in the box, and ref Nicola Rizzoli immediately pointed to the spot.  On first glance it looked a stonewall call, but replays introduced significant doubt; Costa seemed to wait for the contact and left his leg back for the defender to take out.  To be fair to Rizzoli, it was nowhere close to as controversial a call as many we've seen so far in this young World Cup, and the buildup for it was sublime, with David Silva and Xavi combining to push the ball through a static back trio. Xabi Alonso converted this one, calmly slotting home low and hard past Cillessen.

Holland swiftly marched down the field, Daley Blind fired in a cross from the left -- and Robin van Persie scored the goal of the Cup so far.

Launching himself and a thousand "Flying Dutchman" jokes at the same time, van Persie arched his back and neck at the edge of the area to head the ball past a stunned Iker Casillas, rooted on his line. It was audacious, it was unbelievable, and it was in the back of the net. Van Persie became the first Dutchman to score in three World Cups with the goal -- and earned himself a spot in highlight reels for years to come.

When Robben netted, sending the orange-clad fans into paroxysm, it was no more than they deserved. Spain's central pairing of Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos had become increasingly disconnected, and Robben, on the slalom, brilliantly settled a long ball to turn and fire through them to ruffle the net. It was a fine bit of skill, and it effectively killed the game.

And as good as Cillessen had been for Holland, Casillas was as poor for Spain. Dropped as the starter at his club Real Madrid by Carlo Ancelotti, he was to blame on the next two Dutch goals.

First, Casillas flapped at a routine ball under normal pressure from van Persie. De Vrij was in the right place at the right time -- in this case, almost over the endline at the far post -- and able to touch the ball into an unguarded net. Casillas fumed, claiming a foul -- but in reality, he'd made a hash of it.

There was no disguising who was at fault on van Persie's second: Casillas tried to clear the ball and made an even worse mess of the play, gifting the fleet van Persie with an open net. As the Manchester United man wheeled away towards his bench, arms in the air, Casillas could only gaze at the ground.

Robben added the fifth when he danced through the back line, leaving both Ramos and Casillas for dead, to selfishly lash the ball home with his left foot. It was a bit of swagger that felt totally justified, and Robben wagged his tongue at both the crowd and his opponents.

The result is a damaging one for Spain, and an eerie echo of their 2010 campaign to boot. There, they lost the opener to Switzerland -- and went on to become the first side to raise the Cup after losing the opener. But Spain don't have it easy: they face a very threatening Chilean at the Maracana Stadium on Wednesday while Holland have what should be an easy match in Port Alegre earlier that same day against Australia.

As it stands now, the Oranj are the ones to beat. ''We don't have anything yet. We've made a pretty start,'' van Gaal said. ''If you beat Australia, then you've made a good start.''

And the fiery Reds may have finally flamed out.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.  http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/netherlands-exact-revenge-defeats-defending-world-cup-champion-spain-061314

Brazil 3 Croatia 1; The locals imposed with a highly criticized referee performance

With 2 from Neymar and 1 from OScar Brasil won 3 points against Croatia at the beggining of the World Cup. When the match was 1-1 the referee Nishimura gave an inexisting penalty for the brazilians.

Brazil had to win at its debut as host but Croatia's strong and compact team was not an easy opponent. 

At the 10th minute things were not going very well or Brazil as the european Olic shot from the side, the ball got to the brazilian area and  Marcelo trying to get it out made a goal against his team.

Nerves were passing through the crowd and more than one brazuca reminded about the 50's ghost.

But even so, Neymar the young skilled player put the team on his shoulder to turn things around. Thanks to his struggle he scored the 1-1 after a let foot kick, taking down the keeper Pletikosa.

Ont he second time it was more of the same thing, Brazil attacked but Croatia had put up a well estructured defense.

Brazil's second goal came from an inexisting penalty given by referee Nishimura, who saw Fred falling in the rival area and made the call Neymar took charge and the 2-1 was official 

luiz Felipe Scolari insists Brazil did not benefit from a contentious penalty decision against Croatia despite angry post-match claims from Niko Kovac.

The Selecao fell behind after an own-goal from Marcelo after 11 minutes before two goals from Neymar, the second a hotly-debated penalty, and a late Oscar strike gave them all three points in a 3-1 win.

Croatia boss Kovac was furious at what he saw as an extremely soft penalty when Fred went down under a challenge by Dejan Lovren, but Scolari claimed he saw nothing wrong with referee Yuichi Nishimura's decision to point to the spot.

Towards the end and after several chances by the Croatians, Oscar scored the 3-1

After this result Brazil heads for Mexico this tuesday on the next match of the Group A